On the first day of an American history class, the professor assigned five chapters on civil rights.

The next day, he asked one of my classmates to name ten of those rights. When the student made no response, the professor said, "All right. Name five."

Still the student said nothing. Finally, the exasperated professor begged, "Just name one right you have as a civilian."

To a room full of laughter, the young man replied, "I have the right to remain silent."

第一天上美国历史课时，教授布置学习第五章有关公民权的材料。

第二天，教授要求一个同学列举其中十种权利。那位同学没有回答，教授说：“好吧，说五种。”

那个同学还是一声不吭，最后教授感到非常生气，就要求他说：“请把你作为公民所拥有的权利列举一种。”

面对哄堂大笑，小伙子答道：“我有权利保持沉默。”