❷A life-changing lesson

By Jaroldeen/姜仲华（译）

◆语篇导读

一片鲜花盛开的田野，让一个女人看到了世界的可能；一个秘密的花园，无意间却给了她重要的人生启迪——贵在坚持。这个启迪或许将会激发她改变自己今后的人生道路。因此，对于她来说，这一次际遇是一次真正改变人生的“机遇”。

It was a cold,rainy day,and I didn't want to drive up the mountain road to my daughter’s house.But she had suggested I come to see something at the top of the mountain.

So here I was,reluctantlymaking the twohour journey through fog.By the time I saw how thick it was near the top,I'd gone too far to turn back.I thought nothing could be worth this as I drove slowly along the dangerous highway.

“I'll stay for lunch,but I'm going back down as soon as the fog lifts,”I said when I arrived.But my daughter still wanted me to have a look there.

After ten minutes,we got to the top.We walked along a path that was thick with oldpine needles.Huge black-greenevergreenstowered over us.Little by little,the peace and silence of the place began to fill my mind.

Then we turned a corner and stopped—and I felt so amazed.From the top of the mountain,slopingfor severalacresacross folds and valleys,were rivers of flowers.It looked like acarpetbefore us.And it looked as though the sun hadspilledgold down the mountainside.

A lot of questions filled my mind.Who created such beauty?Why?How?

As we came to the home,we saw a sign that read,“Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking.One Woman—Two Hands,Two Feet,and Very Little Brain.OneBulbat a Time.And Started in 1958.”

I was so moved by what we had seen.“One bulb at a time,she changed the world,”I finally said,“She started almost 40 years ago,probably just the beginning of an idea,but she kept at it.”

◆词语积淀

reluctantly/rɪ΄lʌktəntli/adv.勉强地

pine needles松针

evergreen/΄evəɡriːn/n.常青树

slop/slɒp/v.溢出；溅出

acre/΄eɪkə(r)/n.英亩

carpet/΄kɑːpɪt/n.地毯

spill/spɪl/v.溢出；使……洒出

bulb/bʌlb/n.（植物）鳞茎

◆典句赏析

1.So here I was,reluctantly making the two-hour journey through fog.所以我在这儿（指在路途中），很不情愿地要在雾中行驶两个小时。

here I was是倒装句，起承上启下的作用；making the two-hour journey through fog是现在分词短语，在句中作伴随状语，表示在路上的状态。two-hour意为“两个小时的”，是“数词+名词”形式作定语，这种结构中的名词要用单数形式。

【即时尝试】我们到了。她已经在这儿为我们准备午饭呢。__

2.By the time I saw how thick it was near the top,I'd gone too far to turn back.当我接近山顶，看到这么浓的雾时，我已经走得太远，根本无法回头了。

在“by the time+定语从句”结构中，当它的谓语动词用一般过去时，主句则用过去完成时；turn back是固定短语，意为“往回走；折回”。

【即时尝试】走路太晚了，所以我们不得不打的。当我们到达那儿时，电影已经开始了。

3.From the top of the mountain,sloping for several acres across folds and valleys,were rivers of flowers.从山顶开始，依坡就势地横跨褶皱和山谷的数英亩之花，犹如江流直下。

这是一个倒装句，主语的中心词是rivers（将成片的花比喻成河流），谓语中心词是sloping。有时为了强调，可将谓语部分的分词或不定式置于句子的开头，以构成倒装形式。

【即时尝试】站在沙漠里的是只骆驼，它唯一能看到的就是一片沙海。

译文助读

那是一个寒冷的雨天，我不想在雨天开车走山路去我女儿家。但是，之前她建议我去山顶上看些东西。

所以我来了，很不情愿地要在雾中行驶两个小时。当我接近山顶，看到这么浓的雾时，我已经走得太远，根本无法回头了。我一边沿着危险的山路慢慢地驱车行驶，一边想着这样做实在是太不值得了。

“我会留下来吃午饭，但等雾一散我就马上回去。”我到达时说。但是我的女儿还是希望我去那儿看看。

十分钟后，我们到达了山顶。我们沿着一条布满了陈旧松针的小路往前走。巨大的深绿色的常青树高耸在我们的头顶。渐渐地，这个地方的宁静开始填满我的心。

随后，我们转了个弯，停了下来——令我十分震惊的是，从山顶开始，依坡就势地横跨褶皱和山谷的数英亩之花，犹如江流直下。它像是一张地毯展现在我们的面前，看起来就像太阳把一片金光溢泻到了山坡上。

我的脑子里装了许多问题。是谁创造了这样的美？为什么？怎么做的？

当我们回到家时，看到了一块牌子，上面写着：“我知道你要问什么，答案是：一个女人——两只手，两只脚而且天资不高。她一次种一株，始于1958年。”

我被眼前的景象感动了。“一次种一株，她改变了世界。”我最后说，“她大约在40年前就开始了，那时很可能只是一个想法的开始，可是她坚持下来了。”