最孤独的小镇（人口：1）：英语精读讲义

Although the USA has evolved into an overwhelmingly metropolitan nation over the last few decades, 語法

尽管在过去的几十年里，美国已逐渐演变成一个高度大都市化的国家，

just over half of the country's population,

但该国刚刚超过一半的人口，

according to year 2000 statistics,

根据2000年的统计数据，

still live in towns and cities with fewer than 25,000 people.

仍然居住在人口少于25,000人的城镇中。

The country is still made up of many small towns, 短語動詞

这个国家仍然由许多小镇组成，

some of which have low dwindling populations.

其中一些小镇的人口正在不断减少。

There's one town in the states

美国有这么一个小镇，

where you could double the population just by showing up. 語法

只要你出现在那里，人口就能翻倍。

It has a pub,

镇上有一家酒馆，

a library,

一家图书馆，

and one resident who takes care of the passing trade. 用詞

以及唯一一位接待过往客商的居民。

There's another town with a population of just two.

还有一个人口只有两人的小镇。

And of course,

当然，

there are the many ghost towns scattered across the country

全国各地还散布着许多鬼镇，

with populations of zero.

人口数量为零。

The one single resident in the town with the tiniest population

那个在这个人口最少的小镇里唯一的居民，

is sticking to her roots. 習語

仍然坚守着她的故土。

Let's meet her in today's infographic show

在今天的信息图表节目中，让我们来认识一下她，

as we bring to you

我们将为您介绍

the town with a population of one.

这个人口仅为一人的小镇。

Monowi is an incorporated village in Boyd County, 文化背景

Monowi 是位于 Boyd County 的一个建制村庄，

Nebraska,

位于 Nebraska 州，

United States

美国，

that had on its 2010 census

在2010年的人口普查中，

a population of just one person.

这里的人口只有一人。

The town was founded in 1902

该镇建于1902年，

when the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad

当时 Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad

reached this location.

修建到了这里。

A post office was built and remained in service until 1967. 短語搭配

这里曾建了一座邮局，并一直服务到1967年。

Peak years were in the 1930s

最鼎盛的时期是在20世纪30年代，

when the population spiked to a healthy 150 people, 短語搭配

当时人口飙升至健康的150人，

had three grocery stores,

镇上有三家杂货店，

a restaurant, and even boasted a prison. 用詞

一家餐厅，甚至还拥有一座监狱。

However,

然而，

like many smaller communities in the Great Plains,

就像大平原上的许多较小社区一样，

the younger generations immigrated to cities

年轻一代纷纷移民到了

offering better employment opportunities.

能提供更好就业机会的城市。

In the year 2000 census,

在2000年的人口普查中，

the town had a population of two people,

该镇的人口为两人，

the married couple Rudy and Elsie Eiler,

即 Rudy 和 Elsie Eiler 夫妇，

who met at elementary school and married aged 19.

他们在小学相识，并在19岁时结婚。

Rudy, who had served in the Korean War,

曾服役于朝鲜战争的 Rudy，

died in 2004,

于2004年去世，

leaving his wife as the only resident in town. 語法

留下他的妻子成为镇上唯一的居民。

She runs a bar and a library.

她经营着一家酒吧和一家图书馆。

"When I applied to the state for my liquor and tobacco licenses each year,

"每年当我向州里申请酒类和烟草许可证时，

they send them to the secretary of the village,

他们会把许可证寄给村里的书记员，

which is me,"

也就是我，"

Elsie told the BBC.

Elsie 告诉 BBC。

"So I get them as the secretary, 文化背景

"所以我以书记员的身份接收它们，

sign them as the clerk,

以职员的身份在上面签字，

and give them to myself as the bar owner.

然后作为酒吧老板把它们发给我自己。

I'm happy here.

我在这里很开心。

I grew up here.

我在这里长大。

I'm used to this," 語法

我已经习惯了这一切，"

and I know what I want,

我也知道我想要什么，

she added.

她补充道。

She has appointed herself mayor with her own liquor license 短語搭配

她用自己的酒牌任命自己为市长，

and pays her taxes to herself

向自己缴税，

and is the town's chief in every way.

并在各方面都是这个镇的主管。

She submits plans to the state to secure funding for the town's four street lights. 短語搭配

她向州里提交计划，为镇上的四盏路灯争取资金。

She runs the Monowi Tavern,

她经营着 Monowi Tavern，

the town's only pub,

这是镇上唯一的酒馆，

and looks after any passing trade. 短語動詞

并照料着过往的客商。

She also runs the 5,000 plus volume Rudy's Library.

