十五篇文章貫穿英語四級(jí)詞匯

1、十五篇文章貫穿四級(jí)詞匯（一）Unfortunately, a crime was about to committed but at that moment Lesley was unaware of the impending event, which would affect her life so drastically for the next two years.一項(xiàng)犯罪就要得逞了。而不幸的是，就在那時(shí)，萊斯利對(duì)即將發(fā)生的事毫無察覺。這件事將徹底改變她此 后兩年的生活。For the moment at least, her holiday at the cottage had be

2、en ideal. She had spent many idle hours relaxing on the deck: reading, eating a sandwich when she was hungry and in the evening watching the sky turn from brilliant orange to peach and finally to pale purple, eventually the light becoming dim. It was about this time that the mist would begin to rise

3、 from the cool water hiding in the dense forest that hugged the shoreline. Late evening dew glistened on every bush and soon the loons' call would resound across the water. She decided to take one last dip in the lake. As the cool night air touched her anns, she gave a little shiver and decided

4、it was time to move inside.至少在那個(gè)時(shí)候，她在小別里的假期還是很愜意的。她在平臺(tái)上度過了很多閑適輕松的時(shí)光，讀書、餓了 吃塊三明治；晚上，看著天空由鮮橙色變?yōu)樘壹t色，然后變?yōu)榈仙?，最后光線終于黯淡下來。就在這時(shí)， 薄霧開始從隱藏在環(huán)繞岸邊的密林里的冷水中升起：再晚些，灌木上的露珠開始閃爍，不久，潛水鳥的叫 聲就會(huì)在水面上回蕩起來。她決定在湖里最后再泡一會(huì)兒。當(dāng)她的手臂觸到夜晚涼爽的空氣時(shí)，不禁有些 發(fā)抖，于是她決定該是回到屋里去的時(shí)候了。This was to be her last evening alone as Jeff, her former mate,

5、would be returning Zac to her early in the morning. As the case in many maniages these days, problems had arisen between Lesley and Jeff, but they did not extend to Zac. He was a good kid, just entering kindergarten. The couple had come to a mutual agreement, as dictated by the legal custody agreeme

6、nt. It stated that each parent would share Zac's care every second weekend and this had been her weekend to be alone.這是她在家中獨(dú)處的最后個(gè)晚上，因?yàn)樗那胺蚪芊驎?huì)在早上把扎克送回來。與當(dāng)時(shí)許多婚姻情況一樣， 萊斯利和杰夫之間出現(xiàn)了許多問題，但并未影響到扎克。他是個(gè)好孩子，剛剛上幼兒園。他們達(dá)成了一個(gè) 依法監(jiān)護(hù)的協(xié)議，協(xié)議規(guī)定雙親每兩個(gè)周末輪換照顧孩子，這是她獨(dú)處的周末。Jeff was an architect, with a high-profile reputat

7、ion, who worked in downtown Toronto, a partner n a private corporation which mostly did consultant work for the university. Lesley's company had been hired to advertise the new science complex in order to raise corporate money for the proposed building. She liked her work and she harbored a secr

8、et ambition to manage her division of the company some day.杰夫是個(gè)建筑師，名聲很大，在多倫多市區(qū)工作，是一家私人公司的合伙人，該公司主要為大學(xué)做咨詢工 作。萊斯利的公司已經(jīng)接下了為新的科學(xué)綜合大樓做廣告的工作，以便為計(jì)劃中的大樓籌集合作基金。她 喜歡她的工作，并且心懷抱負(fù)：有一天她要管理這個(gè)部門。After a whirlwind courtship and a fairytale wedding the couple had settled down to an urban lifestyle. However, after thr

9、ee years and one child the dreamlike marriage came smashing down. One disadvantage of being young and ambitious was that both of them needed to devote untold hours to their busy schedules. As a result of these late hours, Lesley became suspicious of Jeff's after hours activities. She accused him

