365个英语简短小故事-181. The Move to Georgia (2)

Evelyn and Jasper’s new condo certainly was small—1,200 square feet. It was on the first floor of a three-story building. They had no garage for their two cars. In fact, they didn’t even have one designated¹ parking space. When Evelyn went grocery shopping, she often had to lug² the groceries 100 feet from her car to her condo—sometimes less if she was lucky enough to find a parking spot close to her condo.

Evelyn was on the phone with an old friend in New Mexico. “Now I really appreciate how convenient it was to park in my garage for 20 years and walk directly into the kitchen. Just think how much fun I have now when I’m caught with grocery bags in a rainstorm! And the neighbors. They all have their own friends—we’re outsiders. We go to the community pool regularly, but no one has stopped by to introduce themselves. Whatever happened to southern hospitality³? And my sisters? They’re all working! What was the point of moving here if they work all week, and on the weekend they’re usually too tired to go out?

“New Mexico was so much better; I had my own house, yard, and garage. I had a small garden in the back yard. I had a couple of good friends, including you. Here, I still don’t have a job, even though I’ve been willing to take almost anything. Jasper is gone six or seven days a week trying to sell Cadillacs in the middle of farm country. He should be trying to sell tractors⁴! He comes home so tired that he hardly ever goes fishing. He must be kicking himself for being so thoughtful⁵ to me.” Her friend told Evelyn to stop being so negative. They'd only been in Georgia a year. Even their first couple of years in New Mexico were rough, she reminded Evelyn.

 

1 designated   

a.指定的，特指的

参考例句：

• Smoking is allowed in designated areas.允许在指定区域内吸烟。

2 lug   

n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动

参考例句：

• Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes.谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。
• Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station?难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗？

3 hospitality   

n.好客，殷勤；adj.（气候等）宜人，适宜

参考例句：

• He welcomed you to enjoy his hospitality.他欢迎你去做客。
• Thank you for your kind hospitality.谢谢你的盛情款待。

4 tractors   

拖拉机( tractor的名词复数 )； 牵引机； （牵引式挂车的）牵引车； 拖车头

参考例句：

• Ploughs are pulled by tractors, or in some countries by oxen. 犁由拖拉机牵引，在一些国家则用牛来拉。
• Nowadays tractors are used even in remote mountainous regions. 现在连偏僻的山区也用上了拖拉机。

5 thoughtful   

adj.思考的，沉思的，体贴的，关心的

参考例句：

• She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
• This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。