新概念文化大爆炸:城市VS鄉村 哪種生活更美好?

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：我在鄉村認識的每個人都很怪異。至少在我的鎮上——那個沒有紅綠燈、沒有一個主要交通樞紐的鎮上，我認爲我們都是有些奇怪的。我們不常出門，連穿越高速公路都讓我們覺得激動人心。我是玩着泥巴、看着青蛙和蛇長大的，這樣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.

我在與人交往時經歷了一段艱難的時期，我（鄉村）的朋友們也有這樣的感受。我都快要覺得如果自己曾在城市生活的話，或許就能更好地理解其它類型的人（之前也提到過，我和我哥哥是我們鎮上唯一的亞洲人），理解人們的所思所想以及交往方式。我常常會覺得我對大家習以爲常的很多事情都不瞭解，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，我又覺得在鄉村長大是一件很幸運的事。說什麼我也不會換走我兒時的記憶，那些溪中游戲、攀爬大樹、河裏游泳、登高望遠的美好時光。這些“遊樂場所”統統都在離我家不到半英里的地方。有時我會爲我那些被瀝青、水泥和電線包圍長大的朋友們感到悲哀。

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.

我也認爲城市生活沒有鄉村生活健康，城市裏充滿了手機、藍牙之類的無線設備放射出的微波輻射，還有煙霧、劣質的水（城市裏面水龍頭裏流出來的水也比鄉村差太多，我都不知道要怎麼描述它們的天壤之別了）、各種垃圾……相比之下鄉村是如此乾淨。天空遼闊，山丘綿延，我不能想象在這裏會有“疾病”這種東西存在。我所知道的鎮上僅有的幾個病人都是因爲抽菸、染髮、或者吃了太多的阿斯巴甜（屬於一種代糖，經常使用在低糖飲料當中）。就我看到的而言，那些自己種菜自己吃、傍晚坐在屋外乘涼的人都很健康。

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.

生活在鄉村，工作或許會更艱難——有更多的農活，容易把自己搞得一身髒（我們有一個大院子，有灌木、樹林、玫瑰花等等）。在我住的地方，你還需要小心山上的獅子和土狼……不過我想在城市生活的你也是需要同交通擁擠之類的事情搏鬥。

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.

鄉村裏人口非常稀少，所以你時常忍不住要同人聚聚，鄰里之間親密無比。也許你很難相信，我們同那些在這裏買了房、爲了週末來度假的城裏人都很親密。

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.

在烏爾班納（這樣的城市裏）有很多迷人的建築——美麗的樓房、精彩的展覽、熱鬧的遊行、還有炫目的燈光和告示牌。我也嫉妒城市文化的豐富多彩，從種族、文化、性取向、政治觀點、到其他各個方面。不過我們那裏人的世界觀有很多相同之處，這樣也很好。（烏爾班納：美國伊利諾伊州城市名）

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.

在鄉村我可以跟着自己的節奏走，我很喜歡這一點。在城市，人們似乎有數不清的事情要做，而且還得看交通狀況、同事關係、價格漲跌等等因素的臉色來生活。有時候，城市生活的節奏太快；不過這樣也很刺激，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!

在城市生活和在鄉村生活各有各的優缺點。請告訴我你認爲它們各有哪些好處或壞處吧。