365个英语简短小故事-285. The Park That Went to...

When Winnie and Arnold bought their house at the end of a cul-de-sac in 1980, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. There were only four houses on the street. Between their house and their neighbor’s house was a dirt pathway. The path led to a city-owned dog park, where dog owners could let their dogs run free. But there was no parking¹ lot for dog owners’ cars. Dog owners had to park on the street, and then walk their dogs to the leash-free park.

In 1980 no one seemed to know about the park. The only people who used it were the people who lived in the neighborhood. The neighbors used to joke that they had their own private dog park.

Those were the good old days. Things have changed. The park has become like California² in the Gold Rush days. Everyone knows about it. A dog may be man’s best friend, but 1,000 dogs certainly are not.

Over the years, the neighborhood association³, consisting of about 70 houses nearest to the park, has begged the city council⁴ to reduce park hours. It is open from 7:00 to 7:00 seven days a week. But some dog owners actually arrive at 6:00, saying that they needed to beat the rush. To save walking distance, others park in neighborhood driveways. Others bring boom⁵ boxes and play music loudly in the park. Others knock on neighborhood doors and ask to use the bathroom. Weekends are even worse than weekdays. Whole families spend the day with their dogs. People, dogs, noise, and trash are everywhere.

“We’re stuck here,” said Arnold. “I’ve been trying to sell my place for five years. But when buyers see all this dog traffic, they take off running. What a joke. This place was heaven when we first moved here. Now it’s hell⁶.”

The city council has ignored the neighborhood association’s pleas⁷ for help. A council member said, “We have to meet the public demand. This no-leash park is very popular. I’m sorry, but if the homeowners don’t like it, they can always move. This is a free country, you know.”

 

1 parking   

n.停车，停机，停放

参考例句：

• A bus is parking on the road.路上停着一辆公共汽车。
• Next you must learn how to back a car into a parking space.下一步你应该学会如何把车倒入停车的空地。

2 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

3 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

4 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

5 boom   

n.隆隆声；vt.发隆隆声

参考例句：

• The country is having a great boom in industry.这个国家的工业正蓬勃发展。
• Boom!Boom!Boom!A series of explosions shook the valley.轰！轰！轰！一连串爆破声震撼山谷。

6 hell   

n.地狱，阴间；用以咒骂或表示愤怒，不满

参考例句：

• It's a hell of a hike from Sydney to Perth.从悉尼到珀斯的徒步旅行简直苦死了。
• The boss really gave me hell today.老板今天着实数落了我一通。

7 pleas   

借口( plea的名词复数 )； （被告或被告律师的）抗辩； （法庭中的）理由； 请愿

参考例句：

• He sent her away without even listening to her pleas. 他甚至不肯听她的哀诉就把她遣走了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Shousheng came out and added his pleas to Mr. Lin's. 寿生也来了，帮着林先生说。 来自汉英文学 - 林家铺子