10、 of making her part of a love triangle. The whole miserable scene was to set the proceedings for an ugly divorce in motion.在一段旋風(fēng)般的熱戀和個(gè)童話式的婚禮之后，夫妻倆定居下來，過起了都市生活。然而，在過r三年并 仃了孩子之后，這段夢(mèng)幻般的婚姻開始破裂了。年輕而又雄心勃勃的不利之處，就是兩個(gè)人都耍把數(shù)不清 的時(shí)間花在忙不完的事業(yè)上。由于經(jīng)常工作到很晚，萊斯利開始懷疑杰夫工作之余的活動(dòng)，她指責(zé)他讓她 成了三角愛情的一部分。事情發(fā)展到最痛苦的場(chǎng)面就是提出不愉快的離婚訴訟。Da

11、ydreaming about those earlier days would not help tonight. So with a shrug of her shoulders she tackled the advertising assignment she needed to complete. Tomorrow would be a busy day with Zac arriving home.那些對(duì)最初美好時(shí)光的回憶，對(duì)今夜也無濟(jì)于事。于是，她聳了聳肩，著手處理她必須完成的廣告業(yè)務(wù)。 明天扎克到家后將會(huì)非常忙碌。The next day, as the morning wor

12、e on, Lesley became more and more agitated, and her mood became apprehensive, when Jeff did not appear. When noon hour arrived and he still had not appeared, she started making some phone calls. None of their mutual friends had either seen or talked with Jeff that day. Until today, Jeff had always b

13、een very punctual about returning the boy at the appointed time. Lesley felt a knot forming in her stomach as a crazy thought persisted at the back of her mind. She was absolutely sure something was wrong.第二天，隨著上午的時(shí)間慢慢逝去，萊斯利越來越感到不安。杰夫沒有出現(xiàn)，她變得焦躁起來。到了中午， 他還沒出現(xiàn)，于是她開始打電話。他們共同的朋友都說那天沒看見他，也沒和他通過電話。以前，杰夫總

14、是非常準(zhǔn)時(shí)地將孩子送回來。一種不祥的想法在下意識(shí)地困擾著她，萊斯利感到恐懼。她絕對(duì)肯定是出事 了 CJeff sat with his head bowed. He was undecided what to do. The domestic arrangement with his former wife was proving to be awkward. He was frustrated at being able to see his son only on weekends and felt he was always making concessions to accommoda

15、te Lesley's work schedule. Every meeting was turning into a competition for the boy's affection. His one desire was to take Zac away for good. The enormous decision to undertake this plan appeared to be presenting it self. Today he would depart for a conference in California. This appeared t

16、o be a marvelous opportunity to take the boy and leave the country for good. He bet that he could pack sufficient baggage into his vehicle and then disappears across the border, gaining entry the U.S.A, he gave little thought to whatsoever of the fact that this act could lead to his conviction if he

17、 was tracked down by the cops.杰夫低頭坐著，他不知該做些什么。和前妻商定的對(duì)家庭的安排看來是蠢笨的，只能在周末看看兒子令他 沮喪極了。為了萊斯利的工作安排，他覺得一直在遷就。每次相見都變成一場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)奪“孩子到底愛誰”的競(jìng) 爭(zhēng)。他有一個(gè)心愿就是把扎克永遠(yuǎn)帶走，現(xiàn)在就應(yīng)做出實(shí)施這個(gè)計(jì)劃的重大決定了。今天，他要前往加利 福尼亞參加一個(gè)會(huì)議，這顯然是一個(gè)帶走孩子，永遠(yuǎn)離開這個(gè)國家的絕好機(jī)會(huì)。他確信他能夠把足夠多的 行李裝上車，然后跨過邊境，進(jìn)入美國后就消失掉。如果被警察抓住，這種行為是可以構(gòu)成犯罪的，可他 不再多想了。Meanwhile, for Lesley the nig

