A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied, “You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”
“You must be an engineer,” said the balloonist.
“I am,” replied the woman. “How did you know?”
“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of you, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help so far.”
The woman below responded, “You must be in management.”
“I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”
“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault!”
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balloon
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reduced
If you reduce something, you make it smaller in size or amount, or less in degree.
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altitude
If something is at a particular altitude, it is at that height above sea level.
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descended
A person who is descended from someone who lived a long time ago is directly related to them.
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hovering
To hover means to stay in the same position in the air without moving forwards or backwards. Many birds and insects can hover by moving their wings very quickly.
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approximately
An approximate number, time, or position is close to the correct number, time, or position, but is not exact.
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latitude
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longitude
The longitude of a place is its distance to the west or east of a line passing through Greenwich.
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Frankly
If someone is frank, they state or express things in an open and honest way.
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beneath
Something that is beneath another thing is under the other thing.
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