It seems a man in Topeka, Kansas, decided to write a book about
churches around the country. He started by flying to San
Francisco, and started working east from there. He went to a very
large church and began taking photographs, etc. He spots a golden
telephone on a wall and is intrigued with a sign which reads
"$10,000 a minute."
Seeking out the pastor he asks about the phone and the sign. The
pastor answers that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line
to Heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God.
He thanks the pastor and continues on his way. As he continues to
visit churches in Seattle, Boise, Minneapolis, Chicago,
Milwaukee, New York, Atlanta, and on around the United States, he
finds more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from
each pastor.
Finally, he arrives in Texas. Upon entering a church in Dallas,
lo and behold, he sees the usual golden telephone. But THIS time,
the sign reads "Calls: 25 cents."
Fascinated, he requests to talk to the pastor. "Reverend, I have
been in cities all across the country and in each church I found
this golden telephone, and have been told it is a direct line to
Heaven and that I could talk to God, but, in the other churches
the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads 25 cents a call.
Why?"
The pastor, smiling benignly, replies, "Oh, my son, that's very
easy to explain. You see, you're now in Texas and, of course,
it's a local call from here."
So much for Texans being a modest bunch!
Hard words: spot - увидеть
intrigue - интриговать
Heaven - Небеса
fascinate - восхищать
reverend - многоуважаемый, почтенный, уважаемый