18、htmare continued to unfold as the reality of the situation deepened. After 48 hours, the spokesman for the district police department assured her they would investigate Zac's disappearance. Her faith that justice would be realized was faint. The shock of the past two days* events made her realiz

19、e that possibly her son would become one more statistic in the missing children file. The police completed a preliminary survey after asking hundreds of detailed questions. Hot lines proved of fruitless.與此同時(shí)，對(duì)于萊斯利，隨著事件真相的不斷深入，噩夢(mèng)也在繼續(xù)顯現(xiàn)。48小時(shí)后，地區(qū)警察部門發(fā)言人 向她保證，他們將對(duì)扎克的失蹤展開調(diào)杏。她對(duì)正義會(huì)得到伸張的信心減弱了。最近兩天發(fā)生的事使她認(rèn) 識(shí)到

20、，他的兒子很可能成為失蹤兒童名單中增加的又一個(gè)新數(shù)字。在詢問了許許多多的細(xì)節(jié)問題之后，警 察完成了初步調(diào)查。熱線電話絲毫沒有結(jié)果。Meanwhile, over the next year there were countless visits and interviews at the police station and her home. The police appeared to be making no progress in trailing Zac's whereabouts. As the days passed, Lesley's frustration m

21、ounted and she felt a sense of alarm. Eventually, she decided to take the initiative in continuing the search and she began to use well-established child find agencies. At times, boosted by hopes, she appeared to be on the right trail with a sense of disgust, but her hopes were dashed at the final m

22、oment. These obstacles only made her more determined not to quit or to abandon hope. After Zac's picture was circulated nationwide, telephone calls followed from strangers reporting sightings of a Zac look alike. Month by month her plan evolved into a campaign equal to a full-scale battle plan.

23、She paid an exceedingly high fee for specialized help, such as the services of an attorney. Lesley became determined to target every major city where Jeff normally contracted business. As the months slipped by, Lesley's exhaustion became noticeable in her eyes. Her cheeks became hollow pits. Mos

24、t days she felt as though she did not have an ounce of energy left because proof of Zac's existence seemed impossible to find.在接下來的一年多時(shí)間里，她在警察局和家中接受了無數(shù)次的訪問和會(huì)見。在尋找禮物的下落上，警察似 乎并沒有取得什么進(jìn)展。時(shí)間天天地過去，萊斯利感到U益失望，她有種恐慌的感覺。終于，她決定 要爭(zhēng)取主動(dòng)，繼續(xù)找尋，她開始求助于專門的兒童尋找機(jī)構(gòu)。有時(shí)，盡管感到有些厭煩，由于希望的驅(qū)使， 她還是加入到搜尋線索的行列，但她的希望都在最后時(shí)刻破滅了。這

25、些挫折只會(huì)令她更堅(jiān)定不放棄尋找或 不喪失希望的決心。扎克的照片在全國傳閱，不斷有陌生人打來電話，報(bào)告說看見了像扎克模樣了人。一 月又一月，她參。活動(dòng)的計(jì)劃安排相當(dāng)于一場(chǎng)大規(guī)模的戰(zhàn)役部署。她出高薪請(qǐng)專家?guī)兔Γ缙刚?qǐng)代理人 為她服務(wù)。萊斯利開始決定在杰夫平日聯(lián)系生意的每一個(gè)主要城市去尋找目標(biāo)。幾個(gè)月過去了，從萊斯利 的眼里，可以明顯感覺到她的確精疲力竭了。她的臉頰深深地凹了卜去。大多數(shù)日子里，她覺得好像一點(diǎn) 兒精力也沒有了，因?yàn)樽C明扎克還在的證據(jù)看來是不可能找到了。Another year passed and her hopes dimmed. Unexpectedly, late in Au

26、gust a promising lead brought her to Los Angeles.又一年過去了，她的希望變得更加渺茫。但出乎意料，八月底，一個(gè)很有希望的線索把她帶到了洛杉磯。The interior of the bar was dark. Her quest to locate Jeff and Zac had taken two years. She had paid private investigators in American currency to help her locate her ex-husband. In her handbag she carried

