(1). 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.
现在的海关官员往往相当宽容。但是,当你通过绿色通道,没有任何东西需要申报时,他们仍可以拦住你。
(2). Even really honest people are often made to feel guilty.
甚至是最诚实的人也常常被弄得有罪似的
(3). 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.
而老练的职业走私即使在手提箱里藏着500只金表,却也处泰然。
(4). When I returned from abroad recently, a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.
最近一次,我出国归来,碰上一位特别好管闲事的年轻海关官员,他显然把我当成了走私犯。
(5). ’Have you anything to declare?’ he asked, looking me in the eye.
“您有什么需要申报吗?”他直盯着我的眼睛问。
(6). ’No,’ I answered confidently.
“没有。”我自信地回答说。
(7). ’Would you mind unlocking this suit-case please ?’
“请打开这只手提箱好吗?”
(8). ’Not at all,’ I answered.
“好的。”我回答说。
(9). The Officer went through the case with great care.
那位官员十分仔细地把箱子检查了一遍。
(10). All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess.
所有细心包装好的东西一会儿工夫就乱成一团。
(11). I felt sure I would never be able to close the case again.
我相信那箱子再也关不上了。
(12). Suddenly, I saw the Officer’s face light up.
突然,我看见到官员脸上露出了得意的神色。
(13). He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.
他在我的箱底发现了一只小瓶,高兴地一把抓了起来。
(14). ’Perfume, eh?’ he asked sarcastically. ’You should have declared that.’ Perfume is not exempt from import duty.’
“香水,嗯?”他讥讽地说道,“你刚才应该申报,香水要上进口税的。”
(15). ’But it isn’t perfume,’ I said.’ It’s hair-oil.’ Then I added with a smile,’ It’s a strange mixture I make myself.’
“不,这不是香水,”我说,“是发胶。”接着我脸带微笑补充说:“这是一种我自己配制的奇特的混合物。”
(16). As I expected, he did not believe me.
果不出所料,他并不相信我。
(17). ’Try it!’ I said encouragingly.
“你就闻一闻吧!”我催促说。
(18). The Officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils.
海关官员拧开瓶盖,把瓶子放到鼻子底下。
(19). He was greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the truth.
一股怪味袭来,使他相信了我说的真话。
(20). A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk-marks on my baggage.
几分钟后,我终于被放行,手提划着宝贵的粉笔记号的行李,匆匆离去。