她还管理着藏书超过5,000册的 Rudy's Library。

The library was opened in honor of her late husband, 講解

这家图书馆是为了纪念她已故的丈夫而开的，

who, like herself,

她丈夫和她一样，

was a confirmed bibliophile. 用詞

是一个彻头彻尾的藏书家。

But Eiler hasn't spent her entire life in Monowi.

但 Eiler 并非一生都在 Monowi 度过。

When her husband packed his kit bag and went off to fight in the Korean War, 短語動詞

当她丈夫收拾好行囊去参加朝鲜战争时，

Eiler traveled to Denver,

Eiler 去了 Denver，

where she worked for an airline.

在那里她为一家航空公司工作。

She had dreams of becoming an air stewardess. 講解

她曾梦想成为一名空姐。

That occupation would have naturally opened up the doors to worldwide travel, 習語

这个职业自然会为她打开周游世界的大门，

but instead Eiler became just one of the many citizens who left the town for the city.

但相反，Eiler 成为了众多离开小镇前往城市谋生的市民之一。

She eventually returned.

她最终还是回来了。

"I didn't care much for the city. 語氣意圖

"我不太喜欢城市。

Monowi has always been home,"

Monowi 一直是我的家，"

Eiler and Rudy raised two children in town,

Eiler 和 Rudy 在镇上抚养了两个孩子，

and in 1971 decided to reopen the pub that had once belonged to Eiler's father.

并在1971年决定重新开张那家曾属于 Eiler 父亲的酒馆。

But by the mid-1970s,

但到了20世纪70年代中期，

the town, like many other Midwestern towns after World War II,

和二战后许多其他中西部小镇一样，

was in the midst of an economic slump. 短語搭配

该镇也陷入了经济衰退。

A number of communities in the heartland of the USA 文化背景

美国中心地带的许多社区

had begun to disappear,

开始逐渐消失，

and Monowi looked like it was set to follow the trend. 短語搭配

而 Monowi 似乎也注定要步其后尘。

The town's school rang its bell for the last time in 1974, 習語

镇上的学校在1974年敲响了最后一次上课铃，

and by this time both Eiler and Rudy's children had moved away from town.

此时 Eiler 和 Rudy 的孩子都已搬离了小镇。

By 1980,

到了1980年，

the population stood at just 18 people. 短語搭配

这里的人口仅剩18人。

Now it's just Eiler and her pub.

现在只剩下 Eiler 和她的酒馆了。

She opens the tavern six days a week at 9:00 a.m.

她每周六天在上午9点开门营业，

and spends 12 hours serving her regular customers who have been dropping by for years. 講解

每天花12个小时为那些多年来一直光顾的常客服务。

"It's like one big family,"

"这就像一个大家庭，"

Eiler explained.

Eiler 解释道。

"There are fourth and fifth generation customers coming in.

"有第四代甚至第五代的顾客光临。

It's pretty neat when the people you remember as babies 講解

当你记忆中的那些婴儿

are now bringing their babies in to show me."

现在带着他们的宝宝来给我看时，感觉真的很奇妙。"

Many of the passing customers are tourists who travel from all over the world

许多路过的顾客都是来自世界各地的游客，

to take a look at the USA's smallest town,

他们专门来这里看看美国最小的镇，

perhaps grab a beer at the tavern,

也许会在酒馆里喝杯啤酒，

and sign the guestbook.

并在留言簿上签名。

Eiler has become used to life here.

Eiler 已经习惯了这里的生活。

She has five grandkids,

她有五个孙辈，

some of whom live as far away as the Netherlands, 語法

有些住在远至荷兰的地方，

and some live closer to home in Ponca, Nebraska.

有些则住在离家较近的 Nebraska 州的 Ponca。

"I know I could always move closer to my children

"我知道我随时都可以搬到离孩子们更近的地方，

or stay with them whenever I want,

或者想什么时候跟他们住在一起都可以，

but then I'd have to make all new friends again,"

但那样我就得重新交新朋友了，"

Eiler explained.

Eiler 解释道。

"As long as I'm able to be here, 語法

"只要我还能待在这里，

this is where I really want to be."

这里就是我真正想待的地方。"

Before Rudy passed away,

在 Rudy 去世之前，

Monowi was neck and neck with the nearby Gross, 習語

Monowi 和附近的 Gross

Nebraska.

（位于 Nebraska 州）不相上下。

Both towns had a population of two,

这两个镇的人口都是两人，

making those towns both joint leaders in the USA's least populated town.

