When i came to the farm as a bride, the rock was there,just around the coner of the house. It was an ugly dull orange, about a foot in diameter, and stuck up a couple of inches through the back lawn waiting to trip me .
當我成為一個新娘來到這個農(nóng)場的時候，這塊石頭就在那兒，正好就在房子的拐角處。它外表丑陋，呈暗色橙形，直徑大約有一英尺，有幾英寸高凸起在屋后的草坪上，好像隨時等著要絆倒我似的。
" Can 't we dig it out ?" I asked after I hit full speed with the lawn mower,breaking the blabe.
有一次我正全速開著割草機，一下就撞上了那塊石頭，連刀刃都碰壞了。于是我就問道：“難道我們就不能把它挖出來嗎？”
"No, it's always been there." my husband said , and his father agreed. " It goes down pretty deep, i reckon. " my father-in-law added, "My wife 's family has lived here since the Civil War." No one ever got it out."
“不行，它一直都在那兒?！蔽艺煞蛘f。他父親也表示贊同。接著我公公又補充說：“我估計，它在土里埋得很深。自從內(nèi)戰(zhàn)以來，我妻子一家就住在這里，沒有人曾挖動它?！?BR> So it stayed. My children were born, grew up and went away. My father in-law died.Some time later ,my husband died.
于是那石頭就一直留在那里。接著，我的孩子們出生了，長大了，又各自離開了。我公公去世了。一段時間后，我丈夫也去世了。
After the mouring,there was the coping---and with a sharpened awareness of my sorroundings,because i could change them more easily than my life's situation.The way a woman sees her house when a company comes umexpectedly. I saw a hundred little sore spots. I began to heal them , one at a time.
哀痛之后，我面臨著妥善安排生活的問題——我強烈地感到應改變一下周圍的環(huán)境，因為改變它要比改變我的生活狀況容易得多?，F(xiàn)在我開始觀察我周圍的院子，就像一個婦人在一大群客人意外來訪時審視自己房子一樣。結(jié)果我看到的都是傷心之處。于是，我開始對它們一個一個地加以修補。
The spot at the southwest corner of the house,however, was never going to look nice. Now with that rock protection weeds and crab grass to form a scab on the green.
然而，房屋西南角的那一塊地方總是讓人看著別扭。在石頭周圍長滿了野草，仿佛綠油油的草坪上有一塊傷疤。
I went to the shed and got my shovel. I was going to dig out the rock.
我走進小棚里，拿出鐵鍬，打算把那塊大石頭挖出來。
I braced myself for what was to be a long day,perhaps experienced by previous generations who had tried to dislodge the rock. I put on heavy shoes and rolled out my wheelbarrow. If it took the whole day , that rock was going to come out.
我鼓起勇氣，準備大干一整天。也許先輩們已經(jīng)嘗試過要移走這塊石頭，但沒成功。我穿上笨重的鞋，推出了我的手推車。即使要花一整天時間，我也要把那塊石頭挖出來。
Five minutes later the rock was out .It had been about a foot deep, and maybe six inches wider than it looked from the top. I pried it loose with a crowbar and hoisted it into the wheelbarrow.
五分鐘之后，石頭就露出來了。它入地約有一英尺深，地下部分比從上面看到的可能要寬六英寸。我用撬棍把它撬松，然后搬到了手推車里。
I was stunned. That rock had presisted there beyond living memory.Each family had taken it on faith that the previous generation had tried and faith to remove it .Because the rock had appeared to be large and deep,it was treated as immovable and strong.I have seen people do this too---and get others to walk carefully around them and assume a depth of character and knowledge solely from demeanor rather than from actual accomplishment.
我十分驚訝。那塊石頭一直盤踞在那里，以至于今天的人們都記不起它了。每個家庭都深信不疑地以為前輩們曾試圖搬走它，但都失敗了。因為那塊石頭外表看起來似乎很大，入土似乎也很深，于是人們就覺得它堅如磐石，根本挪不動。我就曾見過這樣的人：他們擺出學問淵博、深不可測的臉孔，其實純粹是裝裝樣子，沒什么真才實學，只是想讓人們對他們敬而遠之。
The orange rock had earned my respect. I couldn't just dump it behind the barn. So i wheeled it over to the shed ,still within sight of the house. It rests there,with vinca growing around it.
這塊橙形的石頭已經(jīng)贏得了我的敬意。我不能就把它倒在倉庫后面不管了。于是，我把它推出小棚，仍作為房舍的一景。它默默地呆在那里，周圍爬滿了常春藤。
I still see the rock every day but now as something good in my little landscape.It's a reminder that each generation ought to find things out for itself.
我每天仍然能看到這塊石頭，但是現(xiàn)在它成了我眼中一道美麗的風景。它提示著人們：每一代人都應當親自去探究某些事物。
Key words 關鍵詞
diameter n. 直徑
blade n. 刀刃、刀片
stick up 突起、豎起
trip v. 絆倒
reckon v. 估計、猜想
a sharpened awareness 一種強烈的意識、一種深切的感受
sore spots 使人傷心的事、令人傷心的地方
company 陪伴、一大群
shovel n. 鏟，生產(chǎn)
braced myself 鼓起勇氣
demeanor n.舉動、態(tài)度
accomplishment n. 才干、學識、才藝
vinca n.長春蔓、長春花
mower n. 割草機
wheelbarrow n. 手推車
dislodge v. 趕出、移動、驅(qū)逐
crowbar n. 撬棍
hoist into 搬入
stun v.使驚愕、使目瞪口呆
當我成為一個新娘來到這個農(nóng)場的時候，這塊石頭就在那兒，正好就在房子的拐角處。它外表丑陋，呈暗色橙形，直徑大約有一英尺，有幾英寸高凸起在屋后的草坪上，好像隨時等著要絆倒我似的。
" Can 't we dig it out ?" I asked after I hit full speed with the lawn mower,breaking the blabe.
