一對和睦相處的兄弟之間爆發了矛盾，當推土機鏟平草地，開辟出一條小溪，兩人的矛盾似乎已無可挽回。此時，一個木匠出現了……

By Dee Tressler

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Once upon a time, two brothers, who lived on adjoining farms, fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labour and goods as needed without a hitch.

Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

Very early one morning there was a knock on the older brother’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work,” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?”

“Well as it happens there is,” said the older brother.

“I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbour, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll go him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence ... a 2-metre-high fence, so I won’t need to see him or his place anymore.

The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

The older brother had to go to town for supplies , so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, digging and nailing. About sunset when the older brother returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The older brother’s eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped .

There was no fence there at all; instead there was a bridge... a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other. A fine piece of work handrails and all—and the neighbour, his younger brother was coming across the bridge, his hand outstretched.

“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done,” he said.

The two brothers then met in the middle of the bridge, taking each other’s hand and embraced ... their conflict was at an end. They then turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder.

“No, wait please stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but, I have many more bridges to build.”

Vocabulary

1. adjoining: 毗鄰的；conflict: 沖突。

2. 40年來，他們并肩耕耘，共用機械設備，需要時交換勞力和物品，相處得非常融洽，這是他們之間第一次產生裂痕。rift: 分裂，不和；hitch: 小障礙，小故障。

3. collaboration: 合作，協作；fall apart: 破裂。

4. 最初的時候（他們之間）只有一個小誤會，逐漸發展為大的分歧，最終爆發成了惡語相向，再之后他們幾個星期都互不理睬。explode: 爆發；bitter: 充滿敵意的。

5. carpenter: 木匠；toolbox: 工具箱。

6. creek: 小溪。

7. meadow: 草地；bulldozer: 推土機；levee: 堤岸。

8. spite: （故意做壞事來）傷害，激怒；go one better: 勝過某人，比某人略勝一籌。

9. lumber: 木材。

10. fence: 柵欄，籬笆。

11. nail: 釘子；post-hole digger: 柱穴挖掘機。

12. supply: 供給，日用物資。

13. saw: 鋸；dig: 挖掘；nail: 釘釘子。

14. one’s jaw drop: 〈俚〉某人驚詫地張口結舌。

15. stretch: 展開，鋪開，使延伸。

16. handrail: （樓梯等的）欄桿，扶手；outstretched: 伸開的，展開的。

17. embrace: 擁抱。

18. hoist: 舉起，抬起，拉起。

（來源：英語學習雜志 編輯：丹妮）