如今的海关官员相当宽容，但当你走绿色通道、声称没有东西要申报时，他们仍可能拦住你。
Customs Officers are quite tolerant these days, but they can still stop you when you are going through the Green Channel and have nothing to declare.
即使是真正诚实的人，也常常被弄得觉得自己有罪。
Even really honest people are often made to feel guilty.
另一方面，老练的职业走私犯却从不为这种感觉所困扰，即使他的手提箱里藏着五百只金表。
The hardened professional smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase.
最近我从国外回来时，一个特别爱管闲事的年轻海关官员显然把我当成了走私犯。
When I returned from abroad recently, a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.
“你有什么东西要申报吗？”他问道，直视着我的眼睛。
'Have you anything to declare?' he asked, looking me in the eye.
“没有，”我自信地回答。
'No,' I answered confidently.
“请您把这只手提箱打开，好吗？”
'Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please?'
“当然可以，”我答道。
'Not at all,' I answered.
那位官员极其仔细地检查了箱子。
The Officer went through the case with great care.
我精心打包好的所有东西很快被翻得乱七八糟。
All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess.
我确信自己再也没法把箱子关上了。
I felt sure I would never be able to close the case again.
突然，我看见那位官员的脸上露出了得意的神色。
Suddenly, I saw the Officer's face light up.
他在我箱子底部发现了一只小瓶子，便兴高采烈地扑了过去。
He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.
“香水，嗯？”他讥讽地问道。
'Perfume, eh?' he asked sarcastically.
“你本该申报那件东西。
'You should have declared that.
香水是不免除进口税的。”
Perfume is not exempt from import duty.'
“可这不是香水，”我说。“这是发胶。”
'But it isn't perfume,' I said. 'It's hair gel.'
接着我微笑着补充道：“这是我自己配制的一种奇特混合物。”
Then I added with a smile, 'It's a strange mixture I make myself.'
正如我所料，他并不相信我。
As I expected, he did not believe me.
“你试试！”我怂恿地说。
'Try it!' I said encouragingly.
那位官员拧开瓶盖，把瓶子凑到鼻孔边。
The Officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils.
一股难闻的气味向他袭来，这使他相信我说的是实话。
He was greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the truth.
几分钟后，我终于能匆忙离开了，行李上带着宝贵的粉笔记号。
A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk marks on my baggage.