Tom was undoubtedly the most intelligent student in the entire school, but whenever the teacher asked him a question for which he was not prepared, he was filled with such nervousness that he would become confused, and something utterly incomprehensible would issue from his mouth as soon as he opened it.
トムは疑いなく学校中で一番頭のいい生徒だったが、先生に不意に当てられるといつもすっかりあがってしまい、口を開くや否や全く訳の分からないことをしどろもどろに口走るのだった。