最孤獨的小鎮（人口：1）：英語精讀講義

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

儘管在過去的幾十年裡，美國已逐漸演變成一個高度大都會化的國家，

just over half of the country's population,

但該國剛剛超過一半的人口，

according to year 2000 statistics,

根據2000年的統計數據，

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

仍然居住在人口少於25,000人的城鎮中。

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

這個國家仍然由許多小鎮組成，

some of which have low dwindling populations.

其中一些小鎮的人口正在不斷減少。

There's one town in the states

美國有這麼一個小鎮，

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

只要你出現在那裡，人口就能翻倍。

It has a pub,

鎮上有一家酒吧，

a library,

一家圖書館，

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

以及唯一一位接待過往客商的居民。

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

還有一個人口只有兩人的小鎮。

And of course,

當然，

there are the many ghost towns scattered across the country

全國各地還散布著許多鬼鎮，

with populations of zero.

人口數量為零。

The one single resident in the town with the tiniest population

那個在這個人口最少的小鎮裡唯一的居民，

is sticking to her roots. 慣用語

仍然堅守著她的故土。

Let's meet her in today's infographic show

在今天的資訊圖表節目中，讓我們來認識一下她，

as we bring to you

我們將為您介紹

the town with a population of one.

這個人口僅為一人之小鎮。

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

Monowi 是位於 Boyd County 的一個建制村落，

Nebraska,

位於 Nebraska 州，

United States

美國，

that had on its 2010 census

在2010年的人口普查中，

a population of just one person.

這裡的人口只有一人。

The town was founded in 1902

該鎮建於1902年，

when the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad

當時 Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad

reached this location.

修建到了這裡。

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

這裡曾建了一座郵局，並一直服務到1967年。

Peak years were in the 1930s

最鼎盛的時期是在20世紀30年代，

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

當時人口飆升至健康的150人，

had three grocery stores,

鎮上有三家雜貨店，

a restaurant, and even boasted a prison. 用詞

一家餐廳，甚至還擁有一座監獄。

However,

然而，

like many smaller communities in the Great Plains,

就像大平原上的許多較小社區一樣，

the younger generations immigrated to cities

年輕一代紛紛移民到了

offering better employment opportunities.

能提供更好就業機會的城市。

In the year 2000 census,

在2000年的人口普查中，

the town had a population of two people,

該鎮的人口為兩人，

the married couple Rudy and Elsie Eiler,

即 Rudy 和 Elsie Eiler 夫婦，

who met at elementary school and married aged 19.

他們在小學相識，並在19歲時結婚。

Rudy, who had served in the Korean War,

曾服役於韓戰的 Rudy，

died in 2004,

於2004年去世，

leaving his wife as the only resident in town. 文法

留下他的妻子成為鎮上唯一的居民。

She runs a bar and a library.

她經營著一家酒吧和一家圖書館。

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

"每年當我向州政府申請酒類和菸草許可證時，

they send them to the secretary of the village,

他們會把許可證寄給村裡的書記員，

which is me,"

也就是我，"

Elsie told the BBC.

Elsie 告訴 BBC。

"So I get them as the secretary, 文化背景

"所以我以書記員的身份接收它們，

sign them as the clerk,

以職員的身份在上面簽字，

and give them to myself as the bar owner.

然後作為酒吧老闆把它們發給我自己。

I'm happy here.

我在這裡很開心。

I grew up here.

我在這裡長大。

I'm used to this," 文法

我已經習慣了這一切，"

and I know what I want,

我也知道我想要什麼，

she added.

她補充道。

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

她用自己的酒牌任命自己為市長，

and pays her taxes to herself

向自己繳稅，

and is the town's chief in every way.

並在各方面都是這個鎮的主管。

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

她向州政府提交計畫，為鎮上的四盞路燈爭取資金。

She runs the Monowi Tavern,

她經營著 Monowi Tavern，

the town's only pub,

這是鎮上唯一的酒吧，

and looks after any passing trade. 片語動詞

並照料著過往的客商。

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

她還管理著藏書超過5,000冊的 Rudy's Library。

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

這家圖書館是為了紀念她已故的丈夫而開的，

who, like herself,

她丈夫和她一樣，

was a confirmed bibliophile. 用詞

是一個徹頭徹尾的愛書人。

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

但 Eiler 並非一生都在 Monowi 度過。

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

當她丈夫收拾好行囊去參加韓戰時，

Eiler traveled to Denver,

Eiler 去了 Denver，

where she worked for an airline.

在那裡她為一家航空公司工作。

She had dreams of becoming an air stewardess. 講解

她曾夢想成為一名空服員。

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

這個職業自然會為她打開周遊世界的大門，

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

但相反，Eiler 成為了眾多離開小鎮前往城市謀生的市民之一。

She eventually returned.

她最終還是回來了。

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

"我不太喜歡城市。

Monowi has always been home,"

Monowi 一直是我的家，"

Eiler and Rudy raised two children in town,

Eiler 和 Rudy 在鎮上撫養了兩個孩子，

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

並在1971年決定重新開張那家曾屬於 Eiler 父親的酒吧。

But by the mid-1970s,

但到了20世紀70年代中期，

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

和二戰後許多其他中西部小鎮一樣，

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

該鎮也陷入了經濟衰退。

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

美國中心地帶的許多社區

had begun to disappear,

開始逐漸消失，

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

而 Monowi 似乎也註定要步其後塵。

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

鎮上的學校在1974年敲響了最後一次上課鐘，

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

此時 Eiler 和 Rudy 的孩子都已搬離了小鎮。

By 1980,

到了1980年，

the population stood at just 18 people. 片語搭配

這裡的人口僅剩18人。

Now it's just Eiler and her pub.

