胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯 第233期:A volunteer's crucial vote
胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯 第233期:A volunteer's crucial vote
The lessons I learned as a volunteer in Africa could fill volumes.
我在非洲做志愿者所學到的東西可以寫成幾卷書。
Before I embarked upon my voluntary voyage, I felt a huge void in my life.
在我踏上志愿者行程之前，我感到生活無比空虛。
When I look back upon it, there was a certain vulgarity to my existence.
當我回首過去，覺得生活中有種庸俗。
I had not done anything meaningful in my twenties at all,
二十幾歲這個階段我沒有做過任何有意義的事情，
unless you count getting a second-rate college degree an accomplishment.
除非把獲得一個次等的大學學位也算做一種成就。
As my twenties waned and my thirties approached, I began to consider life more seriously.
隨著這個年齡段的行將結束，而立之年的臨近，我開始更為認真地看待生活。
I felt maybe as if the warranty on my life was about to expire.
我感到好像生活的保證即將終止。
The vulgar life of wine, women, and food, which only left me with an expanded waist and a vulnerable ego,
酒水、女人、飯菜這種庸俗的生活只給我留下了變寬的腰身和脆弱的自我，
was giving way to a voracious appetite for meaning.
這種生活正讓位于對生活意義如饑似渴的興趣。
Sometimes it was as if my mind was a volcano erupting with a desire to figure out why I was put on this earth.
有時好像我的頭腦是座火山，爆發(fā)出要弄懂我到世上所為何事的渴望。
This desire would sometimes calm for days at a time,
這種渴望有時會平靜數日，
but before long, the volcanic explosions in my head would begin again.
但不久之后，頭腦中再次開始火山一樣的情感爆發(fā)。
It was exciting yet also frightening, the way I imagine a chemist must feel when he is experimenting with potentially volatile chemicals.
這種爆發(fā)使人激動，然而又令人恐懼，我想就像化學家在試驗有潛在揮發(fā)性的化學物質時的感覺。
I had to do something before the voltage in my brain became too high and something crazy happened.
我必須趕在頭腦中的激情過于高漲，并發(fā)生瘋狂的事情之前采取行動。
Overnight, I voted to break up with my girlfriend, quit my job, and devote my life totally to others.
一夜之間，我決定和女友分手，辭去工作，將自己的生命完全獻給他人。
When I told my girlfriend, she could hardly utter even a vowel sound.
當我告訴女友的時候，她幾乎一聲不吭。
After the initial effect wore off, I couldn't get her to stop wagging her finger in my face.
在最初的影響漸漸消退之后，我無法阻止她用手指在我臉上比劃來比劃去的。
Let's just say that she didn't quite agree with this voter's decision.
讓我們假定她不太同意我這“投票人”的決定。
I also had the matter of my job. I wanted to give them a two-week notice,
我還有工作的問題。我想提前兩周通知他們，
but they reacted very unpleasantly after I told them my decision.
但當我告訴他們我的決定之后，他們反應令人不快。
My two-week notice became an immediate walkout. I even waived my right to my last month's salary.
栽提前兩周的通知導致了立刻卷鋪蓋的結果。我甚至放棄了得到上月薪水的權利。
I also quit drinking, hopping back on the wagon after many years as a dedicated beer drinker.
同時，我戒了酒，而且是在嗜喝啤酒多年之后再次戒酒。
I saw a web site advertising for volunteers in Africa.
我看到一家網站征求去非洲的志愿者。
Two weeks later, I waddled off the plane and into the African heat, a bit tired and jetlagged.
兩周后，我搖搖晃晃地走下飛機，置身于非洲的高溫之中，身體有些疲憊，感到有些時差反應。
In the next two years, I found meaning in life and peace for my soul.
在接下來的兩年之中，我找到了生活中的意義，為靈魂尋找到安寧。
In my homeland, I had been wading through life. Now what I do is akin to Olympic swimming.
過去在我的國家，我一直在生活中費力跋涉?，F在我所做的有如奧運會賽場的游泳。
重點詞匯
vulgarity[v?l'gæriti]n. 粗俗，粗鄙，卑俗性
appetite['æpitait]n. 嗜好，食欲，欲望
voter['v?ut?]n. 投票人，選舉人
crucial['kru:??l]adj. 關鍵的，決定性的
accomplishment[?'k?mpli?m?nt]n. 成就，完成
utter['?t?]adj. 全然的，絕對，完全
v. 發(fā)出，作聲
adj. 通俗的，粗俗的
frightening['fraitni?]adj. 令人恐懼的，令人害怕的 動詞frighten的
dedicated['dedi.keitid]adj. 專注的，獻身的，專用的
overnight['?uv?'nait]n. 前晚
adj. 通宵的，晚上的，前夜的<
