温馨夜读 PART2 15 The Carpenter And The Fence 木匠和栅栏

 

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[00:00.54]The Carpenter And The Fence 木匠和栅栏

[00:06.12]There were once two brothers 

[00:08.21]who lived on adjoining farms and fell into conflict.

[00:11.80]It was the first serious rift¹ in 40 years of farming side-by-side,

[00:17.28]sharing machinery² and trading labor³ and goods as needed.

[00:21.65]It began with a small misunderstanding 

[00:25.02]and it grew into a major difference and finally,

[00:28.33]it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

[00:33.03]One morning there was a knock on John’s door.

[00:36.42]He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox.

[00:40.25]“I’m looking for a few days’work,”he said.

[00:43.97]“Perhaps you would have some small jobs here and there I could help with?”

[00:48.56]“Yes, I do.”said the older brother.“Look across the creek⁴ at that farm.

[00:54.37]That’s my younger brother’s place. Last week there was a meadow between us.

[00:59.61]He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee 

[01:03.31]and now there is a creek between us.

[01:05.31]Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better.

[01:10.23]I want you to build me an 8-foot fence 

[01:13.38]so I won’t have to see his place or his face anymore.”

[01:16.58]The carpenter said,“I think I understand the situation.

[01:21.28]Show me the nails and the post-hole digger 

[01:24.81]and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

[01:27.29]The older brother had to go to town, 

[01:30.39]so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.

[01:34.74]About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.

[01:39.99]The farmer's eyes opened wide.

[01:42.94]There was no fence there at all. Instead there was a bridge.

[01:47.10]A bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other!

[01:50.93]And his younger brother was coming toward them, his hand outstretched.

[01:56.29]“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done.”

[02:01.33]For a moment, the two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, 

[02:06.20]and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand.

[02:10.18]They turned to see the carpenter put his toolbox onto his shoulder.

[02:14.67]“No, wait! Stay a few days. 

[02:18.12]I have a lot of other projects for you,”said the older brother.

[02:21.34]“I’d love to stay on,”the carpenter said, 

[02:25.33]“but I have many more bridges to build.”

[02:27.47]The story is intended to tell us: Don’t pay back evil with evil.

[02:33.05]Don’t pay back unkind words with unkind words.

[02:37.32]Instead, pay them back with forgiveness.

1 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

2 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。