現在只剩下 Eiler 和她的酒吧了。

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

她每週六天在上午9點開門營業，

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

每天花12個小時為那些多年來一直光顧的常客服務。

"It's like one big family,"

"這就像一個大家庭，"

Eiler explained.

Eiler 解釋道。

"There are fourth and fifth generation customers coming in.

"有第四代甚至第五代的顧客光臨。

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

當你記憶中的那些嬰兒

are now bringing their babies in to show me."

現在帶著他們的寶寶來給我看時，感覺真的很奇妙。"

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

許多路過的顧客都是來自世界各地的遊客，

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

他們專門來這裡看看美國最小的鎮，

perhaps grab a beer at the tavern,

也許會在酒吧裡喝杯啤酒，

and sign the guestbook.

並在留言簿上簽名。

Eiler has become used to life here.

Eiler 已經習慣了這裡的生活。

She has five grandkids,

她有五個孫輩，

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

有些住在遠至荷蘭的地方，

and some live closer to home in Ponca, Nebraska.

有些則住在離家較近的 Nebraska 州的 Ponca。

"I know I could always move closer to my children

"我知道我隨時都可以搬到離孩子們更近的地方，

or stay with them whenever I want,

或者想什麼時候跟他們住在一起都可以，

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

但那樣我就得重新交新朋友了，"

Eiler explained.

Eiler 解釋道。

"As long as I'm able to be here, 文法

"只要我還能待在這裡，

this is where I really want to be."

這裡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, 慣用語

Monowi 和附近的 Gross

Nebraska.

（位於 Nebraska 州）不相上下。

Both towns had a population of two,

這兩個鎮的人口都是兩人，

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

使它們並列成為美國人口最少的鎮。

Gross, a misleading town name, 慣用語

Gross，一個容易引起誤解的鎮名，

had a population of two in the 2010 census.

在2010年的人口普查中人口為兩人。

Established in 1893 by Ben Gross and his wife,

該鎮由 Ben Gross 和他的妻子於1893年建立，

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

這對夫婦開了一家雜貨店，期待著一條即將修建的鐵路。

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

所以 Gross 一開始就是一個只有兩人的小鎮，

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

並在經歷了20世紀初的繁榮期後，

following a boom period in the early 20th century.

在2010年的人口普查中又回落到了這個數字。

10 years after the town was established in 1904,

在1904年該鎮建立10年之後，

a bustling town had developed

一個熙熙攘攘的小鎮曾發展起來，

and Gross had a handful of businesses, 慣用語

Gross 擁有少數幾家企業、

a church, some factories, and over 600 residents.

一座教堂、一些工廠和600多名居民。

However, once the rail traffic decided to bypass Gross,

然而，一旦鐵路交通決定繞過 Gross，

the people began to leave town.

人們就開始離開小鎮。

A great fire then tore through town, 片語動詞

隨後一場大火席捲了該鎮，

destroying most of the businesses,

摧毀了大部分企業，

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 夫婦是 Gross 僅有的兩名居民，

and like Eiler in Monowi,

就像 Monowi 的 Eiler 一樣，

they run a restaurant and a bar,

他們經營著一家餐廳兼酒吧，

the Nebraska Inn,

名叫 Nebraska Inn，

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

它在 Facebook 上擁有超過2,000名粉絲，

more than triple the population of Gross, 文法

這比 Gross 鎮

Nebraska, at its peak.

（位於 Nebraska 州）在巔峰時期的人口還要多出三倍多。

But both Monowi and Gross have some competition

但在爭奪美國最無人居住小鎮的頭銜時，

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

Monowi 和 Gross 都有一些競爭對手。

Picher, in Oklahoma,

位於 Oklahoma 州的 Picher，

has earned the dubious title 片語搭配

獲得了一個不光彩的頭銜，

of being the most toxic place in the United States.

即美國毒性最強的地方。

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

它曾是世界上產量最高的鉛鋅礦鎮，

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

現在幾乎成了一個佈滿廢棄建築和採礦廢料的危險地帶。

Lead pollution has become a serious problem here.

鉛污染在這裡已成為一個嚴重問題。

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

礦井中受污染的水感染了小鎮，鎮民們癌症頻發。

The high school,

高中、

city hall,

市政廳，

and post office all pulled down their shutters in 2009. 慣用語

以及郵局都在2009年拉下了鐵捲門。

The one remaining resident died in 2015,

最後一名剩下的居民於2015年去世，

and now Picher is officially a ghost town.

現在 Picher 已正式成為一座鬼鎮。

But Picher is not alone.

但 Picher 並不孤單。

There are hundreds of ghost towns across the USA.

全美國有數百座鬼鎮。

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

這些城鎮大多數是圍繞著資源已被耗盡的礦山建造的。

People go where the money is, 慣用語

人們總是去有錢可賺的地方，

apart from Eiler of Monowi, 片語搭配

除了 Monowi 的 Eiler，

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

她很高興能成為鎮上唯一的居民。

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

那麼你所去過的人口最少的地方是哪裡呢？

Ever been to a ghost town?

你曾經去過鬼鎮嗎？

Let us know in the comments.

請在留言區告訴我們。

Also,

此外，

be sure to watch our other video called

一定要看看我們的另一個影片，名為

What happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

《馬來西亞航空370航班發生了什麼事》。

Thanks for watching,

感謝您的觀看，

and as always,

像往常一樣，

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

不要忘記按讚、分享和訂閱。

And as ever,

一如既往，

see you next time.

我們下次見。