You find a mysterious suitcase at a train station. Inside are US$20,000, a passport, a strange photograph, and a note saying “DO NOT CALL THE POLICE.” What do you do?
Michael: Ruth. There's a suitcase under this bench and nobody's claiming it.
Ruth: Just leave it, that's clearly someone else's problem.
Michael: I would, except it's slightly open, and I may have already seen what's inside.
Ruth: Michael.
Michael: Twenty thousand US dollars. A passport. A photograph of two people I don't recognize. And a note that says “do not call the police.”
Ruth: Okay, close it. Close it right now.
Michael: I'm not touching it, I just... looked.
Ruth: “Just looked” is how every bad situation in every movie starts.
Michael: So what do we do? We can't just leave twenty thousand dollars sitting at a train station.
Ruth: We also can't just take it! That note is clearly a warning, not a suggestion.
Michael: What if it belongs to someone in trouble? What if handing it to the police actually makes things worse for them?
Ruth: That's a very generous interpretation of “do not call the police.”
Michael: I'm just saying, there could be a good reason.
Ruth: Or a very bad one. Okay — compromise. We give it to the station staff, not the police. Let them handle it from there.
Michael: That's actually smart. Neutral, safe, and it's off our hands.
Ruth: Exactly. And we never, ever mention this to anyone, because nobody would believe us anyway.
Michael: Deal. Although, for the record, I'm always going to wonder about that photograph.
| Useful Phrase | 中文筆記 |
|---|---|
| claiming (something) | 認領（某物） |
| a suggestion (vs. a rule) | 建議（而非規定） |
| generous interpretation | 過於寬容的解讀 |
| compromise | 折衷方案 |
| off our hands | 不再是我們的責任 |
| for the record | 說明一下、鄭重聲明 |
Would you open the suitcase, ignore it, or immediately report it? Explain your reasoning to your partner.
你會打開行李箱、不理它，還是立刻報告？跟你的夥伴解釋你的理由。