英语沙龙:My Wagon我的旅行车

My Wagon¹

   Instead of an established home, my parents gave me something better：a gypsy wagon, so that I could make my home wherever I might be. My father built with boards of art, music, adventure, and deviation² from the norms of society. My mother used boards of unfaltering support, philanthropy1), and appreciation³ of beauty. Between these supports were nailed planks⁴ from each generation of my ancestors2), allowing all of my history to mold me and stay with me. My Norwegian ancestors provided boards of great sturdiness, simplicity⁵, and education；my ancestors from a mixture of European descent gave fanciful boards reflective of city society and grandeur⁶.

The wagon is simplistic in style---no useless porticos, no shutters⁷ nailed to the outside. Its construction is expedient⁸ to all for which it is used；I am never weighed down with anything unwanted. The inner walls are painted a Norwegian blue, the outer with a chameleon3) sheen adaptable⁹ to its surroundings. The few choice furnishings have been acquired in my wanderings and there is still room for more―--always room for quality.

The mobility¹⁰ of my gypsy wagon is responsible for my adaptability¹¹. Though I might often caravan4), I am not afraid to go my way alone. I can sit around the fires of any group in society and because I am completely immersed in their environment, I am able to learn about them without preconceptions5) or prejudices. My understanding of them is then based on their environment and history；I don’t try to under stand them on my terms or make them fit to what I already know. I respect and admire that which is true unto itself, no matter how different it may appear. Because of this, I gravitate6) towards what is unique and unusual---be it a culture, an idea, a person, or a creation. I have often acted as a harbinger for my peers and even myself. I have laid tracks with something as simple as the clothes I wear, to my soy-rich diet, to the humanitarian¹², Taoist views I possess. Often what I discover on my own, about a year later, becomes an offbeat¹³ trend. I collect from different sources to construct my thoughts and actions；I don’t wait for someone else to do it for me.

Each summer my wagon returns to a square cottage in rural Minnesota：the spring of my youth. Without a television, or any modern conveniences added since the 1940’s, the secluded¹⁴ wooded lot on a small lake has retained its purity. The solace7) and free reign¹⁵ of my time has led me to find my creativity. I have been awed8) by nature by spending my days out in the woods and on the islands. At times I attempt to capture nature’s beauty on paper or old Ping-Pong paddles with paints and brushes. At other times I build dams in the stream or carve its course into the sandbar, but the stream always prevails and follows its natural course. On stormy days, I choose a musty book from the shelves and read it in my great-great aunt‘s rocking chair in front of the fireplace as I listen to a constant drip through the roof to the floor of the concrete stairwell. I reflect and contemplate¹⁶ at night as I lie in our hammock and watch the night sky turn, until familiar constellations¹⁷ are lost beneath the horizon. The repose¹⁸ of these days and nights fills my wagon with calmness.

My wagon often makes trips to the Black Hills of South Dakota to rest at the home of my father and stepmother. Together we hike the hills and partake in the events of the artist community. In my father’s shop, I learn the trade of fused glass；in the house, he often instructs me on the classical guitar. When the lessons are over, he plays for me his flamenco melodies and songs of Segovia. His music will fill the air of my gypsy wagon indeterminately.

Two summers ago I decided¹⁹ to come with my mother to Wisconsin, whereupon I set my wagon a top a wooded hill overlooking the city lights. In Eau Claire I have exposed myself to an array of9) new people and activities, and have begun to explore―in depth―the law, journalism²⁰, the Chinese language, and the interaction between community and youth. Faces contorted with pity always ask me how it was to“move”my junior year. For most, moving would be tearing up roots and trying to transplant them in new soil；I simply carved out another set of tracks to a new land.

My wagon, simple yet expedient, is the confluence²¹ of all my experience, knowledge, and ideas, and is therefore my home. I wasn’t just given a house that I could look back upon with fond memories, but a sturdy gypsy wagon that will house me wherever I choose to voyage.

by Andrea Johnson
我的旅行车

（美国大学生作文选）

父母并没有给我一个固定的家, 但他们给了我更好的东西：一部吉卜赛式的旅行车, 我于是得以四海为家, 浪迹天涯。父亲搭的木板富有艺术感和音乐感, 新奇独特, 不落俗套。母亲搭的木板坚实可靠, 象征仁慈和美感。支柱之间的钉板都是家传之物, 于是历史在我身上打下烙印, 并得以继承。挪威先人传下来的木板质地坚固, 线条简洁, 富有启迪意义；欧洲混合血统的先人传下来的木板则式样华丽, 折射出都市的繁华气息。

