A Fable for Tomorrow

    There was once a town in the heart of America．All life there seemed to live in peace with its surroundings¹．The town lay in the232 middle of wealthy farms，with fields of rice，wheat，corn or other crops，and hillsides of trees of orange，apple or other fruits．In spring，white clouds moved slowly above the green fields．In summer wheat waved in the wind，producing the song of a golden² ocean．In autumn various fruits changed the color of the slopes³．The foxes barked in the hills and goats silently⁴ crossed the fields，half hidden in the fog of the autumn mornings．Along the roads fresh wildflowers delighted the traveler's eye through much of the year．Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty．Countless⁵ birds came to feed on the seed heads of the dried plants rising above the snow The countryside was，in fact，famous for its rich and various kinds of bird life．When the flood of birds poured in through spring and autumn people traveled great distances to visit them．Others came to fish the streams，pools or ponds，which flowed clear and cold out of the hills．So it had been from the days many years ago，when the first settlers raised their houses，sund their wells and built their cattle⁶ shelters⁷．Then a great misfortune⁸ crept⁹ over the town and everything began to change．Strange illnesses swept the chickens；the cattle grew sick and died．Everywhere was a shadow of death．The farmers spoke¹⁰ of many illnesses among their families．In the hospital in the town，the doctors were troubled by the causes of the new kinds of illness appearing among their patients．There had been several sudden¹¹ and unexplained deaths，not only among the grown-ups，but even among the children．They would be stricken suddenly while at work or play and die within a few hours．There was a strange stillness．The birds—nobody knew where they had gone．The fruit trees-they were coming into flower but bore no fruit．The roadsides，once so beautiful，were lined with brown grassas though they had been swept by fire．They were，too，silent，deserted by all living things．Even the streams were now lifeless，for all the fish died．No evil，no heaven，no enemy action had silenced the life of the place．Some months before，rains of bitter¹² taste，sometimes mixed with grains of sand，black as coal，had fallen upon the roofs and hills，fields and streams．This town does not actually exist，but it might easily have a thousand examples of this kind in America or elsewhere¹³ in the world．I know of no town that has experienced¹⁴ all the misfortunes¹⁵ I describe．Yet every one of these has actually happened somewhere，and many real towns or cities have already suffered a number of them．Great misfortunes have crept over us without our notice，and this imagined town may easily become real．That we shall all know．Exercises：
    回答下列问题：
    ①What kind of life did the people live before rain？
    ②Did the town has experienced all the misfortune as writer de-scribe？
    ③Why did the fruit trees come into flower but bore no fruit？
    ④What do you learn from the story？

1 surroundings   

n.周围的事物(或情况)，环境

参考例句：

• She is not very well tuned into her surroundings. 她不太适应周围的环境。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

2 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

3 slopes   

n.斜坡( slope的名词复数 )；斜面；倾斜；山坡v.有斜度( slope的第三人称单数 )；悄悄地走；潜行

参考例句：

• the eastern slopes of the mountain 东山坡
• the northern slopes of the mountains 山脉的北坡

4 silently   

adv.沉默地，无声地

参考例句：

• She sat in the car,silently fuming at the traffic jam.她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• He didn't shout,he just glared at me silently.他没有喊叫，只是默默地怒视着我。

5 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 cattle   

n.牛，牲口，畜生

参考例句：

• He has twenty head of cattle on the farm.他在农场养了20头牛。
• On big farms cattle are usually stamped with brands.在大农场，牲畜通常是打烙印的。

7 shelters   

n.居所( shelter的名词复数 )；避难所；（无家可归者或受虐待者的）收容所；遮蔽

参考例句：

• During the blitz we spent the night in underground shelters. 空袭期间，我们在防空洞过夜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall shelters the garden from the north wind. 围墙给园子挡住了北风。 来自辞典例句

8 misfortune   

n.不幸，厄运，逆境，不幸事故，灾难

参考例句：

• It is said to be an omen of misfortune.那被认为是一种不幸的先兆。
• She had the misfortune to break her leg.她不幸摔断了腿。

9 crept   

v.蹑手蹑足地走( creep的过去式和过去分词 )；缓慢地行进；爬行；匍匐

参考例句：

• I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents. 为了尽量不吵醒父母，我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• He had crept up on his unsuspecting victim from behind. 他从背后悄悄逼近了那毫无戒备的受害者。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 sudden   

n.突然，忽然；adj.突然的，意外的，快速的

参考例句：

• All of a sudden he turned about and saw me.他突然转过身来看见了我。
• The horse was badly frightened by the sudden noise.那匹马被突然而来的嘈杂声吓坏了。

12 bitter   

adj.激烈的，苦涩的，辛酸的，厉害的，悲痛的；n.辛酸，苦味，苦酒

参考例句：

• The bitter winter was coming.寒冬到了。
• The two countries fell out in a bitter wrangle over imports.这两个国家在有关进口问题的激烈争吵中闹翻了。

13 elsewhere   

adv.在别处，到别处

参考例句：

• Our favourite restaurant was full so we had to go elsewhere.我们最喜欢去的那家饭店客满了，因此不得不改去别处。
• I have half a mind to move elsewhere.我有点想搬到别处去。

14 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

15 misfortunes   

n.不幸( misfortune的名词复数 )；厄运；不幸的事；灾难

参考例句：

• History is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes. 历史不过是由罪恶和灾难构成的静止舞台造型罢了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Do not jeer at the mistakes or misfortunes of others. 不要嘲笑别人的错误或不幸。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》