英语博客：A bleating baby.

 Those of you who follow my podcast probably remember that I live in a rural area. Our house is located towards the outskirts¹ of a small community. Our neighbors tend to have lots of trees, vegetable gardens, and animals. Across the road from us is a horse. Around the corner are two mules² (which are like donkeys), and right next door we have chickens and goats. So, you can imagine that in this neighborhood there are lots of interesting noises and smells. There is a new set of noises and smells now, to add to those that we are used to. A baby goat was born a few weeks ago, right next door. Cheri, the lady who breeds them, invited us over to take a look. She has always kept animals and bred them for shows, and as a general hobby. The goats live in a triangular³ shelter that has a heat lamp, and they have an area to run around in. They are black and white, plump and playful. We were all very excited to see this newborn. The children desperately⁴ wanted to hold it, but it was still a bit too young. It was the size of a very small dog, and bleated⁵ beautifully. I was surprised how agile⁶ and strong it was for its age. The family next door also has bred doves and wiener dogs. Animal shows take place throughout the spring and summer months, so our neighbors travel a lot to different towns to show off their animals. And we have the advantage of seeing the newborns, as we live so close. Until recently, they also had a miniature pony⁷, but they sold it to someone who has more land. An animal like that needs room to run around. Sometimes I feel like we have a bit of a farmyard here, with our dogs, fish, and bearded dragon. Animal breeding is taken quite seriously around here. I know of many people who have farms of different types. My husbands cousin has a large cattle farm, and requires good quality horses and cattle dogs. Goats, of course, are great waste disposal machines for a large vegetable garden. And, after consuming the waste vegetable matter, they produce wonderful manure⁸. For a gardener like myself, that stuff is priceless. I'm planning on beginning work in my vegetable area, and I could really do with some manure. Once I take out the weeds, and airate the soil, that precious stuff needs to be mixed in. I might just ask my neighbors if they have any that they can spare.

 

Grammar notes.

 

Using 'used to' and 'to get used to':

 

1. We used to go to the beach every weekend; now we only go once a month.

 

2. She used to sing, but now she prefers to dance.

 

3. I used to have to get up really early. Now, with my new job, I can get up at eight o'clock.

 

4. I can't get used to the time difference; when we reset⁹ our clocks, it takes me days to adjust.

 

5. We got used to our new car quickly because it was more comfortable than our last.

 

6. You have to get used to practicing, otherwise you won't improve.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

3 triangular   

adj.三角（形）的，三者间的

参考例句：

• It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
• One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

4 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

5 bleated   

v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的过去式和过去分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说

参考例句：

• The lost lamb bleated. 迷路的小羊咩咩的叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She bleated her disapproval of her son's marriage to Amy. 她用颤抖的声音表示不赞成儿子与艾米的婚事。 来自辞典例句

6 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

7 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

8 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

9 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。