使它们并列成为美国人口最少的镇。

Gross, a misleading town name, 習語

Gross，一个容易引起误解的镇名，

had a population of two in the 2010 census.

在2010年的人口普查中人口为两人。

Established in 1893 by Ben Gross and his wife,

该镇由 Ben Gross 和他的妻子于1893年建立，

the couple opened a general store in anticipation of a railroad that was to be constructed. 講解

这对夫妇开了一家杂货店，期待着一条即将修建的铁路。

So Gross started off as a town of two 短語動詞

所以 Gross 一开始就是一个只有两人的小镇，

and dropped back down to that number in the 2010 census 短語動詞

并在经历了20世纪初的繁荣期后，

following a boom period in the early 20th century.

在2010年的人口普查中又回落到了这个数字。

10 years after the town was established in 1904,

在1904年该镇建立10年之后，

a bustling town had developed

一个熙熙攘攘的小镇曾发展起来，

and Gross had a handful of businesses, 習語

Gross 拥有少数几家企业、

a church, some factories, and over 600 residents.

一座教堂、一些工厂和600多名居民。

However, once the rail traffic decided to bypass Gross,

然而，一旦铁路交通决定绕过 Gross，

the people began to leave town.

人们就开始离开小镇。

A great fire then tore through town, 短語動詞

随后一场大火席卷了该镇，

destroying most of the businesses,

摧毁了大部分企业，

and by 1970 only eight residents remained.

到了1970年，只剩下八名居民。

Nowadays,

如今，

married couple Mike and Mary Finnegan are the only two residents of Gross,

Mike 和 Mary Finnegan 夫妇是 Gross 仅有的两名居民，

and like Eiler in Monowi,

就像 Monowi 的 Eiler 一样，

they run a restaurant and a bar,

他们经营着一家餐厅兼酒吧，

the Nebraska Inn,

名叫 Nebraska Inn，

which has a following of over 2,000 Facebook followers,

它在 Facebook 上拥有超过2,000名粉丝，

more than triple the population of Gross, 語法

这比 Gross 镇

Nebraska, at its peak.

（位于 Nebraska 州）在巅峰时期的人口还要多出三倍多。

But both Monowi and Gross have some competition

但在争夺美国最无人居住小镇的头衔时，

when it comes to the USA's most uninhabited towns. 短語搭配

Monowi 和 Gross 都有一些竞争对手。

Picher, in Oklahoma,

位于 Oklahoma 州的 Picher，

has earned the dubious title 短語搭配

获得了一个不光彩的头衔，

of being the most toxic place in the United States.

即美国毒性最强的地方。

Once the most productive lead and zinc mining town in the world,

它曾是世界上产量最高的铅锌矿镇，

it's now pretty much a hazardous zone of abandoned buildings and mining waste products. 語氣意圖

现在几乎成了一个布满废弃建筑和采矿废料的危险地带。

Lead pollution has become a serious problem here.

铅污染在这里已成为一个严重问题。

Contaminated water from the mines infected the town and the townspeople developed outbreaks of cancer.

矿井中受污染的水感染了小镇，镇民们癌症频发。

The high school,

高中、

city hall,

市政厅，

and post office all pulled down their shutters in 2009. 習語

以及邮局都在2009年拉下了卷帘门。

The one remaining resident died in 2015,

最后一名剩下的居民于2015年去世，

and now Picher is officially a ghost town.

现在 Picher 已正式成为一座鬼镇。

But Picher is not alone.

但 Picher 并不孤单。

There are hundreds of ghost towns across the USA.

全美国有数百座鬼镇。

Most of these towns are built around mines that have been exhausted of the resources. 短語動詞

这些城镇大多数是围绕着资源已被耗尽的矿山建造的。

People go where the money is, 習語

人们总是去有钱可赚的地方，

apart from Eiler of Monowi, 短語搭配

除了 Monowi 的 Eiler，

who is quite happy being the town's only resident.

她很高兴能成为镇上唯一的居民。

So what's the least populated place you've traveled to?

那么你所去过的人口最少的地方是哪里呢？

Ever been to a ghost town?

你曾经去过鬼镇吗？

Let us know in the comments.

请在评论区告诉我们。

Also,

此外，

be sure to watch our other video called

一定要看看我们的另一个视频，名为

What happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

《马来西亚航空370航班发生了什么事》。

Thanks for watching,

感谢您的观看，

and as always,

像往常一样，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

不要忘记点赞、分享和订阅。

And as ever,

一如既往，

see you next time.

我们下期再见。