为何大学生似乎比任何其他人都更喜欢恶作剧，对此从来没有人作过解释。
It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else.
学生们尤其擅长一种特定类型的恶作剧：骗局。
Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.
邀请消防队去扑灭一场并不存在的火灾，这是一种低级的欺骗形式，任何有自尊的学生都不会沉溺其中。
Inviting the fire brigade to put out a nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in.
学生们常常制造出有趣的情境，对除受害者以外的所有人来说都很好笑。
Students often create amusing situations which are funny to everyone except the victims.
当一名学生最近看到两名工人在大学门外使用风钻时，他立刻打电话给警察，告知他们：有两名学生假扮成工人，正在用风钻掘开马路。
When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill.
他一挂上电话，就走向那两名工人，告诉他们：如果一名警察命令他们离开，他们不必当真。
As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously.
他补充说，有一名学生假扮成警察，正在对人们搞各种愚蠢的恶作剧。
He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.
警察和工人都对那名学生提前告知的这条消息表示感激。
Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.
那名学生藏在附近的一个拱廊里，从那里他可以看到和听到所有发生的事情。
The student hid in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went on.
果然，一名警察来到现场，礼貌地要求工人们离开。
Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workmen to go away.
当他收到其中一名工人非常粗鲁的回答时，他威胁说要强行驱离他们。
When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen, he threatened to remove them by force.
工人们叫他随便，于是警察打电话求援。
The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help.
不久之后，又来了四名警察，与工人们交涉。
Shortly afterwards, 4 more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen.
由于这些工人拒绝停止工作，警察试图夺走风钻。
As the men refused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill.
工人们激烈地抵抗，其中一人大发脾气。
The workmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper.
他威胁说要报警。
He threatened to call the police.
对此，警察讽刺地指出，这几乎没有必要，因为这些人已经被逮捕了。
At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest.
其中一名工人假装认真地说，问是否可以在被带到警察局之前打一个电话。
Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call before being taken to the station.
请求获准，一名警察陪同他走到一部付费电话旁。
Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone.
直到他看到那名工人真的在给警察打电话，他才意识到他们所有人都是一场骗局的受害者。
Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.