MrDohetty-Builds-His-Dream-Life原文和翻譯

1、In America many people have a roma nt ic idea of life in the countryside Many living in towns dream of starting up their own farm, of living off the land. Few get round to putting their dreams into practice. This is perhaps just as well, as the life of farmer is far from easy, as Jim Doherty discove

2、red when he set out to combine being a writer with running a farm Never the less, as he explains, he has no regrets and remains enthusiastic about his decision to change his way of lifeMr.Doherty Bidld His Dream LifesTrack 3-01-02. oop3Jim Doherty1、There are two things I have always want to do - wri

3、te and live on a farm Today I in doing both. I in not in E B white s class as a writer or in my neighbors league as a farmer, but V m getting by. And after years of frustration with city and suburban living, my wife Sandy and I have finally found contentment here in the country.2 、 It s a self-relia

4、nt sort of life We grow nearly all of fruits and vegetables Our hens keep us in eggs, with several dozen left over to sell each week Our bees provide us with honey, and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season.3 、 It s a satisfying life too. In the summer, we canoe on the

5、river, go picking in the woods, and take long bicycle rides In the winter, we ski and skate, we get excited about sunsets We love theword版木 smel 1 of the earth warming and the sound of cattle lowing We watch for hawks in the sky and deer in the cornfields4 、 But the good life can get pretty tough Th

6、ere month ago when it was 30 below, we spent two miserable days hauling firewood up the river on a sled There months from now, it will be 95 above and we will be cultivating corn, weeding strawberries and killing chickens Recently, Sandy and I had to retile the back roof Soon Jim, 16 and Emily, 13,

7、the youngest of our four children will help me makes some long-overdue improvements on the outdoor toilet that supplements our indoor plumbing when we are working in the outside Later in this month, we 11 spary the o, clean the bar, plant the garden, and clean the hens house before the new chick arr

8、ive5、In between such chores, I manage to spent 50 to 60 hours a week at the typewrite or doing reporting for the freelance articles I sell to magazines and newspapers Sandy, meanwhile, pursues her own demanding schedule Besides the usual household routine, she oversees the garden and beehives, bakes

9、 bread, cans and freezes, drives the kids to their music class, practices with them, takes organ lessons on her own, dose research and typing for me, write an article herself now and then, tends the flower beds, stacks a little wood and delivers the eggs There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for

10、 the wicked on a place like this, and not much for the virtuous eitherWORD版木6 、 None of us will ever forget our first winter, we were buried under five feet of snow from the December through March While one storm after another blasted huge drifts up against the house and barn, we kept warming inside

11、 burning our own wood, eating our own apples and loving every minute of it.7 When spring came, it brought two floods First the river overflowed, covering much of our land for weeks Then the growing season began, swamping us under wave after wave of produce Our freezer filled up with cherries, raspbe

12、rries, strawberries, asparagus, peas, beans and corn. Then our canned-goods shelves and cupboards began to grow with preserves, tomato juice, grape juice, plums, jams and jellies Eventually, the basement floor disappeared under pi les of potatoes, squash and pumpkins, and the barn began to fill with

13、 apples and pears It was amazing.8、The next year, we grow even more food and managed to get through the winter on firewood that was mostly from our own trees and only 100 gallons of heating oil. At that point I began thinking seriously about quitting my job and star ting to freelance The ti mi ng wa

14、s terrible By then, Shawn and Amy, our oldest girls were attending expensive Ivy League Schools and we had only a few thousand dollars in the bank Yet we kept coming back to the same question: will there ever be a better time? The answer decidedly, was no, and so - withWORD版木 my employ er * s blessi

15、ngs and half years pay in accumulated benefits in my pocket - off I went9、There have been a few anxious inonients since then, but on balance things have gone much better than we had any right to expect For various stories of mine, V ve crawled into black-bear dens for Sports 11 lustrated, hitched up

16、 dogsled racing teams for Smithsonian magazine, checked out the Lack Champlain monster0 for Science Digest, and canoed through the Boundary waters wilderness area of Minnesota for Destinations10、I in not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, but now we doif t nee