旅行车式样以简单为原则, 没有无用的门廊, 外边没有钉百叶窗。其构造一切以方便实用为上, 绝没有多余的虚饰。车内四壁涂着挪威蓝, 外面是一层变色光泽, 色彩随周围的景色而变动。仅有的几件精美的装饰品是我在流浪途中收集的, 车内仍然留有余地--永远都为高品位留有空间。

车载着我奔走四方, 铸就了我的适应性。虽然我可以常常结队而行, 却并不怕孤身上路。我可以围着篝火坐在任何一群人当中, 由于我完全融入了他们的环境, 我可以不带成见与偏见地了解他们。基于他们的环境和历史, 我理解他们。我不企图按照我的要求来理解他们或要他们符合我的认识。我敬仰忠实于自己的东西, 不论它显得如何个色。正因如此, 我趋向于独特不凡的东西--无论它是一种文化、一种观念、一个人, 还是一件艺术品。我常常为我的同辈、甚至我自己充当先行者的角色。我通过简单的途径, 像我穿的衣服那样简单, 达到了大豆膳食, 达到了人道主义的道家观点。常常是, 我有了一个新发现, 一年之后, 它就成为一种非正统的时尚。我集思广益、博采众长, 从而形成自己的思想和行为方式；我不会坐等别人为我做这些。

每年夏天我的车子都要返回明尼苏达州的一家农舍, 那是我青春的源泉。小木屋倚湖而立, 林木掩映, 幽深宁静。屋内的现代设施自20世纪40年代以来便没有任何增添, 就连电视机也没有, 因此保持了它的单纯。无拘无束的自由时光激发了我的创造力。如梦如幻的湖光山色培育了我对大自然的敬意。我有时在纸上或旧乒乓球拍上涂画, 试图捕捉大自然的美丽。我有时在山溪中筑坝, 或在沙洲上划出一条小道, 让山溪流过, 但溪水总不就范, 还是重回原路。遇到狂风暴雨, 我便从书架上抽出一本发霉的旧书, 坐在壁炉前高祖姨母用过的摇椅上, 边读边听那屋顶上的雨点滴滴答答地打在楼梯井里。晚上, 我躺在吊床上静观夜空的变幻, 幽思默想, 直到熟悉的星座一一隐入天际。这种宁静的日子给我的旅行车注入了一种从容坦荡的气度。

我的车子常常载着我来到南达科他州的布莱克丘陵, 到我父亲和继母家中稍作休息。我们一起走过山坡, 一起参加社区的艺术活动。在父亲的商店里, 我学到了熔凝玻璃的手艺；在家里, 他常常教我弹古典吉他。课后, 他为我演奏弗拉曼柯舞曲和塞戈维亚乐曲。乐声飘渺, 在我吉卜赛式的旅行车中缭绕。

两年前我决定随母亲迁往威斯康星州。我把车停放在林木葱郁的山坡上, 俯瞰着城市的灯火。在奥克勒耳城我置身于新人新事之中, 开始探索--深入地探索--法律、新闻、中文, 以及社区与青年之间的相互作用。总有一些人带着怜悯的表情问我年少时“迁徙”的滋味如何。对于大多数人来说, 迁移就是把根拔掉, 然后重新植入新的土地；对我却是辟出一条新路, 通往新的土地。

我那简朴方便的旅行车凝聚了我所有的经历、知识和理想, 因此是我的家。我得到的不但是一所令人回味无穷的房子, 而且是可以载我闯荡天涯的坚固的吉卜赛式的旅行车。
 

1 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

2 deviation   

n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题

参考例句：

• Deviation from this rule are very rare.很少有违反这条规则的。
• Any deviation from the party's faith is seen as betrayal.任何对党的信仰的偏离被视作背叛。

3 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

4 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

5 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

6 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

7 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

8 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

9 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

10 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

11 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 offbeat   

adj.不平常的，离奇的

参考例句：

• She adores old,offbeat antiques.她非常喜欢那些稀奇古怪的老古董。
• His style is offbeat but highly creative.他的风格很不寻常但非常有创造力。

14 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

16 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

17 constellations   

n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人）

参考例句：

• The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转，要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分

18 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

19 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

20 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

21 confluence   

n.汇合，聚集

参考例句：

• They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
• The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动，实际上是几股潮流的同谋。