英文短篇故事（纽约）238 Pay Them, and They Will Come

 　　A high school in Ohio had poor attendance¹. "I've got an idea," said an English teacher at a teachers' meeting. "Most of our students are poor. Let's pay them to attend school." Most of the other teachers agreed. They applauded². The principal laughed. "Pay them?! They're already getting a free education. Their education will help them get good jobs. Their education will help them get college degrees. Most of them get free lunches too. Aren't we doing enough?" The teacher said, "No, we aren't. I presented this idea to my students. They said they will come to school every day if we pay them." The principal said, "Let me think about this." The next week he held another teachers' meeting. "We're going to pay students to come to school," he said. Most of the teachers applauded. "The money is coming out of your salaries," he added. The teachers were silent.

1 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

2 applauded   

v.鼓掌( applaud的过去式和过去分词 )；称赞，赞许

参考例句：

• The audience warmly applauded when the performance came to the end. 当演出接近尾声时，观众热烈鼓掌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The audience applauded after the soprano sang the aria so beautifully. 女高音将咏叹调唱得十分优美，观众爆发出热烈的掌声。 来自《简明英汉词典》