17、d as much either I generate enough income to handle our $600-a-inonth mortgage payments plus the usual expenses for a family like ours That includes everything from music lessons and dental bills to car repairs and college costs When it comes to insurance, we have a poor merf s major-medical policy

18、We have to pay the first 500 dollars of any medical fees for each member of the family. It picks up 80% of the costs beyond that Alt hough we are stuck with paying minor expenses, our preiniuni is low - Only 560 dollars a year - and we are covered against catastrophe Aside from that and the policy o

19、n our two cars at $400 a year, we have no other insurance But we are setting aside $2000 a year in an IRA.word版木11 、 We ve been an able to make up the difference in income by cutting back without appreciably lowering our standard of living. We continue to dine out once or twice a month, but now we p

20、atronize local restaurants instead of more expensive places in the city We still attend opera and ballet in Milwaukee but only a few times a year We eat less meat, drink cheaper wine and see fewer movies Extravagant Christmases are a memory, and we combine vacations with storyass ignments 12、I suspe

21、ct not every who loves the country would be happy living the way we do. It takes a couple of special qualities One is a tolerance for solitude. Because we are so busy and on such a tight budget, we don t entertain much During the growing season there is no time for socializing anyway. Jim and Emily

22、are involved in school activities, but they too spend most of their time at home13、The other requirement is energy - a lot of it. The way to make self-sufficiency work on a sinal 1 scale is to resist the temptation to buy a tractor and other expensive laborsaving devices Instead, you do the work you

23、rself The only machinery we own (not counting the lawn mower) is a little three-horsepower rotary cultivator and a 16-inch chain saw14、How much longer ve 11 have enough energy to stay on here is anybody1 s guess - perhaps for quite a while, perhaps not. When theword版木 time comes, we will leave with

24、a feeling of sorrow but also with a sense of pride at what we ve been able to accomplish We should make a fire profit on the sale of the place, too. We ve invested about $35,000 of our own money in it, and we could just about double that if we sold today. But this is not a good time to sei 1. Once e

25、conomic conditions improve, however, demand for farms like ours should be strong again15 We didn t move here primarily to earn money though We came because we wanted to improve the quality of our lives When I watch Emily collecting eggs in the evening, fishing with Jim on the river or enjoying an ol

26、d-fashioned picnic in the orchard with the entire family, I know we ve found just what we were looking for 在美國，不少人對(duì)鄉(xiāng)村生活懷有浪漫的情感。許多居住在城鎮(zhèn)的人夢想著自 己辦個(gè)農(nóng)莊，夢想著靠土地為生。很少有人真去把夢想變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)。或許，這也沒 什么不好，因?yàn)?，正如吉姆多爾蒂?dāng)初開始其寫作和農(nóng)場經(jīng)營雙重生涯時(shí)所體 驗(yàn)到的那樣，農(nóng)耕生活遠(yuǎn)非輕松自在。但他寫到，自己并不后悔，對(duì)自己做出的 改變生活方式的決定仍熱情不減。多爾蒂先生創(chuàng)建自己的理想生活。Jim Doherty1、有兩件事情是我一直

27、想做的一寫作與務(wù)農(nóng)。如今，我同時(shí)做著兩件事情。 作為作家，我和E.B. White不屬同一等級(jí)，作為農(nóng)場主，我和鄉(xiāng)鄰也不是同一類人，不過我應(yīng)付的還行。在城市以及郊區(qū)歷經(jīng)多年的悵惘失WORD版木 望之后，我和妻子桑迪終于在這里的鄉(xiāng)村尋覓到心靈的滿足。2、這是一種自力更生的生活。我們食用的果蔬幾乎都是自己種的。自家飼 養(yǎng)的提供雞蛋，每星期還能剩余幾十個(gè)出售。自己養(yǎng)殖的蜜蜂提供蜂 蜜，我們還自己動(dòng)手砍柴，足以供過冬取暖之用。3、這也是一種令人滿足的生活。夏日里我們?cè)诤由鲜幹?，在林子里野餐?騎著自行車長時(shí)間漫游。冬日里我們滑雪溜冰。我們?yōu)槁淙盏挠鄷煻?動(dòng)。我們愛聞回暖的氣息，愛聽牛群嘩叫。我們守著