27、 the necessary proof that would identify her to the authorities if she was successful in being able to bring Zac home again, to Canada. She had been impatient for this moment to arrive for so long and yet now she just wanted to secure her son with a minimum of fuss. Now, right on cue, a tall strange

28、r slipped into the bar and sat down. One glimpse told had it was Jeff. He looked weary and older but definitely familiar. A chill ran up her spine. Close to success, she refused to concede defeat. It was the time to remedy the enormous sadness. This time she wanted a guarantee of success. She stared

29、 straight ahead with a vacant look, trying to grasp the important moment. Vivid scenes, from the past two years' search, flashed through her mind.酒吧里面很暗。追尋杰夫和扎克和下落已經(jīng)花了她現(xiàn)年時(shí)間。她付費(fèi)給在美國的私家偵察機(jī)構(gòu)，幫她查找 前夫的下落。在她的手提包里，有可以向當(dāng)局證明的必要材料，一旦成功，她就可以將扎克帶回家，回到 加拿大。她焦急地等待著這刻的到來已經(jīng)很久了，而現(xiàn)在她只想找回她的兒子，發(fā)行量不要出什么亂子。 就在這個(gè)時(shí)候，一個(gè)

30、高個(gè)的陌生人溜進(jìn)酒吧坐下來。她一眼就認(rèn)出那是杰夫。他看起來很疲憊，顯得更蒼 老了，但還是相當(dāng)熟悉。陣寒氣掠過她的背脊。馬上就要成功了！她拒絕承認(rèn)失敗，這正是治療巨大傷 痛的時(shí)刻。這次，她要確保成功。她帶著迷茫的神情凝視著前方，努力耍抓住這莉耍的時(shí)刻。過去兩年的 搜尋情景，一幕幕清晰地在她的腦海中閃現(xiàn)。The following day, happily for Lesley, the headline of the local paper read, *Father turns over child. Mother slams system.翌日，使萊斯利感到高興的是當(dāng)?shù)貓?bào)紙的頭條新聞：“父親

31、將孩子送回，母親猛烈抨擊體制二Lesley and Zac's subsequent life could now resume some form of normalcy, however, the stress and strain of the past two years would always remain as a part of this renewed relationship in the memory至于萊斯利和扎克后來的生活，現(xiàn)在可能恢復(fù)到某種正常狀態(tài)了。然而，過去兩年的壓力和緊張將成為這 種重新恢復(fù)起來的關(guān)系中的一部分，永遠(yuǎn)留在記憶里。（二）一次機(jī)會(huì) One

32、chanceThe tiny antique silver pin lay in my hand. I stared hard at the solemn face looking back at me from the oval frame. I was looking for some resemblance between my ancestor and my self. Her brow was broad and strong, the eyes kind and forgiving. She wore a stiff black bonnet, a high white colla

33、r and a coarsely woven shawl around her shoulders. In examining her face more closely, maybe I could identify some similarity around the eyes and the nose. An inner strength shone from the eyes of this diminutive lady who had helped head her family from Ireland to the New World.那枚小小的舊銀別針就放在我的手上。我緊盯著

34、那張從橢圓形鏡框里反過來看著我的嚴(yán)肅面孔。我在尋找 我的祖先和我自己之間的某些相似之處。她的眉毛寬大濃密，眼睛里溫和慈祥。她戴著一頂繃緊的黑色軟 帽，高白領(lǐng)，肩上披著一條做工粗糙的披肩。再近點(diǎn)觀察她的臉孔，或許我能在眼睛和鼻子周圍辨認(rèn)出一 些相似的地方。從這位身材矮小的女士的眼里，透射出一種內(nèi)在的力量，她曾幫助和帶領(lǐng)她的家庭，從愛 爾蘭來到了新世界。The times, in Ireland during the 1770's, were difficult for everyone. John and Lily Love and all the tenants of the Barr

