← 返回阅读列表

The Rebirth of Greenford

格林福德的复兴:一座南方小镇从危机走向重生 1,671 词 114 生词 18 题

Currently, the small southern town of Greenford is recovering from a long and painful crisis. Two years ago a bomb fell near the old castle. The town's revenue had always come mainly from taxes and the manufacture of cloth. It collapsed almost overnight. Shops closed. It seemed impossible that the place would ever feel whole again. Yet the people refused to surrender, and now they are rebuilding in a quiet, determined fashion.

The first sign of hope was Theo, a soldier who came home after the war. For weeks he could only wander the ruined lanes. He was a shadow of the athlete he had once been. Quiet patience had always been his strongest characteristic. Now it became his mission to stay and help. One Saturday he walked past a patch of grass where the market once stood. There he saw an old man planting flowers in the fresh earth. The old man offered him a cup of tea. "Why on earth bother?" Theo asked. The man smiled and said that planting was its own reward. It was a simple pleasure that asked for nothing in return.

The town's money problem was severe. There was almost no revenue left. The council could not pay the wage of even a single clerk. There was not sufficient money for the smallest repair. The prime minister had visited after the bombing. He promised help, but the papers were slow. A minister from the capital came to hold a session with the council. Together they worked out a plan. First, they would gather information about every damaged building. During the chaos, someone had even tried to commit a crime in an empty shop. Then they would ask for a bank loan to start the rebuilding. It was a business cycle the town understood: first collapse, then slow recovery.

The negotiation with the bank was hard, but the town was lucky. The manager was an unusual man who liked to tell a joke before every meeting. He agreed in the end. With the loan secured, the council formed a joint venture with a northern firm. The venture would rebuild the market and manufacture new goods. It was a joint effort between old rivals. The atmosphere in the hall changed at once. Suddenly there was a friendly atmosphere, and people began to laugh again.

The rebuilding had to be done in a proper manner, and the council set clear rules. Environmental protection came first: the river and land had to be clean before new work began. Some traders wanted cheap imports, but the council chose a policy of protection for local farmers. A large quantity of grain now comes from those fields, with the exception of one waterlogged plot near the river. The new rules also limited carbon smoke. A dark stain of soot no longer covers the market walls. This new revenue helped pay for social welfare. So the old and the sick were never left alone, and the town's welfare slowly returned.

Jobs came back slowly. The new works needed people, and the council began to recruit new members for a training program. Every worker received a fair wage, and a training session was held each week. Theo joined the first group. In his spare time he studied the charts the engineers drew. He learned to read the frame of every building. To stay in the program, each person had to meet a strict criterion. Theo qualified without difficulty. He would spare no effort.

Life grew busier. A mobile clinic now visits the town twice a month. No one has to travel far to consult a doctor. Theo went there after he began to cough badly. The nurse said the smoke from the ruined quarter had left his chest weak. He could smell the dust on his clothes even after washing. The smell reminded him of the war. After recovering, he became the clinic's newest recruit.

While he rested, Theo turned to the garden. He learned to bend the young trees into shape and to sweep the paths clean each morning. Working in the soil calmed his mind. It was a small discovery, but it changed his days. It put him in a much better frame of mind. The grass grew thick and green. One evening, digging with his hands, he made a discovery that surprised everyone. Beneath the garden lay an old stone column from a building far older than the castle.

The column became the centerpiece of the town's recovery. Experts came to study it, and they called it extraordinary. They wrote an abstract of their findings for a journal. They added the column to a national catalog of historic places. For the townspeople, though, the column was not an abstract idea. It was proof that their home had deep roots. It had come into existence centuries before the town itself, precisely where the old wall had stood. The smooth stone felt cool under their hands.

The council turned the old market into a small museum. A jury of judges came from the capital to give it an award. The museum's first show displayed a chart of the town's history. It ran from the time of the king to the present day. It was an honor for everyone who had worked on it. As a reward for his work in the garden, Theo was asked to open the show. He spoke briefly before stepping back. A second jury of local artists later judged a children's competition in the same hall. The museum's rooms comprise the town's archives, and these comprise letters from the war.