28、看鷹飛過上空，看 玉米田間鹿群嬉躍。4、但是如此美妙的生活有時(shí)會(huì)變得相當(dāng)艱苦。就在3個(gè)月前，氣溫降到華 氏零下30度，我們辛苦勞作了整整兩天，用一個(gè)雪橇沿著河邊托運(yùn)木 材。再過3個(gè)月，氣溫會(huì)升到95度，我們就要給玉米松土，在草莓地 除草，還要宰殺家禽。前一陣子，我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋頂。過些時(shí) 候，四個(gè)孩子中的兩個(gè)小的，16歲的吉米和13歲的艾米麗，會(huì)幫著我 把拖了很久沒修的室外廁所修葺一下，那是專為室外干活修建的。這個(gè) 月晚些時(shí)候，我們要給果樹噴灑藥水，要油漆谷倉，要給菜園播種，要 趕在新的小雞運(yùn)到之前清掃雞舍。5、在這些活計(jì)之間，我每周要抽空花五、六十個(gè)小時(shí)，不是打字撰文，就 是為作為自由

29、撰稿人投給報(bào)刊的文章進(jìn)行采訪。桑迪則有她自己 的工 作日程。除了日常的家務(wù)，她還照管菜園和蜂蜜，烘烤面包，將食品裝 罐，冷藏，開車送孩子學(xué)音樂，和他們一起練習(xí)，自己還要上風(fēng)琴課， 為我做些研究工作，并打字，自己有時(shí)也寫寫文章，還要侍弄花圃，堆 摞木材、運(yùn)送雞蛋。正如老話說的那樣，在這種情形下，壞人不得閑一WORD版本賢徳之人也歇不了。6、我們誰也不會(huì)忘記第一年的冬天。從12月一直到3月底，我們都被深 達(dá)5英尺的積雪困著。暴風(fēng)雪肆虐，一場接著一場，積雪厚厚地覆蓋著 屋子和谷倉，而室，我們用自己砍伐的木材取暖，吃著自家中種植的蘋 果，溫馨快樂每一分鐘。7、開春后，有過兩次泛濫。一次是河水外溢，我們

30、不少田地被淹了幾個(gè)星 期。接著一次是生長季節(jié)到了，一波接一波的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品潮涌而來，弄得我 們應(yīng)接不暇。我們的冰箱里寒滿了矗、藍(lán)莓、蘆筍、豌豆、青豆 和玉米。接著我們存放食品罐的架子上、柜櫥里也開始堆滿一罐罐的腌漬食品，有番茄汁。最后地窖遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、西葫蘆、南瓜，谷倉里也儲(chǔ)滿了蘋果和梨O 真是太美妙了 O8、第二年我們種了更多的作物，差不多就靠著從自家樹林砍的木柴以及100加侖的燃油過了冬。當(dāng)時(shí)，我開始認(rèn)真起了辭了職去從事自由撰稿的事來O時(shí)機(jī)選的太差O當(dāng)時(shí)，兩個(gè)大女兒肖恩和艾米正在 費(fèi)用很高的常春藤學(xué)校上學(xué)，而我們只有幾千美金的銀行存款。但我們 一再回到一個(gè)老問題上來：真的會(huì)有更好的時(shí)機(jī)嗎

