澳洲夫妇近一年不花钱过活
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2015-09-30 05:41 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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In this day and age, living without money sounds almost impossible, but that's exactly what this Australian couple has been doing for almost a year. It's been anything but easy, but they've somehow made it work.

在如今这个年月,不花钱过活几乎不太可能。不过,一对澳大利亚夫妇近一年来就过着这样的生活。这样过日子可不简单,但他们还是想方设法做到了。

 
Rachel Newby, 24, and Liam Culbertson, 26, have come up with innovative1 ways of making it through the year without any cash. They built themselves a new home on a friend's plot in West Gippsland, a rural region in Victoria. The house is made entirely2 out of scrap3 timber and recycled materials. They grow their own food, and at times, don't hesitate to dive into dumpsters for leftovers4. They also help out local farmers in exchange for fresh produce and yarn5.
 
"We enjoy the feeling of being able to choose what we do regardless of money," said Rachel. "We don't have to worry about rent or plane tickets or food or fancy clothes. Effectively, all of our time is free time because we get to decide how we spend it."
 
Rachel and Liam moved into the house in January, but this isn't the first time they're experiencing living off the land. While Rachel spent two years previously6 on an organic farm in Canada, Liam has traveled to the Arctic. They've both always tried to use local produce and be as eco-friendly as possible.
 
But in spite of all their experience, they claim that this last year has been quite difficult. The soil on their patch of land is rather infertile7, so they've been struggling to grow crops. The climate is pretty harsh as well, so their makeshift residence isn't holding out too well. The thrifty8 home – a 2.5 square meter structure - is really only good for privacy. They shower under cold rainwater collected on the roof, and share toilets with the rest of the community. And because they have no appliances, they wash their clothes in the sink.
 
Even though they don't have jobs, Rachel and Liam don't have a lot of leisure time to waste. They spend most of the day working for local farmers - planting vegetables and picking berries, just so they can earn their next meal. They have five ducks that provide them with fresh eggs, but when supplies go low, they have to go sift9 through dumpsters for discarded vegetables, fruit, and bread.
 
Despite the couple's best efforts, their experiment hasn't remained totally cash free – Liam needed dental work earlier this year, which cost the couple $300, and Rachel also had to spring for a new bike so she could ride into town. But those were pretty much their biggest expenses for the year.
 
With only a few months left of their cashless year, the couple hasn't decided10 if they're going to return to civilization or not. It's not easy, but they might just continue to live off the grid11. They seem quite happy with their lifestyle despite the hardships, and they get along really well with their neighbors too. "Older folks seem to love the idea of us doing what they used to do as kids, or in some cases, as young hippies," Rachel told That's Life! Magazine, adding that she and Liam might just burn out from all the work, but they're enjoying themselves for now.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 innovative D6Vxq     
adj.革新的,新颖的,富有革新精神的
参考例句:
  • Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
  • He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
2 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
3 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
4 leftovers AprzGJ     
n.剩余物,残留物,剩菜
参考例句:
  • He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
  • She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。
5 yarn LMpzM     
n.纱,纱线,纺线;奇闻漫谈,旅行轶事
参考例句:
  • I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
  • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
6 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
7 infertile u71xE     
adj.不孕的;不肥沃的,贫瘠的
参考例句:
  • Plants can't grow well in the infertile land.在贫瘠的土地上庄稼长不好。
  • Nobody is willing to till this infertile land.这块薄田没有人愿意耕种。
8 thrifty NIgzT     
adj.节俭的;兴旺的;健壮的
参考例句:
  • Except for smoking and drinking,he is a thrifty man.除了抽烟、喝酒,他是个生活节俭的人。
  • She was a thrifty woman and managed to put aside some money every month.她是个很会持家的妇女,每月都设法存些钱。
9 sift XEAza     
v.筛撒,纷落,详察
参考例句:
  • Sift out the wheat from the chaff.把小麦的壳筛出来。
  • Sift sugar on top of the cake.在蛋糕上面撒上糖。
10 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
11 grid 5rPzpK     
n.高压输电线路网;地图坐标方格;格栅
参考例句:
  • In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下,要用载体把格栅密封起来。
  • Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。
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