禁止死亡的小镇

在意大利的一个小镇上，人们遇到了一个真正的问题。山上的老墓地已经完全满了，没有地方再埋新的人。小镇很小，土地很陡，新墓地还没有准备好。镇长必须做点什么，于是他做出了一个非常奇怪的决定。

In a small town in Italy, the people had a real problem. The old cemetery on the hill was completely full. There was no room left for anyone new. The town was small, the land was steep, and a new cemetery was not ready yet. The mayor had to do something, so he made a very strange decision.

镇长签署了一份正式的命令。这份命令告诉全镇的人，从那天起，禁止死亡。当然，没有人真的能遵守这样的规定。镇长自己也知道这一点。这是他表明问题有多严重的方式，也是他请全镇人耐心等待的方式。

The mayor signed an official order. The order told the people of the town that, from that day on, it was forbidden to die. Of course, no one can really follow such a rule. The mayor knew that too. It was his way of showing how serious the problem had become, and his way of asking the town for patience.

当人们在广场上读到这份公告时，他们都笑了。他们知道镇长无法真的阻止死亡，但他们明白他的意思。这个有趣的故事并没有只留在小镇里。报纸报道了这件事，很快，世界各地的人都在微笑，想着这个曾经禁止死亡的意大利小镇。

When the people read the notice in the square, they laughed. They knew their mayor could not stop death, but they understood his message. The funny story did not stay in the town. Newspapers picked it up, and soon people all around the world were smiling at the little Italian town where, for a while, it was against the rules to die.