31、？答案無疑是否定的。于是，帶著老板的祝福，口袋里揣著作為累積津貼的半年薪水，我WORD版木走了。9、那以后有過一些焦慮的時(shí)刻，但總的來說，情況比我們料想的要好得多。為了寫那些容各不相同的文章，我為體育畫報(bào)爬進(jìn)過黑熊洞；為史密森期刊替參賽的一組組狗套上過雪橇；為科學(xué) 文摘調(diào)查過尚普蘭湖水怪的真相；為終點(diǎn)涔雜志在明尼達(dá)劃著小 舟穿越美、加邊界水域的公共荒野保護(hù)區(qū)。10、我掙的錢遠(yuǎn)比不上擔(dān)任全職辱工作時(shí)的收入，可如今我們需要的錢也沒有過去的多。我掙的錢足以應(yīng)付每月$6 0 0美金的房屋貸 款按揭以及一家人的日常開銷。那些開銷包括了所有支出，如音樂課學(xué) 費(fèi)、牙醫(yī)賬單、汽車維修以及大學(xué)費(fèi)用等等。至于保險(xiǎn)

32、，我們買了一份 低收入者的主要醫(yī)療項(xiàng)目保險(xiǎn)。我們需要為每一位家庭成員的任何一項(xiàng) 醫(yī)療費(fèi)用支付最初的$ 500。醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)則支付超出部分的80%。雖然我 們?nèi)砸Ц缎〔糠轴t(yī)療費(fèi)用，但我們的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)也低一每年只要560美金 一而我們給自己生大病保了險(xiǎn)。除了這一保險(xiǎn)項(xiàng)目，以及兩輛汽車每年WORD版木400美金的保險(xiǎn)、我們就沒有其他保險(xiǎn)了 o不過我們每年留出2000美元入個(gè)人退休金賬戶-11、我們通過節(jié)約開支但又不明顯降低生活標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的方式來彌補(bǔ)收入差額。我們每個(gè)月仍出去一兩次飯，不過現(xiàn)在我們光顧的是當(dāng)?shù)夭宛^，而不是城里的高級(jí)飯店。我們?nèi)匀ッ軤栁只牳鑴】窗爬傺莩觯?不過一年才幾次。我們?nèi)獬缘纳倭?/酒喝得便

33、宜了，電影看得少了 -鋪的圣誕節(jié)成為一種回憶，我們把完成稿約作為度假的一部分-12、我想，不是所有熱愛鄉(xiāng)村的人都會(huì)樂意過我們這種生活的o這種生活需要一種特殊的素質(zhì)o其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我們生活如此忙碌，手頭又緊，我們很少請(qǐng)客。在作物生長季節(jié)，根本就沒工 夫參加各種社交活動(dòng)O吉米和艾米麗雖然參加學(xué)校的各種活動(dòng)，但他倆 大多數(shù)時(shí)間也待在家里O13、另一項(xiàng)要體力-相當(dāng)大的體力o小圍里實(shí)現(xiàn)自給自足的途徑是抵 制誘惑，不去購置拖拉機(jī)和其他昂貴的節(jié)省勞力的機(jī)械。相反，你要自 己動(dòng)手o我們僅有的機(jī)器（不包括割草機(jī)）是一臺(tái)3馬力的小型旋轉(zhuǎn)式 耕耘機(jī)以及一架16英寸的鏈鋸-WORD版木14 沒人知道我們還能有

34、精力在待多久-也許待很長一陣子，也許不是。到走的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)愴然離去，但也會(huì)為自己所做的一切深感自豪。我們把農(nóng)場出售也會(huì)賺相當(dāng)大一筆錢。我們自己在農(nóng)場投入了約35, 000 美金的資金，要是現(xiàn)在出售的話價(jià)格差不多可以翻一倍。不過現(xiàn)在不是 出售的好時(shí)機(jī)。但是一旦經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢好轉(zhuǎn)，對(duì)我們這種農(nóng)場的需求又會(huì)增 多。15、但我們主要不是為了賺錢而移居至此的。我們來此居住是因?yàn)橄胩岣呱钯|(zhì)量。當(dāng)我看著艾米麗傍晩去收雞蛋，跟吉米一起在河上釣魚， 或和全家人一起在果園里享用老式的野餐，我知道，我們找到了自己一 直在尋求的生活方式。1、get by be good enough but not very good

