An American visiting England walked into a hotel lobby and pushed a button for elevator service．“The lift will be down presently，”said a nearby clerk．
“The lift？”said the American．“Oh，you mean the elevator．”
“No，I mean the lift，”replied the Englishman，annoyed by the American' s arrogance．
“I think I should know what it's called，” said the American．“After all，elevators were invented in the United States．”
“Perhaps，”retorted the Englishman．“But the language was invented here．”
电 梯
一位在英国访问的美国人走进酒店大堂，揿下电梯按钮。身旁一位酒店工作人员说道，“Lift马上就下来。”
“Lift？”美国人问。“哦，你说的是elevator吧。”
美国人的傲慢使英国人感到讨厌，他回答说，“不，我说的是lift。”
“我想我知道它叫什么，”美国人说。“不管怎么说，电梯是在美国发明的。”
“那可能，”英国人反驳说。“但这种语言是在这个国家发明的。”
