英文短篇故事（纽约）399 Open the Darn Package!

 　　The unopened box contained a bar of soap. He dug under the end flap with his thumbnail. He couldn't pry¹ the flap open. He tried to dig under the other end flap. He couldn't pry that flap open either. This is a simple, cardboard box, he thought. Why is it sealed like Fort Knox? He grabbed a knife and sawed through the box. That's it, he thought. He was tired of wrestling with packages in order to open them. He went to his basement. After many months of effort, he developed his Instant Opener. He took it to trade shows. Manufacturers loved it. What was it? A quiet, tiny bomb. To activate² the bomb, all a customer had to do was pull on a piece of string on the outside of the package. The tiny bomb was just strong enough to open any package. It didn't even make a mess.

1 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

2 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。