35、2 、 frustration n the state or an instance of being frustrated3 、 suburban a.4 contentment n.5、honey n.6 、 just about almost7 、 canoe vi. Go or travel in a canoe n.8 ski vi. Move over snow on skis9、low vi.10、hawk n.11 、 cornfield n.12 、 below ad. (of a temperature) lower than zeroword版木13 、 Miserabl

36、e a. very unhappy or uncomfortable14 、 Haul vt Transport, as with a truck, cart, ect15 、 Firewood n. wood used as fuel16、Sled n.17、Above18 、 Cultivate v to prepare and use land for growing plants or crops19、 Corn n. (British English) Ul any plant that is grown for its grain, such as wheat; the grain

37、 of these plants20 、 Weed v to take out weeds from the ground21 、 Strawberry n.22 、 Retile 吐 Cover with tiles again23 、 Long-overdue a.24 、 Overdue a. being sth That should have occurred earlier25 、 Improvement n. the act or an instance of improving or being improved26 、 Supplement vt27 、 Indoor a.

38、situated or used inside a building28 、 Plumbing n. the system of pipes, etc that supply water to a building or the work of a plumber29 、 Spray to cover sb. / sth. With very small drops of a liquid that are forced out of a container or sent through the air30 Orchard a piece of land, normally separate

39、d from theWORD版木 surrounding area, in which fruit trees are grown、 Paint to covera surface or object with paint、Barn、 Plant to cover or supply a garden/yard, area of land, etc with plants、 Hen n a female chicken, often kept for its eggs of meat、Chick n a young chicken、Chore n. a task that you do reg

40、ularly、 Typewriter n.、 Freelance n. a. vi Pursue vt Strive to gain or accomplish、 Demanding a. (of a piece of work) needing a lot of skill, patience, effort, etc、 Household n. all the people living together in a house、Oversee vt Watch over or supervise、Beehive n.、Bake vtocookfoodinanoven without ext

41、ra fat or liquid;to be cooked in this way、Organ ri.、Now andthen、Tend v.tocareforsb/sth、 Stack to arrange objects neatly in a pile; to be arranged inWORD版木this way49 、Wicked a. evil or bad50 、Virtuous a. (formal) behavingin a very good and moralway51 、Blast v(of air, etc)blowup of move with great for

42、ce;destroy by using explosives52 、Drift a large pile of sth, especially snow, made by thewind53 、Overflow vi Flow or run overthe top or banks54 、Swamp vt Flood, overwhelm byan excess of sth55、Freezer n.56、Cupboard n. a piece of furniture with doors and shelves used for storing dishes, food, clothes,

43、 ect.57 、 Preserve (especially British English) a type of pickle made by cooking vegetables with salt or vinegar58 、 Gallon n.59、At that point at that very moinent, right then60、The Ivy League a group of traditional universities in the eastern US with high traditional universities in the eastern US

44、with high academic standards and a high social status61 、Decidedly adDefinitely,undoubtedly62 、Employer n.63 、Blessing n.64 、Bless vt. InvokedivinefavoruponWORD版木65、 Accumulated v. to gradually get more and more of sth over a period of time66 、On balance with all things considered67 、Crawled68、Den n

45、. the home of a wild animal69、Hitch 吐 Hamess (a draft animal or team)70 、 Dogsled n. a sled pulled by one or more dogs71 、Digest n. a short accountofwrittenmaterialsor data;vt.72 、Boundary n. sth Thatindicatesoffixesalimitorextent73 、Wilderness n74 、wilderness area75 、destination76 、 generate vt. Br

46、ing into existence, produce77、 mortgage ( also informal home loan ) a legal agreement by which a bank or simi lar organization lends you money to buy a house, etc, and you pay the money back over a particular number of years; the sum of money that you borrow78、expense n the money that you spend on s

47、th79、dental a. of, relating to, or for the teeth80、insurance n.81、policy n82、pick up (informal ) to pay for sthword版木、 stuck in an unpleasant situation of place that you cannot escape from、 minor lesser of smaller in amount or importance, etc、 preniiuiii il catastrophe n. a sudden eve nt t hat causes many people to suffer、 IRA = Individual Ret