35、en's Court Estate were suffering after terrible floods destroyed their crops. The landlord was generous in allowing the land rent to fall into arrears, due to the difficult times. However, as weather conditions continued to worsen, the little family became pessimistic and felt desperate about th

36、e direction of their lives. Nearly every family at this time had at least one member of their family who had left for the New World. The ugly face of famine was lurking everywhere. It was not possible with one acre of arable land to make a living.那時(shí)候，在18世紀(jì)70年代的愛爾蘭，人人處境艱難。一場(chǎng)特大洪水毀掉了他們的莊稼之后，約翰和莉莉 &

37、S226;洛夫一家像其他所有的巴倫斯宮廷莊園的佃戶一樣痛苦不堪。莊園主還算慷慨，鑒于這個(gè)艱難時(shí)期， 允許佃戶們拖欠租金。然而，天氣狀況持續(xù)惡化，這個(gè)小家庭變得悲觀起來，咐他們的生活前途感到絕望。 那個(gè)時(shí)候，幾乎每個(gè)家庭至少有一名家庭成員出走前往新世界。飽受饑荒之苦的憔悴面容到處都是，要靠 英畝耕地生活是不可能的。Last one night, after the children were in bed, John and Lily discussed the possibility of making a reservation aboard a sailing ship bound for

38、 America. John had noticed a poster in the town square, that posted by a ship's owner trying to recmit people for his ship. John knew that conditions aboard ship would not be ideal for Lily, her new infant son and the two elder boys; however, she acknowledged that settling in America would be th

39、e only way for the family to gain some independence and to earn a living. More importantly, it was rumored that land was free in the new country. Lily gave her consent to leave.天夜里，孩子們?nèi)胨院?，約翰和莉莉討論起預(yù)定船只前往美國的可能性。就在當(dāng)天，約翰在市鎮(zhèn)廣場(chǎng) 上看到一張海報(bào)，是船主張貼出來招攬乘客的。約翰知道船上的條件對(duì)莉莉不大合適，她有一個(gè)剛出生的 嬰兒和兩個(gè)大點(diǎn)的男孩。但是，她認(rèn)為在美國定居將是這個(gè)家庭取得

40、獨(dú)立和謀生的唯一出路。更而耍的是， 據(jù)說在那個(gè)新國家土地是免費(fèi)的。莉莉也贊成出去。In port, the sailing ship, Hannah, under the command of Captain Mitchell lay at ancho匚 The adventure of crossing the Atlantic Ocean bound for Philadelphia would take two to three months. Passengers were assured there would be the best provisions and plenty of

41、 barrels of fresh water. Storms could be fierce and living conditions below deck would be primitive. John joined the long queue and eventually after a lengthy wait, reached the revenue table. He affixed his signature to the contract promising to pay five pounds per person for berths aboard ship. The

42、 clerk returned the receipt to John indicating that the sum of money had been paid.在港口，那艘帆船“漢納”號(hào)，在米切爾船長的指揮下，正拋錨停泊?？缭酱笪餮笄巴M(fèi)城的冒險(xiǎn)要花兩 到三個(gè)月。乘客們被許諾有最好的食品供應(yīng)和充足的淡水。暴風(fēng)雨可能很猛烈，甲板下面的生活條件將是 很單調(diào)的。約翰加入到了那長長的隊(duì)列里，等了很久以后，終于來到付款臺(tái)前。他在合同上簽了字，按要 求為乘坐那艘船的每個(gè)人付5英鎊。辦事員為約翰開了收據(jù)，表示錢已付清。Once under sail the three hundred passenge

43、rs found them crowded into miserable conditions. The smell of so many people crowded together was offensive. The breadth of the vessel was narrow and the headroom below deck minimal.可是一上船，三百名乘客發(fā)現(xiàn)船上非常擁擠，條件很惡劣。這么多人擠在一起，氣味簡(jiǎn)直讓人受不了。船 艙狹窄又很低矮。As the tiny craft sailed out of Laugh Foyle, and entered the At

