Unit 05 Quick fix society 原文译文汇总.docx

1、Unit 05 Quick fix society 原文译文汇总Text A急于求成的社会Quick Fix Society詹妮特曼德尔戈德斯坦Janet Mendell Goldstein我和老公在西弗吉尼亚州度了一周的假，刚回来。My husband and I just got back from a weeks vacation in West Virginia. 不用说，我们迫不及待地想到那里，于是便走了宾夕法尼亚收费高速公路和几条州际公路。Of course, we couldnt wait to get there, so we took the Pennsylvania Tur

2、npike and a couple of interstates. “看哪，那些美丽的农场！”老公高声喊道，田园景色以每小时五十五英里的速度在我们身边滑过。Look at those gorgeous farms! my husband exclaimed as pastoral scenery slid by us at 55 mph. “你看见那些奶牛了吗？”可是，每小时五十五英里的速度，很难看清任何东西。美丽的农场像移动的绿色棋盘，成群的奶牛在后视镜里缩成了几个小黑点。 “Did you see those cows?” But at 55 mph, its difficult to

3、see anything; the gorgeous farms look like moving green checkerboards, and the herd of cows is reduced to a few dots in the rear-view mirror. 四个小时里，我们唯一真正的乐趣就是数出口的标志，还有就是想再次停车时会有什么样的感觉。For four hours, our only real amusement consisted of counting exit signs and wondering what it would feel like to h

4、old still again. I can feel how cold the water is. 我能摸出来这水有多么凉。The water feels warm. 觉得出这水是温的. This wallet feels to me like leather. 我觉得这钱包像是皮的. It feels like rain. 感觉好像要下雨.How does it feel to be alone all day? 整日独自一人感觉如何?的确，去那里看上去没多少快乐，事实上根本就没一点儿快乐。Getting there certainly didnt seem like half the f

5、un; in fact, getting there wasnt any fun at all.所以，该回费城外的家的时候，我坚持要换条路走。So, when it was time to return to our home outside of Philadelphia, I insisted that we take a different route. 我建议说：“咱们去考察一下农村吧。”结果，我们返程的两天里满是新鲜的经历。“Lets explore that countryside,” I suggested. The two days it took us to make the

6、 return trip were filled with new experiences. 我们游览了内战时的一个战场，站在了一座小山上。一百二十五年前，也是一个七月炎热的下午，一万五千名南部邦联的士兵曾努力想攻占它，不想他们当中有一半人在徒劳的尝试中身亡。We toured a Civil War battlefield and stood on the little hill that fifteen thousand Confederate soldiers had tried to take on another hot July afternoon, one hundred and

7、 twenty-five years ago, not knowing that half of them would get killed in the vain attempt. 我们驾车缓慢地驶过宾夕法尼亚安静的德国城的主要街道，将速度降至每小时二十英里，以免和去赶集的马匹和马车挤在一起。We drove slowly through main streets of sleepy Pennsylvania Dutch towns, slowing to twenty miles an hour so as not to crowd the horses and horse carriag

8、es on their way to market. 在县城的博物馆里，我们欣赏了玩具火车和老式汽车；在工厂的直销商店里（购物），省了七成的钱。We admired toy trains and antique cars in county museums and saved 70 percent in factory outlets. 在农户的自助餐厅里，我们饱饱地吃了一顿香料沙拉和家庭自制面包，而后便在外边闲逛，享受着阳光，欣赏着卧在阳光里的成群奶牛这时可不是小黑点了。We stuffed ourselves with spicy salads and homemade bread in

9、an all-you-can-eat farmhouse restaurant, then wandered outside to enjoy the sunshine and the herds of cowsno little dots this time lying in it. 我们回到家里，恢复了精力，也恢复了活力，还又一次受到教育。这回到那儿的确是快乐啊。We returned home refreshed, revitalized, and reeducated. This time, getting there had been the fun.毫无特色的收费高速公路和州际公路

10、成了我们许多人的专门选择，这是为什么呢？Why is it that the featureless turnpikes and interstates are the routes of choice for so many of us? 大家为什么不试着放慢速度，去考察一下农村呢？Why doesnt everybody try slowing down and exploring the countryside? 可是，越来越多的情况是，快车道看来成了我们要走的唯一道路。But more and more, the fast lane seems to be the only way f

11、or us to go. 实际上，大多数美国人总是匆匆忙忙而且不光是在从甲地赶到乙地这样的事上。In fact, most Americans are constantly in a hurryand not just to get from Point A to Point B. 我们的国家已经变成了一个追求速战速决的国家不止在一个方面。Our country has become a nation in search of the quick fixin more ways than one.不要将来，只求现在：从前，美国人明白“好事多磨”的道理。我们从每次的收入里拿出一小部分，以备不时之

12、需。Now instead of later: Once upon a time, Americans understood the principle of deferred gratification (被推迟的满足). We put a little of each paycheck away for a rainy day. 如果我们想要一个新沙发，或者在湖边的小屋里过上一周，我们就为此攒些钱。银行则会提供特别的圣诞购物储蓄账户和度假储蓄账户帮我们渡过难关。If we wanted a new sofa or a week at a lakeside cabin, we saved u

13、p for it, and the banks helped us out by providing special Christmas Club and Vacation Club accounts. Christmas Club：美（为圣诞节购买东西的）圣诞储蓄金Vacation Club：美（为度假准备的）零存整用储蓄金如果我们住在乡下，地方合适，就种下玉米和豆子，耐心地等待着收获。If we lived in the right part of the country, we planted corn and beans and waited patiently for the har

14、vest. 如果我们想要瘦一些，我们就少吃一些最喜爱的食物，耐心地等着磅秤降下来，一次降一磅。If we wanted to be thinner, we simply ate less of our favorite foods and waited patiently for the scale to drop, a pound at a time.可是现在，我们没有这份耐心了。我们不攒钱了，而是去贷款；我们用信用卡去买家具、去度假旅行眼下要放松，以后再付钱。But today we arent so patient. We take out loans instead of making

15、 deposits, or we use our credit card to get that furniture or vacation triprelax now, pay later. 我们买食品也像买衣服一样，都是已经弄好的，现成的。We buy our food, like our clothing, ready-made and off the rack. 如果我们急着要减轻体重，就试用最新的神奇套餐，它保证能在十天之内减去十磅除非我们很有钱，可以去做吸脂手术。If were in a hurry to lose weight, we try the latest miracle

16、 diet, guaranteed to take away ten pounds in ten days . unless were rich enough to afford liposuction.不要缓慢，只求快速：我们不但现在就要，我们甚至不想被动地等待。Faster instead of slower: Not only do we want it now; we dont even want to be kept waiting for it. 这种急躁、“讨厌等待”的普遍心态已经影响了我们生活的各个层面。This general impatience, the I-hate-to-wait attitude, ha