有一次我正全速開著割草機，一下就撞上了那塊石頭，連刀刃都碰壞了。于是我就問道：“難道我們就不能把它挖出來嗎？”
"No, it's always been there." my husband said , and his father agreed. " It goes down pretty deep, i reckon. " my father-in-law added, "My wife 's family has lived here since the Civil War." No one ever got it out."
“不行，它一直都在那兒?！蔽艺煞蛘f。他父親也表示贊同。接著我公公又補充說：“我估計，它在土里埋得很深。自從內(nèi)戰(zhàn)以來，我妻子一家就住在這里，沒有人曾挖動它?！?BR> So it stayed. My children were born, grew up and went away. My father in-law died.Some time later ,my husband died.
于是那石頭就一直留在那里。接著，我的孩子們出生了，長大了，又各自離開了。我公公去世了。一段時間后，我丈夫也去世了。
After the mouring,there was the coping---and with a sharpened awareness of my sorroundings,because i could change them more easily than my life's situation.The way a woman sees her house when a company comes umexpectedly. I saw a hundred little sore spots. I began to heal them , one at a time.
哀痛之后，我面臨著妥善安排生活的問題——我強烈地感到應改變一下周圍的環(huán)境，因為改變它要比改變我的生活狀況容易得多?，F(xiàn)在我開始觀察我周圍的院子，就像一個婦人在一大群客人意外來訪時審視自己房子一樣。結(jié)果我看到的都是傷心之處。于是，我開始對它們一個一個地加以修補。
The spot at the southwest corner of the house,however, was never going to look nice. Now with that rock protection weeds and crab grass to form a scab on the green.
然而，房屋西南角的那一塊地方總是讓人看著別扭。在石頭周圍長滿了野草，仿佛綠油油的草坪上有一塊傷疤。
I went to the shed and got my shovel. I was going to dig out the rock.
我走進小棚里，拿出鐵鍬，打算把那塊大石頭挖出來。
I braced myself for what was to be a long day,perhaps experienced by previous generations who had tried to dislodge the rock. I put on heavy shoes and rolled out my wheelbarrow. If it took the whole day , that rock was going to come out.
我鼓起勇氣，準備大干一整天。也許先輩們已經(jīng)嘗試過要移走這塊石頭，但沒成功。我穿上笨重的鞋，推出了我的手推車。即使要花一整天時間，我也要把那塊石頭挖出來。
Five minutes later the rock was out .It had been about a foot deep, and maybe six inches wider than it looked from the top. I pried it loose with a crowbar and hoisted it into the wheelbarrow.
五分鐘之后，石頭就露出來了。它入地約有一英尺深，地下部分比從上面看到的可能要寬六英寸。我用撬棍把它撬松，然后搬到了手推車里。
I was stunned. That rock had presisted there beyond living memory.Each family had taken it on faith that the previous generation had tried and faith to remove it .Because the rock had appeared to be large and deep,it was treated as immovable and strong.I have seen people do this too---and get others to walk carefully around them and assume a depth of character and knowledge solely from demeanor rather than from actual accomplishment.
我十分驚訝。那塊石頭一直盤踞在那里，以至于今天的人們都記不起它了。每個家庭都深信不疑地以為前輩們曾試圖搬走它，但都失敗了。因為那塊石頭外表看起來似乎很大，入土似乎也很深，于是人們就覺得它堅如磐石，根本挪不動。我就曾見過這樣的人：他們擺出學問淵博、深不可測的臉孔，其實純粹是裝裝樣子，沒什么真才實學，只是想讓人們對他們敬而遠之。
The orange rock had earned my respect. I couldn't just dump it behind the barn. So i wheeled it over to the shed ,still within sight of the house. It rests there,with vinca growing around it.
這塊橙形的石頭已經(jīng)贏得了我的敬意。我不能就把它倒在倉庫后面不管了。于是，我把它推出小棚，仍作為房舍的一景。它默默地呆在那里，周圍爬滿了常春藤。
I still see the rock every day but now as something good in my little landscape.It's a reminder that each generation ought to find things out for itself.
我每天仍然能看到這塊石頭，但是現(xiàn)在它成了我眼中一道美麗的風景。它提示著人們：每一代人都應當親自去探究某些事物。
Key words 關鍵詞
diameter n. 直徑
blade n. 刀刃、刀片
stick up 突起、豎起
trip v. 絆倒
reckon v. 估計、猜想
a sharpened awareness 一種強烈的意識、一種深切的感受
sore spots 使人傷心的事、令人傷心的地方
company 陪伴、一大群
shovel n. 鏟，生產(chǎn)
braced myself 鼓起勇氣
demeanor n.舉動、態(tài)度
accomplishment n. 才干、學識、才藝
vinca n.長春蔓、長春花
mower n. 割草機
wheelbarrow n. 手推車
dislodge v. 趕出、移動、驅(qū)逐
crowbar n. 撬棍
hoist into 搬入
stun v.使驚愕、使目瞪口呆