大二上英语三English.docVIP

Unite 1After years of frustrations with city and suburban living, my wife Sandy and I have finally found contentment in the country.It’s a self-reliant sort of life.We cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season.It’s a satisfying life.But the good life can get pretty tough.Three months ago when it was 30 below,we spent two miserable【悲惨的，痛苦的，卑鄙的】 days hauling【用车搬运】 firewood【木柴】 up the river on a sled【雪橇】.cultivate corn 种植谷物 weed strawberries 除草Our children will help me make some long-overdue【拖了很久的】 improvements on the outdoor toilet that supplements【补充，增补】 our indoor plumbing【铅工业，铅管品制造】 when we are working outside.spray the orchard 果园 paint the barn plant the garden do reporting for the freelance articles 为自由撰稿文章做报道pursue her own demanding schedulethe usual household routine 日常家务There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for the wicked【邪恶的】,on a place like this -- and not much for the virtuous【善良的，有道德的】 either. 正如俗话说的那样，在这种情形之下，坏人闲不着——好人也歇不了。while one storm after another blasted huge drifts up against the house and barn, we kept warm inside burning our own wood, eating our own apples and loving every minute of it. 一场接一场的暴风雪肆虐，使积雪覆盖了房屋和谷仓，我们在室内用木材取暖，吃着苹果，并且享受着它的每一分钟。Then the growing season began, swaping us under wave after wave of produce. 【喻指丰收】manage to get through the winter on firewood 用木材设法成功度过这个冬天With my employer’s blessing and half a year’s pay in accumulated【积累的】 benefits【津贴】 in my pocket – off I went.I’m not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, but now we don’t need as much either.I generate enough income to handle our 600-a-month mortgage payments plus the usual expenses for a family like ours. 房屋按揭贷款， 日常花销When it comes to insurance,we have a poor man’s major-medical policy.Although we are stuck with paying minor expenses, our premium【保险金，奖金】is low.We are covered aginst catastrophe. 我们给重大灾难投了保。We’ve been able to make up the difference