Many people think a telephone is essential .But I think it is a pest and a time waster .Very often you find it impossible to escape from some idle or curious chatter—box, or from somebody who wants something for nothing .If you have a telephone in your own house ,you will admit that it tends to ring when you are asleep ,or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out ,or when you are taking your bath. Are you strong –minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself, “Ah ,well ,it will all be the same in a hundred years’ time”？ You are not .You think there may be some important news or messages for you. I can assure you that if a message is really important it will reach you sooner or later .Have you ever rushed dripping from the bath, or chewing from the table, or dazed from the bed ,only to be told that you are a wrong number?
But you will say, you need not have your name printed in the telephone directory, and you can have a telephone which is only usable for outgoing calls .Besides, you will say, isn’t it important to have a telephone in case of emergency—illness, an accident, or fire? Of course, you are right, but here in a thickly populated country like England one is seldom far from a telephone in case of dreadful necessity.
I think perhaps I had better try to justify myself by trying to prove that what I like is good .I admit that in different circumstances—if I were a toon (business VIP) ,for instance ,or bed –ridden I might find a telephone essential . But then if I were a taxi—driver I should find a car essential.
Let me put it another way: there are two things for which the English seem to show particular talent; one is mechanical invention, the other is literature .My own business happens to be with the use of words but I see I must now stop using them .For I have just been handed a slip of paper to say that somebody is waiting to speak to me on the telephone .I think I had better answer it .After all, one never knows, it may be something important.

许多人认为装一台电话是有必要的。但我却认为电话非常有害，而且它是个浪费时间的机器。你会发现，在很多时候要想避开这个毫无意义的话匣子，或是要躲开某些人漫无目的的聊天，这根本就不可能。如果你家里有一部电话，你就得承认它总是在你睡觉时，或是在你正吃着半截饭，或是当你正在谈话中响起铃声，或者在你正要出门时，在你正洗澡时响起来。你的心可以足够坚定的不去接听吗？你对自己说：“哦，哎呀，（没有电话时的）几百年来都是这样。”你却做不这一点，你会想也许会有什么重要的消息要告诉你。我可以肯定的告诉你，如果真的有什么重要消息，你迟早都是要知道的。你是不是曾经经历过满身滴着水的跑出浴室，或是嘴里还嚼着东西就离开饭桌，或是迷迷糊糊的爬下床，只是为了接听一个打错了的电话？
但是你会说，我可以不用把我的名字列到电话薄上，我家里的电话只是用来往外打的。此外，你还会说，在紧急情况下有部电话不是非常重要吗？--在生病，意外事故或是遇到火灾。当然你说的很对，但象在英国这样人口稠秘的国家，人们会很少在远离电话的地方碰到这种紧急情况。
我想也许我最好能证明一下为什么我所想的是对的。我承认在有些情况下，电话是必要的，比如，如果我是位商业要员。但如果我是位出租车司机，我会认为车对我来说才是必须的。
换一个方式来说吧：英国人在两件事上表现出了特有的才智：一个是机械发明，另外一个就是文学。我的工作恰巧与文字有关，但这现在必须要停止写作了，因为我刚刚收到了一张纸条，上面说有人正等我去接听电话，我想我最好还是去接一下，我毕竟不知道是不是有什么重要的事情。