2007年VOA标准英语-Living the Simple Life

By Liu Enming
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
19 July 2007
 

Not far from the hustle¹ and bustle² of city life live the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These deeply religious people shun³ the conveniences of modern society to live a simpler life where transportation is a horse and buggy and horsepower really means horsepower. For producer Liu Enming, VOA's Elaine Lu offers a closer look at the Amish of Lancaster County.

An Amish horse and buggy seen from a passing car

"Welcome to the Amish Farm and House. My name is Eric. I will be giving you a brief tour about who the Amish are, their lifestyle, their clothing, why they do the things they do. Right now you are at the Amish Farm and House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We are the first Amish home open to the public; we opened in 1955," says Eric Conner, the marketing⁴ director of the Amish House and Farm. He says the Amish people choose to live a simple life based on their religious beliefs.

"They came from Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland. In 1693 they were a persecuted⁵ religious group, Because of their persecution⁶, they were forced to meet in homes, meet in basements, and meet in caves for their church services. So when they came to America, they wanted to keep using their homes as their church buildings."

The Amish are very devout⁷ and take seriously the biblical commands to separate themselves from the things of the world including electricity. Power comes from propane, kerosene⁸, wood, coal, or natural gas

Eric Conner holds an Amish dress

Their simple life is even reflected in their plain clothes. In the picture on the left, Conner explains the dress inside this Amish girl's room. "This is not only a church dress. It's also her wedding dress. At the wedding is the last time she wears the white. After the ceremony is over, she comes up to her room, takes off the cape⁹ and apron¹⁰, saves them for the rest of her life. Because the next time she is wearing them, she is wearing these two pieces in a coffin¹¹."

Conner says, in the Amish community, hats tell men apart from boys.  "Here is a teenager's hat. You know he is a teenager by the flatness of the hat and also the ridge¹² around the top. This means he is in this what they call the running-around period, meaning they can date, they can choose whether to become an Amish or not. Becoming Amish is voluntary, it's not mandatory¹³."

As the world around the peaceful farmland changes, so have some of the traditions of the Amish. Lester Hoover, a tour guide at the farm, says transportation is no longer limited to horse-drawn buggies.  "There is a division among the Amish over the automobile¹⁴. One group got automobiles¹⁵, another group kept the horse and buggy. we just simply name them old order -- drive the horse and buggy, and the new order -- drive the automobiles. They have electric, they have meeting houses and they don't have green shades."

But many traditions remain. Amish children attend one-room schoolhouses through grade eight and farming is the mainstay of Amish life. Hoover says there are normally two horses on a farm for buggies. Several mules¹⁶ are kept for farming. Milking is one of the most important sources of income on the farm.

Many Amish leaders believe their separation from the outside world strengthens their community. And that community is thriving. Despite what many on the outside would describe as a backwards¹⁷ lifestyle, the Amish population in Lancaster County has almost tripled over the past half century.

1 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

2 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

3 shun   

vt.避开，回避，避免

参考例句：

• Materialists face truth,whereas idealists shun it.唯物主义者面向真理，唯心主义者则逃避真理。
• This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics.这个极端主义组织有意避开了传统政治。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

6 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

7 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

8 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

9 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

10 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

11 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

12 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

13 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

14 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

15 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 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。

17 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。