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My husband and I just got back from a week's vacation in West Virginia. Of course, we couldn't wait to get there, so we took the Pennsylvania Turnpike and a couple of interstates. "Look at those gorgeous farms!" my husband exclaimed as pastoral scenery slid by us at 55 mph. "Did you see those cows?" But at 55 mph, it's difficult to see anything; the gorgeous farms look like moving green checkerboards, and the herd of cows is reduced to a few dots in the rear-view mirror. For four hours, our only real amusement consisted of counting exit signs and wondering what it would feel like to hold still again. Getting there certainly didn't seem like half the fun; in fact, getting there wasn't any fun at all. So, when it was time to return to our home outside of Philadelphia, I insisted that we take a different route. "Let's explore that countryside," I suggested.

The two days it took us to make the return trip were filled with new experiences. We toured a Civil War battlefield and stood on the little hill that fifteen thousand Confederate soldiers had tried to take on another hot July afternoon, one hundred and twenty-five years ago, not knowing that half of them would get killed in the vain attempt. We drove slowly through main streets of sleepy Pennsylvania Dutch towns, slowing to twenty miles an hour so as not to crowd the horses and horse carriages on their way to market. We admired toy trains and antique cars in county museums and saved 70 percent in factory outlets. We stuffed ourselves with spicy salads and homemade bread in an "all-you-can-eat" farmhouse restaurant, then wandered outside to enjoy the sunshine and the herds of cows — no little dots this time — lying in it. And we returned home refreshed, revitalized, and reeducated. This time, getting there had been the fun.

Why is it that the featureless turnpikes and interstates are the routes of choice for so many of us? Why doesn't everybody try slowing down and exploring the countryside? But more and more, the fast lane seems to be the only way for us to go. In fact, most Americans are constantly in a hurry — and not just to get from Point A to Point B. Our country has become a nation in search of the quick fix — in more ways than one.

Now instead of later: Once upon a time, Americans understood the principle of deferred gratification. We put a little of each paycheck away "for a rainy day". If we wanted a new sofa or a week at a lakeside cabin, we saved up for it, and the banks helped us out by providing special Christmas Club and Vacation Club accounts. If we lived in the right part of the country, we planted corn and beans and waited patiently for the harvest. If we wanted to be thinner, we simply ate less of our favorite foods and waited patiently for the scale to drop, a pound at a time. But today we aren't so patient. We take out loans instead of making deposits, or we use our credit card to get that furniture or vacation trip — relax now, pay later. We buy our food, like our clothing, ready-made and off the rack. And if we're in a hurry to lose weight, we try the latest miracle diet, guaranteed to take away ten pounds in ten days... unless we're rich enough to afford liposuction.

参考译文

我和丈夫在西弗吉尼亚度过一周的假期后回来。当然，我们迫不及待地想要到那儿，因此我们走了宾夕法尼亚州的收费高速路和几条州际公路。“看那些绚丽的农场！”当田园风光以每小时55英里的速度从我们身旁滑过时，丈夫惊叫道。“你看见那些奶牛了吗？”但是以每小时55英里的速度前行，我们很难看清任何事物；在后视镜里，绚丽的农场看起来像移动的绿色棋盘，成群的奶牛也缩小成一些圆点。4小时候里，我们唯一的娱乐活动就是数高速公路的出口标志，想象车再次停住时我们会有什么感受。当然，在旅途中我们享受到的乐趣连想象中的一般也没有；事实上，旅途中一点乐趣也没有。

因此，当我们要回费城外的家时，我坚持要走不同的路线。“让我们欣赏下乡间风景吧，”我建议。两天的回程充满了新鲜的经历。我们参观了内战时的一个战场，站在一座小山上。125年前，也是一个炎热的7月下午，一万五千名南部邦联的士兵浴血奋战意欲图之，不曾想到他们当中半数的人会在徒劳的尝试中牺牲。为了不堵住马匹和马车通往市场的路，我们的车子以20英里的时速缓慢地驶过宾夕法尼亚州安静的高德城主干道。我们非常喜欢在县博物馆展示的玩具火车和老旧款式的车，而且我们去工厂的经销店里买省下了70%的钱。在一家自助农家餐馆里，我们吃辣味沙拉和家庭制作的面包，吃得饱饱的；然后在外面闲逛，享受着阳光，欣赏着沐浴在阳光下的牛群--这次可不再是小圆点。我们回到家，感到精力充沛，活力焕发，对这次旅途有了新的认识。这次旅途中快乐极了。

为什么我们大多数人都选择这种毫无特色的收费高速公路和州际公路呢？每个人为什么不试着放慢速度来欣赏一下乡村风景呢？但逐渐地，快车道似乎成为我们唯一走的路。事实上，多数美国人总是匆匆忙忙--并不仅仅是从A点到达B点。我们的国家已经成为了追求快节奏的国家，方式不一而足。

不等将来，只求现在：很久以前，美国人懂得满足迟来的原则。我们会从每个月的收入中抽取一部分攒起来，以备不时之需。如果我们想要个沙发或去湖边的小屋度一星期的假，我们会为此攒钱，而且银行也会提供给我们特别的圣诞俱乐部和度假俱乐部的储蓄账户来帮助我们；如果我们居住的地方条件允许的话，我们会种植玉米和大豆，耐心地等待丰收；如果我们要减肥，我们只是减少我们偏爱的食物的摄取量，不急不躁地等待体重秤一次低一个格。但是，今天我们不再有耐心。我们贷款而不是攒钱，或者我们用信用卡去买家具、度假旅行--先消费，再付钱；我们像买衣服一样从货架上购买现成的食物；如果我们急于减肥，我们会尝试最新的奇效减肥药，保证在10天内减掉10磅...如果有足够的钱，就去做吸脂手术。

词汇释义

1.gorgeous adj.华丽的, 豪华的, 辉煌的

例句：

The weather has been gorgeous.
天气好极了。

2.pastoral n. 牧歌, 田园诗 a. 牧人的, 田园生活的, 牧师的, 田园式的

例句：

This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture.
这充满诗意的田园景色只是画面的一角。

3.stuff n. 材料,原料,东西 v. 填满,塞满

例句：

He stuffed the apples into the bag.
他把苹果塞进袋子里。

4.gratification n. 满足,喜悦

例句：

He got gratification when he knew his plans have been realized.
当得知他的计划已经实现后，他变得很满足。

5.deposit n. 存款,定金,堆积物

例句：

He deposits a sum of money in the bank each month.
他每月在银行存一笔钱。

6.liposuction 吸脂术

短语解释
1.reduce sth. to 减少到...，缩小

例句：

The plage reduced the population to half its previous level.

瘟疫使人口减少到以前人口的一半。

2.take a (different) route 走（不同）路线

例句：

The car took the shortest route.

汽车抄一条捷径。

3.stuff sb. with 使吃饱，吃足

例句：

The children have been stuffing themselves with cakes all morning.

孩子们整个上午都在吃蛋糕，都吃饱了。