44、lantic Ocean, it started to roll ominously and those aboard wondered if they would survive the long voyage ahead or be swallowed up by the normous waves. Seasickness was everywhere and people had no appetite. The food, instead of being of high quality as promised, was too often rotten and the water

45、was brackish.小船駛離洛夫福伊進(jìn)入大西洋的時(shí)候，就開始不祥地?fù)u晃起來，船上的人擔(dān)心他們是否能夠安全完成航程 還是會(huì)被巨浪吞噬。到處都是暈船的，人們沒有食欲。伙食沒有承諾的那么好，還常常是腐爛的，水也有 咸味。Eventually, the winds lessened and the Captain was able to set his sights towards America and become ably steering the ship on an even course. Eight weeks later, plus on day, the Hannah made

46、 landfall and the Love family disembarked in America and became American newest immigrants. Gazing at the mainland after so many days of sailing was indeed a glorious sight. The difficult days aboard ship seemed worthwhile. Porters hurried along the docks pushing baggage. Little girls with ribbons i

47、n their hair scanned the ship's decks hoping to get a first glimpse of their father airiving. It seemed to Lily that it took forever to register and to pass through immigration.終于風(fēng)浪減弱了，船長能夠看準(zhǔn)美國的方向，成功地駕船工行駛在平靜的航線上。八個(gè)星期零一天之后，“漢 納”號(hào)靠岸，洛夫一家在美國登陸，成為美國最早的移民。經(jīng)過這么多天的航行，凝視著這片大地，的確 令人心曠神怡?？磥碓诖线^的那些艱苦的日子還是

48、值得的。碼頭上的搬運(yùn)工在忙著搬運(yùn)行李。頭發(fā)上帶 著絲帶的小姑娘們環(huán)視著甲板，希望第一眼看到他們到來的父親。對(duì)于莉莉來說，登記和辦理移民手續(xù)好 像沒完沒了。John said that he would go ahead to scout out some land in the far west of the state. He would push on to the frontier with a bunch of other Irish chaps. Lily and the children could follow more slowly, harnessing the horse

49、and cart to convey their scanty possessions. The stuff in the cart would include a kettle, dishes, blankets, a chair, a bucket and an axe.約翰說他要先出發(fā)，在這個(gè)州遙遠(yuǎn)的西部找一些土地。他和一幫愛爾蘭小伙子一起趕往邊疆。莉莉和孩子 們可以在后面慢慢地跟，坐馬車把他們僅有的一點(diǎn)家產(chǎn)運(yùn)來。車上的那些東西包括一個(gè)壺、一個(gè)盤子、毯 子、一把椅子、一個(gè)提桶和一把斧頭。There was a perception by the government at this ti

50、me that the feisty Irish would resist any hostile natives refusing to retreat and thus maintaining the western boundary. The Irish, too, were pleased to settle as far away from the government as possible. Instead of purchasing land, they would “squat“ on the property erecting only a temporary, humbl

51、e shelter to stave off the weather. Once their families arrived, they would inspire the men to build proper cabins. Neither fancy nor elegant, these log structures would be their first real homes. Property boundaries at this time were not marked out with iron rods or stakes in a standard fashion, bu

52、t rather designated by natural objects such as rocks, trees and creeks. Confusion and disputes must often have followed later, when these survey points disappeared.那時(shí)候，政府認(rèn)為，好斗的愛爾蘭人會(huì)抵抗那些有敵意的當(dāng)?shù)厝耍芙^妥協(xié)讓步，以保住西部邊疆。而愛 爾蘭人也樂得盡量遠(yuǎn)離政府定居。不需要購買，他們只要支起一個(gè)能遮蔽風(fēng)雨的臨時(shí)簡(jiǎn)陋住所，就算占用 了這片土地。一旦家人到達(dá)，他們會(huì)鼓勵(lì)男人們建造合適的房屋。既不奇特也不優(yōu)雅，這些原木

