I was just thinking the other day: Everyone I know in the country is weird. At least for my town, which has no stoplights and one main intersection, we are a little strange, I think. We don't get out much. We think running across the freeway is a thrill. I grew up playing in mud with frogs and snakes. Is that weird?
某天我在思索：我在乡村认识的每个人都很怪异。至少在我的镇上——那个没有红绿灯、没有一个主要交通枢纽的镇上，我认为我们都是有些奇怪的。我们不常出门，连穿越高速公路都让我们觉得激动人心。我是玩着泥巴、看着青蛙和蛇长大的，这样的我是不是很奇怪呢？
I feel like my friends and I have had a somewhat difficult time in mixing with others. I almost feel like if I had lived in the city, I might understand more about other types of people (as I've said before, I am the only Asian in my town, along with my brother) and how they think and interact. I feel at times that I am behind on a lot of things, including how to be cool.
我在与人交往时经历了一段艰难的时期，我（乡村）的朋友们也有这样的感受。我都快要觉得如果自己曾在城市生活的话，或许就能更好地理解其它类型的人（之前也提到过，我和我哥哥是我们镇上唯一的亚洲人），理解人们的所思所想以及交往方式。我常常会觉得我对大家习以为常的很多事情都不了解，包括如何扮酷。
I feel fortunate at the same time that I have grown up in a rural area. I would never trade in my memories of playing in a stream, climbing trees galore, swimming in the river, and hiking up hills for a breathtaking view... all within a half mile from my house. I sometimes feel sorry for my friends who were surrounded by asphalt, concrete, and power lines.
另一方面，我又觉得在乡村长大是一件很幸运的事。说什么我也不会换走我儿时的记忆，那些溪中游戏、攀爬大树、河里游泳、登高望远的美好时光。这些“游乐场所”统统都在离我家不到半英里的地方。有时我会为我那些被沥青、水泥和电线包围长大的朋友们感到悲哀。
I also think city life is much less healthy, what with all the waves radiating from wireless items like cell phones and Bluetooth, smog, gross water (tap water in the country is so much better than city tap, I can't even explain the difference), garbage... the country is so CLEAN. The sky is so expansive and the hills so extensive that I couldn't imagine such a thing as disease. The only people I know in my hometown with sicknesses smoke, color their hair, and eat too much aspartame. The people who grow their own vegetables and sit outside during the evenings are pretty healthy, as far as I can see.
我也认为城市生活没有乡村生活健康，城市里充满了手机、蓝牙之类的无线设备放射出的微波辐射，还有烟雾、劣质的水（城市里面水龙头里流出来的水也比乡村差太多，我都不知道要怎么描述它们的天壤之别了）、各种垃圾……相比之下乡村是如此干净。天空辽阔，山丘绵延，我不能想象在这里会有“疾病”这种东西存在。我所知道的镇上仅有的几个病人都是因为抽烟、染发、或者吃了太多的阿斯巴甜（属于一种代糖，经常使用在低糖饮料当中）。就我看到的而言，那些自己种菜自己吃、傍晚坐在屋外乘凉的人都很健康。
Work may be more difficult if you live in the country - things get pretty dirty, and there's probably more yardwork (we have a big yard with bushes and trees and roses and more). You also have to look out for mountain lions and coyotes where I live... though I guess you have to battle traffic and other such things in the city.
生活在乡村，工作或许会更艰难——有更多的农活，容易把自己搞得一身脏（我们有一个大院子，有灌木、树林、玫瑰花等等）。在我住的地方，你还需要小心山上的狮子和土狼……不过我想在城市生活的你也是需要同交通拥挤之类的事情搏斗。
There are so few people in the country, you can't help but get together sometimes, and we are so close to our neighbors - even our city neighbors with weekend homes - that it's hard to believe.
乡村里人口非常稀少，所以你时常忍不住要同人聚聚，邻里之间亲密无比。也许你很难相信，我们同那些在这里买了房、为了周末来度假的城里人都很亲密。
There are some fascinating structures in Urbania - beautiful buildings, great shows and parades, and breathtaking lights and signs. I envy the diversity as well, in every aspect from ethnicity and culture, sexual orientation, political views, and more. It's also nice how much people have in common where I live, though.
在乌尔班纳（这样的城市里）有很多迷人的建筑——美丽的楼房、精彩的展览、热闹的游行、还有炫目的灯光和告示牌。我也嫉妒城市文化的丰富多彩，从种族、文化、性取向、政治观点、到其他各个方面。不过我们那里人的世界观有很多相同之处，这样也很好。（乌尔班纳：美国伊利诺伊州城市名）
I do like that I can set my own pace while living in the country. In the city, it seems like you're on a zillion schedules, and you have to depend on traffic, coworkers, prices... city life is too fast sometimes, but that can be exciting in a good way, too.
在乡村我可以跟着自己的节奏走，我很喜欢这一点。在城市，人们似乎有数不清的事情要做，而且还得看交通状况、同事关系、价格涨跌等等因素的脸色来生活。有时候，城市生活的节奏太快；不过这样也很刺激，也有好的一面。
There are pros and cons of city and country life. Please tell me some of your own benefits and/or disadvantages you may know of!
在城市生活和在乡村生活各有各的优缺点。请告诉我你认为它们各有哪些好处或坏处吧。