经典英语文章 宁静田园生活遐想

英语经典美文-乡间土路Dirt Roads

在那条乡间的土路上，我嗅到了泥土的气息，眼前浮现出的是深深的车辙，还有行走中的路人与淳朴的农夫的身影。

What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.

There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

That it can jar1) you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy2) ride.

We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.

There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.

Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.

People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate3) by riding the bumper4) or the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield5) with rocks. Our values were better when our roads were worse!

Dirt Roads taught patience.

Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in6) your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk. For your mail, you walked to the mail box.

What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows7) and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.

Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.

At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini8).

At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes9) would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up10) a team and pull them out.

Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!

当今社会的主要问题都出在太多的土路被铺成了公路这上面。

在现今的美国，所有涉及犯罪、毒品、教育、离婚或其他过失的问题都可以解决。前提是只要我们能有更多的土路，因为土路有它的特殊性。

可能它有时会颠簸得让你牙齿打颤，但是只要它的终点是你的家，在那里有你的爱人、可爱的孩子还有一条狗在等着你的话，这一切就都值得。

在土路的尽头居住的人们懂得生活就是颠簸旅程的道理。

有了土路，我们就不会再为教育体系而大伤脑筋。和其他的小伙伴们一道，我们的孩子在土路上学会了如何跋涉，如何与人相处。

而我们的街道在被铺设前也没有那么多的犯罪。

罪犯们如果事先就知道，在满是灰尘的土路上行走两英里之后，最终等待他们的是五只狂吠的大狗和双管猎枪的话，就绝对不会去抢劫或者强奸了。

我们的价值观在道路的状况不是很好的时候会更加高尚。

人们不会把车子看得比孩子还重要，而驾车人也更加小心，他们不会紧随前车行驶而造成追尾，因为前面的车扬起的灰尘足够让你窒息，飞起得小石块也会

让你车子的挡风玻璃吃不消的。

土路让人懂得忍耐。

而土路也是环保的，你不会驱车到畜棚就为了一壶牛奶，而顶多是步行而已。到邮筒取信你自然也会步行。

那么要是碰上了下雨的天气而土路被冲没了怎么办？这其实是最好不过了呢！你就会呆在家里真正地享受家庭生活，有美味的蜜饯和爆米花，还有可以骑在爸爸的背上或者学着怎么把被褥叠得比其他人都整齐。

大多数的公路带来的都是麻烦，而土路引领你去的是可以垂钓的小溪或可以游泳的池塘。

在土路上，我们惟一要锁车的时间是八月，因为（在那个收获的季节）邻居们会把整个车里塞满南瓜的。

在土路上，总会有些额外的收获，那些城里来的有钱人们遇到麻烦就会要搭你的车，还要请你找一帮子人帮他们把车从泥潭里拽出来。

通常你能得到一美元的报偿 更好的是能认识一个新的朋友 看，一切都发生在一条土路上！

lllusions of pastoral peace 英语经典美文-宁静田园生活的遐想

The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasionally visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV ---- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the

city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.

If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer. Y ou never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat. For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

New Words and Expressions生词和短语

illusion(title) n. 幻想，错觉

dubious（1. 15）adj. 可疑的；怀疑的

pastoral(title) adj. 田园的

privilege(1. 15) n. 特权

breed（1. 2）(bred/bred/, bred) v. 培育

misery(1. 15) n. 苦难

rapture(1. 5) n. 欣喜

acquaintance(1. 20) n. 熟人

extol(1. 6) v. 赞美，颂扬

treat(1. 20) n. 难得的乐事，享受

superior (1. 8) adj. 优越的

dweller (1. 22) n. 居住者

cockcrow(1. 10) n. 鸡叫

stagger(1. 25) v. 摇晃；螨跚

twitter(1. 10) v. （鸟）吱吱叫，喊喊喳喳叫exotic(1. 25) adj. 导乎寻常的，外来的

glint(1. 10)/glint/ v. 闪烁

glow(1. 26) n. 白炽光

pasture (1. 11) n. 牧场

descend(1. 28) v. 下落，降临

idyllic(1. 11) adj. 田园诗的

tuck(1. 28) v. 缩进，隐藏

virtually(1. 12) adv. 几乎；差不多obstinately(1. 30) adv. 固执地，顽固地

Notes on the text课文注释

1 city, born and city bred, 城里生，城里长。

这是由“名词+过去分词”构成的合成形容词，此处作原因状语。

2 go into raptures, 变得欣喜若狂起来。

at the mere mention of, 一提到。

3 be under an illusion, 作“有……的错觉”讲，that引起的是同位语从句。

4 beyond me, 我所无法理解的。

5 do without…，没有……也行。

6 draw to a close，结束，告终。

7 you never have to make do with second best, 你从来不必用二等品来凑合。make do with…, 凑合着用……。

参考译文

宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。我生在城市，长在城市，总认为乡村是透过火车车窗看到的那个样子，或偶尔周末去游玩一下的景象。我的许多朋友都住在城市，但他们只要一提起乡村，马上就会变得欣喜若狂。尽管他们都交口称赞宁静的乡村生活的种种优点，但其中只有一人真去农村住过，而且不足6个月就回来了。即使他也仍存有幻觉，好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。他滔滔不绝地大谈友好的农民，洁净的空气，贴近大自然的环境和悠闲的生活节奏。他坚持认为，凌晨雄鸡第一声啼叫，黎明时分小鸟吱喳欢叫，冉冉升起的朝阳染红树木、牧场，此番美景无与伦比。但这种田园诗般的乡村风光仅仅是一个侧面。我的朋友没有提到在电视机前度过的漫长寂寞的冬夜——电视是唯一的娱乐形式。他也不说商店货物品种单调，以及那些每天不得不从乡下赶到城里工作的不幸的人们。人们为什么情愿每天在路上奔波4个小时去换取值得怀疑的乡间的优点，我是无法理解的。要是他们愿意住在本来属于他们的城市，则可以让他们省去诸多

不便与节约大量开支。

如果你愿舍弃乡下生活那一点点乐趣的话，那么你会发现城市可以为你提供生活中最美好的东西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好几英里，因为他们都住在附近，你随时可以同他们聊天或在晚上一起娱乐。我在乡村有一些熟人，他们每年进城来看一回或几回戏，并把此看作一种特殊的享受。看戏在他们是件大事，需要精心计划。当戏快演完时，他们又为是否能赶上末班火车回家而犯愁。这种焦虑，城里人是从未体验过的。坐公共汽车几站路，就可看到最新的展览、电影、戏剧。买东西也是一种乐趣。物品品种繁多，从来不必用二等品来凑合。乡里人进城采购欣喜若狂，每次回家时都买足了外来商品，直到拿不动方才罢休，连走路都摇摇晃晃的。城市也并非没有良辰美景。寒冷潮湿的冬夜里，广告灯箱发出的暖光，会给人某种安慰。周末，当成千上万进城上班的人回到了他们的乡间寓所之后，空旷的街市笼罩着一种宁静的气氛，没有什么能比此时的宁静更令人难忘了。城里人对这一切心里很明白，却偏要执拗地装出他们喜欢住在乡村的样子，这对我来说一直是个谜

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