一天，我们大学里一个年轻的学生和一位教授一起散步。这位仁慈的教授常称呼学生为朋友，他对那些急切希望得到指教的学生非常友善。

散步途中，他们看到一双旧鞋放在路边，便猜测鞋子可能是某个在附近田地里劳作的穷人的，他们想他一天的劳动也该结束了。

学生转过头对教授说：“我们捉弄他一下吧。先把他的鞋藏起来，然后躲到灌木丛后面，等着看他找不到鞋子时会是怎样困惑的表情。”

“年轻的朋友，”教授答道，“我们永远不该以损害穷人为代价，来换取自己的快乐。如果你富有，就应该去帮助穷人，那样会让你获得更大的快乐。我们在每只鞋里各放一枚硬币，然后躲起来看他对这一意外发现有何反应。”

学生按教授说的做了，然后他们躲到附近的灌木丛中。

很快，那个穷人劳动结束了，他从田地走出来，来到放外套和鞋子的小路上。他边穿外套，边把一只脚伸到鞋子里，感觉到鞋里有硬东西，他便弯下腰摸摸看是什么东西，结果他摸到了那枚硬币。

他吃惊地看着那枚硬币，翻转过去又看了看。然后，他扫视了一下周围，一个人影都看不到。他把这枚硬币装进口袋，又去穿另一只鞋。结果又发现了另一枚硬币，他更惊讶了。

他感动极了，双膝跪地，仰望上苍，大声地表达着自己的感激之情，正是陌生人的解囊相助使他患病无助的妻子和食不果腹的孩子有了新的希望。

那个学生被深深地感动了，他的眼里饱含着泪水。“喏，”教授说，“这难道不比搞恶作剧更令你快乐吗？”

年轻人答道：“您给我上的这堂课我将永生难忘。现在我终于明白了那句我一直都不理解的话：‘给予比接受更幸福。’”

英语美文阅读：A Trick

A young man, a student in one of our universities, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend, for his kindness to those who waited on his instructions. As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them."

"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him."

The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom the timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, "are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?"

The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood before: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"