十月的一個(gè)刮大風(fēng)的日子，媽媽打電話(huà)到學(xué)校里告訴我外公死了。和外婆一樣，他也是患中風(fēng)死的。我這才明白，我和他在池塘釣魚(yú)的那天早晨，為何他解釋天鵝之死時(shí)顯得那么艱難。

　　the end of my sophomore year was approaching. mom called me at the dorm one muggy evening during the last week of may. my summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm. the arrangement made good sense to all the family. i wasn't fully convinced of that myself but figured it was just one summer. next year would be my little brother's turn。

　　大學(xué)二年級(jí)就快結(jié)束了。五月最后一個(gè)星期一個(gè)悶熱的晚上，母親打電話(huà)到我宿舍來(lái)，想讓我去外公外婆那兒度暑假，幫他們做做農(nóng)場(chǎng)的活。她說(shuō)這樣安排對(duì)全家都有好處。雖然我并不這樣認(rèn)為，但想想不過(guò)是一個(gè)夏天而已。 明年就該輪上我弟弟去了。

　　i packed my car after my last exam and said my good-byes until the fall. my friends would keep until then. most of them were going home for the summer any-way。

　　最后一場(chǎng)考試考完我將打好的行裝放進(jìn)車(chē)?yán)?，跟大家告別時(shí)說(shuō)秋天見(jiàn)。我的朋友們到那時(shí)才能見(jiàn)到，他們多數(shù)人也要回家過(guò)暑假。

　　the farm was about a three-hour drive from school. my grandparents were both in their 70s, and i knew they really needed the help around the farm. getting in the hay would be something grandpa couldn't do by himself. he also needed help with repairs to the barns and a host of other chores。

　　從學(xué)校到農(nóng)場(chǎng)開(kāi)車(chē)去約三個(gè)小時(shí)。 我的外公外婆都七十多歲了。我知道他們農(nóng)場(chǎng)確實(shí)也需要個(gè)幫手。 把干草收進(jìn)來(lái)外公一個(gè)人是干不了的。他也需要人幫他修理谷倉(cāng)以及干其他許多經(jīng)常要干的雜活。

　　i arrived late that afternoon. grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat. she doted over me entirely too much. i figured all the attention would taper off once she got used to having me around, but it didn't. grandpa wanted to bring me up to date on literally everything. by the time i settled in for bed that night, i'd decided things would be okay. after all, it was just for one summer。

　　那天下午我到得晚，外婆做了許多吃的，我們?nèi)烁揪统圆煌?。外婆疼我疼得過(guò)分了。我想等我呆久了，她習(xí)慣了，就不會(huì)這樣操心了，可情況并非如此。外公想讓我了解一切，什么都不漏地和我講。晚上到了睡覺(jué)的時(shí)候，我告訴自己一切都會(huì)很順利，不會(huì)有什么問(wèn)題。畢竟，只是一個(gè)夏天而已。

　　the next morning, grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us. he told me grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer. i made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while i was there. i was there to help, not be a burden。

　　第二天早晨，外公為我們倆準(zhǔn)備了早餐。 他對(duì)我說(shuō)外婆昨天累著了，今天要多睡一會(huì)兒。 我心里記住在這兒的日子里千萬(wàn)不要她再為我操勞了。我是來(lái)幫忙的，不是為他們?cè)黾迂?fù)擔(dān)的。

　　grandpa surprised me that morning. once we were out of the house, he seemed more in his own element. the farm was his domain. despite his age, there was confidence in the way he moved about the place. he didn't seem like the same person who had fallen asleep last night on the couch before the six o'clock news was finished. as we walked the pastures getting a close-up look at the livestock, grandpa seemed to know each cow. and there were nearly 200 of them!

　　那天上午，外公讓我吃了一驚。我們一離開(kāi)家，他看上去就頗為得意。農(nóng)場(chǎng)就是他的領(lǐng)地。盡管年紀(jì)大了，他走到哪兒都信心十足的樣子. 他好像完全換了一個(gè)人，不像昨晚那樣，六點(diǎn)鐘的新聞還沒(méi)有播完他就在躺椅上睡著了。我們走過(guò)牧場(chǎng)去查看放牧的牲畜，外公似乎認(rèn)得每一頭母牛。牧場(chǎng)的牲口差不多有二百頭呢！