That night the whole town watched the opening on cable television. A comedy actor came to perform, and his warm humor made everyone forget their troubles for an hour. The crowd gave a delighted scream when he stepped on stage. Afterwards a local band played, and Theo borrowed a guitar and joined them. It was a lovely evening, the kind the town had not known in years. Every ticket for the show had sold out in a morning.

The secondary school reopened soon after, and the pupils returned in new uniforms. To qualify for the senior class, each pupil had to meet the criterion set by the board. Many spent their evenings studying. The head teacher warned them not to confuse the two subjects they would sit. The latter was much harder. But she added that kindness was of secondary importance compared with effort. Theo taught a short course on gardening. He was glad to see the children learn. The council even bought a new printer for the school. He told them education was a privilege, not a right. They should never feel ashamed of asking questions, nor ashamed of a wrong answer. There is one exception to this rule: never mock a classmate. When two pupils could not agree, he asked them to consult each other before deciding.

In their free hours the children played tennis on the new court. The boys would chase each other until breathless. Theo sometimes joined them, feeling like a young athlete again. One boy played a trick on him, hiding his hat. Then he tried to trick him into a race. But Theo chased him laughing through the grass. "Thank God the field is flat," Theo said, catching his breath.

Slowly the economy came back to life. The new works now generate revenue all year round. The town's tax revenue rises month by month. This economic recovery did not happen by chance. It followed the natural business cycle of a community that had hit bottom and climbed again. Every shop that reopened brought a small reduction in the town's hardship. The war had a massive impact on Greenford, and it took a massive effort to undo the damage.

Not everything was easy, and some old divisions remained. A few voices on the right wing of the council still wanted to restrict trade. For a while this threatened to trigger a fresh quarrel. It seemed unlikely that they would ever agree. But the majority chose to resist the pressure, and they could not resist the urge to hope. They had absolute trust in each other. They had absolute certainty that the town would stand. This saw them through. A single announcement changed everything. The government would forgive part of the town's debt. A new subsidy would strengthen the local works. A bitter divorce between two council families once nearly broke the town. But even that old quarrel was put aside, thanks to the quiet involvement of a few fair-minded people. Even the town's old minister came out of retirement. He was a gentle man who had taught for fifty years at the church school. He came to speak at the meeting and to smooth the way for peace.

Today Greenford is transformed. Visitors come to see the column and restored castle, and the landscape looks green again. The town publishes its catalog online nowadays. You can order a museum ticket from a mobile phone in seconds. Leave your cart in the wrong place, however, and you will still get a parking ticket. It is no longer unusual to see strangers wander the streets with cameras. No one panics when the clouds gather overhead. Visitors typically arrive in summer, and they are typically surprised by the warm welcome. A language barrier rarely troubles anyone now. A small barrier at the old gate reminds them of the war years. The last segment of the old wall is now a path. A segment of the museum is set aside for children. A steel cable carries power across the river, and a bird's wing flashes over the water. Every plan has its limitation, but they guard this peaceful existence with care. It is a rare privilege to live in such a place. Not even a stain on the new pavement can dim its spirit. The townspeople commit themselves to keeping the town green and kind. The recovery is a habit built one honest day at a time.

📖 本篇生词(114)

