正文

A farmer being on the point of death, and wishing to show his sons the way to success in farming, called them to him,

一个农夫快死了，他希望教给儿子们怎么才能把地种好。农夫把他们叫来

and said, “My children, I am now departing from this life, but all that I have to leave you, you will find in the vineyard（葡萄园）.”

说道：“孩子们，眼看我就要离开人世了，我要留给你们的东西，你们得去葡萄园里找。”

The sons, supposing that he referred to some hidden treasure, as soon as the old man was dead, set to work with their spades and ploughs（犁） and every implement that was at hand, and turned up the soil over and over again.

儿子们估摸着父亲说的东西应该是他藏起来的财宝。老人刚闭眼，他们就拿着铁锹啊犁啊还有手头所有的工具，把土地里里外外翻了个遍。

They found indeed no treasure; but the vines, strengthened and improved by this thorough tillage（耕作）, yielded（生产） a finer vintage than they had ever yielded before, and more than repaid the young husbandmen for all their trouble. So truly is industry in itself a treasure.
他们根本没找到财宝。而土地经过这么细致彻底的耕耘，葡萄藤长得又壮又高，结出前所未有的好葡萄。兄弟们总算没有白白辛苦。所以呢，勤劳本身就是财宝。

生词

implement [ˈɪmplɪmənt] n.工具

vine [vaɪn] n.葡萄藤

tillage [ˈtɪlɪdʒ] n.耕耘

husbandman [ˈhʌzbəndmən] n.农夫

金句回放：“So truly is industry in itself a treasure.”(勤劳本身就是财宝。)

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