53、結(jié)構(gòu)的建 筑物將是他們第一個(gè)真正的家。那時(shí)，地產(chǎn)邊界不是用標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的鐵棍或木樁來做標(biāo)志，而是用象巖石、樹木 和小溪等自然物來界定。后來因?yàn)檫@些測(cè)量點(diǎn)消失了，混亂和爭(zhēng)執(zhí)時(shí)常發(fā)生。After exploring the area around Shirley's burg, John and his sons rode over Sandy Ridge to survey the property below Black Log Mountain. It was here in a long narrow valley they decided to settle. The valley be

54、came known then, and is still called Love's valley today.在探究了歇里斯伯格周圍的地區(qū)之后，約翰和他的兒子們翻過桑迪山脈，在布萊克拉格山下面勘察了土地， 他們決定就在這條狹長的山谷里定居下來。因此這個(gè)山谷被稱為洛夫山谷，直到今天還這樣叫。At the time, drums were used to fore warn that the natives were going to capture the fbrts, which guarded the western frontier. Daily life in this ne

55、w land, fbr the early settlers, was harsh and difficult. First they needed to tame the land, chopping down trees, in order to be able to plant crops. At times they needed to defend their land and be wary of attacks from wild animals, such as wolves and bears. Mosquito bites caused severe reactions o

56、f swelling and itchiness. Once the work was done, neighbors would gather for an occasional social function. The children would play for hours chasing butterflies and looking for girls with them. There would be a delicious picnic lunch spread on the grass. John asked Lily to bring some freshly squeez

57、ed lemon juice for the picnic. He found the sour taste of lemonade was refreshing on a hot summer's day. Some of the men would have a drink of homemade in the moonshine before striking up a tune on the fiddle. Square dancing was popular among the young people and the young lads would leap up to

58、dance with the eligible young ladies. Rivals for a young lady's hand in marriage would tend to compete to walk her home at the end of an evening. The romantic times were few and contrasted sharply with the stern reality of everyday life.那時(shí)候，當(dāng)土著人來奪取防護(hù)西部邊界的那些城堡時(shí)，他們就使用鼓聲作為預(yù)先的示警。在這塊新土地上 的日常生活對(duì)于早期的定居

59、者來說是非常艱辛和困苦的。首先，他們需要開墾土地，砍倒樹木，以便能夠 種上莊稼。有時(shí)，他們需要保衛(wèi)他們的土地，提防狼和熊等野獸的攻擊以及蚊子叮咬造成的腫痛和奇癢。 干完活后，鄰居們偶爾會(huì)聚在一起舉行社交活動(dòng)。孩子們會(huì)玩上好幾個(gè)小時(shí)，去捕蝴蝶，掏鳥窩，男孩子 們會(huì)逮青蛙去捉弄女孩們，還有布置在草地上的美味午餐。約翰叫莉莉?yàn)橐安蛶ヒ恍r榨檸檬汁，他發(fā) 現(xiàn)檸檬的酸味在炎熱的夏天令人清爽，使人振奮。月光下，有的人還會(huì)來杯自家釀的酒，然后便趁興用 小提琴拉上一曲。青年人中很流行方塊舞，年輕的小伙子們就會(huì)跳出來與中意的姑娘們一起跳舞。晚上， 向姑娘們求婚的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手們往往會(huì)競(jìng)相來到她們的家里。浪漫的時(shí)候雖然很少，但卻和每天嚴(yán)酷的現(xiàn)實(shí)生 活形成鮮明的對(duì)照。Neighbors were also few and Lily found she was very lonely. She looked forward to the occasional visits of the minister, Robert Ayers, who was a Methodist circuit rider. Meetings would be held in fields or small bams, three to four times a year. At other t