9. Student recruitment

The meanest2 principal3 in the world was worried that his private4 school would close because of lack of5 students. One day the principal called in his assistant and demanded that he go out and recruit more students or be fired.

The next day five new students signed up6. The day after that another ten signed up. Within a week the enrollment was sky high.

Pulling his assistant aside one day, the principal asked, "How did you get so many new students to sign up?"

It was easy, replied the assistant. "I just started a rumor7 that you were quitting8."

Notes:

1. recruitment 招生

2. mean 吝啬的

3. principal 校长

4. private 私人的

5. lack of 缺乏

6. sign up 报名，签名

7. rumor 谣言

8. quit 放弃，辞职

招　生

世上最吝啬的校长担心他的私立学校会因为缺乏生源而关闭。一天，这个校长把助理叫来，命令他出外招生，如果招不到便要解雇他。

第二天，有五个新生来报名，第三天又来了10名新生，一个星期后报名人数已经变得非常多。

校长把助理拉到一边，问：“你是怎么让这么多新生来报名的？”

“这很容易”，助理回答道，“我只是散布了一个谣言而已，说你就要辞职了。”

Useful link:

全英共有约2500所独立学校或私立学校（Independent Schools），遍布在英国各地。这些学校有时被称为“收费学校”（Fee-paying），因为相对英国公立学校对本国学生不收学费而言，私立学校无论是对本国还是国际学生都收取同样的学费。