By Jaroldeen/姜仲華（譯）

◆語篇導(dǎo)讀

一片鮮花盛開的田野，讓一個(gè)女人看到了世界的可能；一個(gè)秘密的花園，無意間卻給了她重要的人生啟迪——貴在堅(jiān)持。這個(gè)啟迪或許將會(huì)激發(fā)她改變自己今后的人生道路。因此，對(duì)于她來說，這一次際遇是一次真正改變?nèi)松摹皺C(jī)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.”

◆詞語積淀

reluctantly/r??l?kt?ntli/adv.勉強(qiáng)地

pine needles松針

evergreen/?ev?ɡri?n/n.常青樹

slop/sl?p/v.溢出；濺出

acre/?e?k?(r)/n.英畝

carpet/?kɑ?p?t/n.地毯

spill/sp?l/v.溢出；使……灑出

bulb/b?lb/n.（植物）鱗莖

◆典句賞析

1.So here I was,reluctantly making the two-hour journey through fog.所以我在這兒（指在路途中），很不情愿地要在霧中行駛兩個(gè)小時(shí)。

here I was是倒裝句，起承上啟下的作用；making the two-hour journey through fog是現(xiàn)在分詞短語，在句中作伴隨狀語，表示在路上的狀態(tài)。two-hour意為“兩個(gè)小時(shí)的”，是“數(shù)詞+名詞”形式作定語，這種結(jié)構(gòu)中的名詞要用單數(shù)形式。

【即時(shí)嘗試】我們到了。她已經(jīng)在這兒為我們準(zhǔn)備午飯呢。__

2.By the time I saw how thick it was near the top,I'd gone too far to turn back.當(dāng)我接近山頂，看到這么濃的霧時(shí)，我已經(jīng)走得太遠(yuǎn)，根本無法回頭了。

在“by the time+定語從句”結(jié)構(gòu)中，當(dāng)它的謂語動(dòng)詞用一般過去時(shí)，主句則用過去完成時(shí)；turn back是固定短語，意為“往回走；折回”。

【即時(shí)嘗試】走路太晚了，所以我們不得不打的。當(dāng)我們到達(dá)那兒時(shí)，電影已經(jīng)開始了。

3.From the top of the mountain,sloping for several acres across folds and valleys,were rivers of flowers.從山頂開始，依坡就勢(shì)地橫跨褶皺和山谷的數(shù)英畝之花，猶如江流直下。

這是一個(gè)倒裝句，主語的中心詞是rivers（將成片的花比喻成河流），謂語中心詞是sloping。有時(shí)為了強(qiáng)調(diào)，可將謂語部分的分詞或不定式置于句子的開頭，以構(gòu)成倒裝形式。

【即時(shí)嘗試】站在沙漠里的是只駱駝，它唯一能看到的就是一片沙海。

譯文助讀

那是一個(gè)寒冷的雨天，我不想在雨天開車走山路去我女兒家。但是，之前她建議我去山頂上看些東西。

所以我來了，很不情愿地要在霧中行駛兩個(gè)小時(shí)。當(dāng)我接近山頂，看到這么濃的霧時(shí)，我已經(jīng)走得太遠(yuǎn)，根本無法回頭了。我一邊沿著危險(xiǎn)的山路慢慢地驅(qū)車行駛，一邊想著這樣做實(shí)在是太不值得了。

“我會(huì)留下來吃午飯，但等霧一散我就馬上回去?！蔽业竭_(dá)時(shí)說。但是我的女兒還是希望我去那兒看看。

十分鐘后，我們到達(dá)了山頂。我們沿著一條布滿了陳舊松針的小路往前走。巨大的深綠色的常青樹高聳在我們的頭頂。漸漸地，這個(gè)地方的寧靜開始填滿我的心。

隨后，我們轉(zhuǎn)了個(gè)彎，停了下來——令我十分震驚的是，從山頂開始，依坡就勢(shì)地橫跨褶皺和山谷的數(shù)英畝之花，猶如江流直下。它像是一張地毯展現(xiàn)在我們的面前，看起來就像太陽把一片金光溢瀉到了山坡上。

我的腦子里裝了許多問題。是誰創(chuàng)造了這樣的美？為什么？怎么做的？

當(dāng)我們回到家時(shí)，看到了一塊牌子，上面寫著：“我知道你要問什么，答案是：一個(gè)女人——兩只手，兩只腳而且天資不高。她一次種一株，始于1958年。”

我被眼前的景象感動(dòng)了?！耙淮畏N一株，她改變了世界?！蔽易詈笳f，“她大約在40年前就開始了，那時(shí)很可能只是一個(gè)想法的開始，可是她堅(jiān)持下來了?！?/p>