5.2 The trouble tree 烦恼树

The carpenter I hired to help restore an old farmhouse¹ had just finished a rough first day on the job .a flat tire made him lose an hour of work .his electic saw quit and now his ancient pick up truck refused to start. while I drove him home .he sat in stony² silence.On arriving,he invited me to meet his family.As we walked toward the front door ,he paused briefly³ at a smalltree,touching the tips of the branches with both hands

After opening the door,he underwent an amazing transformation⁴.He tannedfacewas wreathed in smiles.and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss .Afterward⁵ he walked me back to my car .We passed the tree .and my couriosty got the better of me ,I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh ,that's my trouble tree? Hhe replied "I know I can't hlep having troubles on the job ,but one thing for sure ,troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children ,so I just hung them up to the tree .Every night when I came home ,then in morning I pick them up again.

"Funng thing is ",he smiled "when I came out in the morning to pick up .there aren't nearly as many as I remember hunging up the night before .

我雇了一位木匠修理旧农舍。工作的第一天，他实在很倒霉：一条轮胎漏气了，导致他浪费了一个小时的工作时间，接着是电锯罢工，现在又轮到他的古董小卡车拒绝起动。在我开车送他回家的一路上，他像石头一样坐在那里，一声不吭。到他家后，他邀请我去和他的家人见面。

　　当我们向前门走去的时候，他在一棵小树前短暂停留了一下，双手摸着树枝末端。

　　开门的时候，他顿时变成了另外一个人，晒黑的脸上绽放着笑容。他抱了抱两个年幼的孩子，并吻了妻子一下。

　　随后，他送我上车。我们经过那棵树，我经不住好奇心的引诱，问起他刚才的举动。

　　“噢，那是我的烦恼树，”他回答说，“我知道工作不可能一帆风顺，但有一点是肯定的，那就是这些烦恼不属于我的家人，不属于我的妻子和孩子。所以我在每晚回家的时候把它们挂在树上，早上再去取回。”

1 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

2 stony   

adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的

参考例句：

• The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
• He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。