currently 目前,近来
crisis 危机
revenue (国家的)岁入;税收
ticket 交通罚款单;票
pleasure 高兴,愉快
manufacture 制造,生产
flower 花
earth 地球;土,泥;大地
soldier 士兵,战士
gather 收集,采集;聚集
commit 犯错,做错事;承诺,表态
bomb 炸弹 v. 轰炸
cycle 循环,运转;骑自行车 n. 循环,运转;周期
minister 部长;牧师
impossible 不可能的
characteristic 特征 adj. 典型的,特有的, 独特的
manner 方式,态度,举止
mainly 主要地
fifty 五十
fashion 方式
mobile 可移动的;流动的
cup 茶杯
loan 贷款;暂借的东西 v.借款
lovely 美好的,可爱的
proper 适当的,合适的
protection 保护,防卫;保护制度
frame 框;结构
latter (两者之中的)后者
session 会议;一段时间,一场,一节
reduction 减少,降低
atmosphere 大气;气氛,氛围
nowadays 当今,现在
online 在线的,在网上的
joint 联合的,合办的;共同的
honor 尊敬 n. 荣誉
chart 图,图表 vt. 绘制……的图表
mission 任务
smell 嗅,闻到;发气味 n. 气味
column 柱子;柱状(物)
qualify (使)具有资格
joke 笑话
tennis 网球
criterion (pl. criteria) n. 标准;准则
existence 存在;生存;存在物
reward 奖赏,奖励 vt. 酬谢;奖赏
wage 工资,报酬
king 国王
southern 南部的,南方的
habit 习惯,习性
negotiation 谈判,协商
pupil (小)学生
sufficient 足够的,充足的
typically 典型地,代表性地;通常
retirement 退休
lucky 运气好的,侥幸的
exception 例外;异议
restrict 限制
unusual 不平常的,异常的
secondary 第二的;次要的
massive 大量的;大规模的;巨大的
confuse 使迷惑,混淆
landscape 风景
wing 机翼;翅膀
scream 尖叫
unlikely 不可能的
cable 海底电报,电缆;缆绳
welfare 幸福;福利
bend 使弯曲
sweep 扫除,扫
shadow 影子,阴影
transform 转变,变形
recruit 招聘,招募新兵
spare 节约,节省;省出(时间) adj. 多余的
grass 草,牧草;草场
smooth 光滑的;平坦的
god 神,(大写) 上帝
quantity 数量
consult 咨询;请教;商量
extraordinary 非凡的,特别的
involvement 参与
segment 部分;段
briefly 简短地
discovery 发现;被发现的事物
jury 陪审团;评判委员会
limitation 限制
recovery 恢复;重建
abstract 抽象的 n. 抽象的作品;摘要 v. 提 取;概括
cough n &i. 咳嗽
precisely 精确地
barrier 障碍,屏障;界限,关卡
privilege 特权;特殊待遇
resist 抵抗;挡开
absolute 完全的,全部的;绝对的
stain 污点,污渍;染色剂
divorce 离婚
castle 城堡,堡垒
announcement 通告,通知
comprise 包括;由……组成,由……构成
guitar 吉他,六弦琴
strengthen 加强,巩固
carbon 碳
printer 打印机
trigger 引起,引发(坏事)
humor 幽默,幽默感 出版
trick 骗局;恶作剧 v. 捉弄;哄骗
athlete 运动员
catalog 目录
stranger 陌生人,外人
wander 漫游,游荡,漫步;流浪
comedy 喜剧
panic
chase 追逐,追赶
ashamed 惭愧;害臊
Saturday 星期六
词汇练习(18 题)
第 1 题 · 一词多义 目标词:earth
he saw an old man planting flowers in the fresh earth.
第 2 题 · 一词多义 目标词:minister
Even the town's old minister, a gentle man who had taught for fifty years at the church school, came out of retirement to speak.
第 3 题 · 一词多义 目标词:ticket
every ticket for the show had sold out in a morning.
第 4 题 · 一词多义 目标词:commit
during the chaos, someone had even tried to commit a crime in an empty shop.
第 5 题 · 一词多义 目标词:session
a training session was held each week.
第 6 题 · 一词多义 目标词:joint
It was a joint effort between old rivals.
第 7 题 · 一词多义 目标词:abstract
They wrote an abstract of their findings for a journal.
第 8 题 · 一词多义 目标词:atmosphere
suddenly there was a friendly atmosphere, and people began to laugh again.
第 9 题 · 一词多义 目标词:gather
no one panics when the clouds gather overhead.
第 10 题 · 一词多义 目标词:spare
in his spare time he studied the charts the engineers drew.
第 11 题 · 一词多义 目标词:consult
he asked them to consult each other before deciding.
第 12 题 · 一词多义 目标词:wing
a bird's wing flashes over the water.
第 13 题 · 固定搭配
during the chaos, someone had even tried to ____ a crime in an empty shop.
第 14 题 · 固定搭配
The new works now ____ revenue all year round.
第 15 题 · 固定搭配
One evening, digging with his hands, he ____ a discovery that surprised everyone.
第 16 题 · 固定搭配
To qualify for the senior class, each pupil had to ____ the criterion set by the board.
第 17 题 · 固定搭配
"Why ____ earth bother?" Theo asked.
第 18 题 · 固定搭配
it had ____ into existence centuries before the town itself.
← 上一篇 返回列表 下一篇 →