美食祈祷和恋爱 Eat, Pray, Love
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Chapter 103

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 Still, Wayan needs to buy a house, and I'm getting worried that it's not happening. I don't understand why it's not happening, but it absolutely needs to happen. Felipe and I have stepped in now. We found a realtor who could take us around and show us properties, but Wayan hasn't liked anything we've shown her. I keep telling her, "Wayan, it's important that we buy something. I'm leaving here in September, and I need to let my friends know before I leave that their money actually went into a home for you. And you need to get a roof over your head before you get evicted1."

"Not so simple to buy land in Bali," she keeps telling me. "Not like to walk into a bar and buy a beer. Can take long time."
"We don't have a long time, Wayan."
She just shrugs2, and I remember again about the Balinese concept of "rubber time," meaning that time is a very relative and bouncy idea. "Four weeks" doesn't really mean to Wayan what it means to me. One day to Wayan isn't necessarily composed of twenty-four hours, either; sometimes it's longer, sometimes it's shorter, depending upon the spiritual and emotional nature of that day. As with my medicine man and his mysterious age, sometimes you count the days, sometimes you weigh them.
Meanwhile, it also turns out that I have completely underestimated how expensive it is to buy property in Bali. Because everything is so cheap here, you would assume that land is also undervalued, but that's a mistaken assumption. To buy land in Bali--especially in Ubud--can get almost as expensive as buying land in Westchester County, in Tokyo, or on Rodeo Drive. Which is completely illogical because once you own the property you can't make back your money on it in any traditionally logical way. You may pay approximately $25,000 for an aro of land (an aro is a land measurement roughly translating into English as: "Slightly bigger than the parking spot for an SUV"), and then you can build a little shop there where you will sell one batik sarong a day to one tourist a day for the rest of your life, for a profit of about seventy-five cents a hit. It's senseless.
But the Balinese value their land with a passion that extends beyond the reaches of economic sense. Since land ownership is traditionally the only wealth that Balinese recognize as legitimate3, property is valued in the same way as the Masai value cattle or as my five-year-old niece values lip

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 evicted 17682d2fe623013fd1839f09251d20cf     
v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
  • They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。
2 shrugs d3633c0b0b1f8cd86f649808602722fa     
n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
  • She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网
3 legitimate L9ZzJ     
adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法
参考例句：
  • Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
  • That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
4 gloss gloss     
n.光泽，光滑；虚饰；注释；vt.加光泽于；掩饰
参考例句：
  • John tried in vain to gloss over his faults.约翰极力想掩饰自己的缺点，但是没有用。
  • She rubbed up the silver plates to a high gloss.她把银盘擦得很亮。
5 advantageous BK5yp     
adj.有利的；有帮助的
参考例句：
  • Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
  • You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。
6 rumor qS0zZ     
n.谣言，谣传，传说
参考例句：
  • The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
  • The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。
7 secrecy NZbxH     
n.秘密，保密，隐蔽
参考例句：
  • All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
  • Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。
8 deception vnWzO     
n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计
参考例句：
  • He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
  • He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。
9 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
10 idyllic lk1yv     
adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的
参考例句：
  • These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
  • Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。
11 unstable Ijgwa     
adj.不稳定的，易变的
参考例句：
  • This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
  • The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。
12 corrupt 4zTxn     
v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的
参考例句：
  • The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
  • This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。
13 reclaimed d131e8b354aef51857c9c380c825a4c9     
adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救
参考例句：
  • Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
14 whatsoever Beqz8i     
adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么
参考例句：
  • There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
  • All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。
15 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报
参考例句：
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
16 vapor DHJy2     
n.蒸汽，雾气
参考例句：
  • The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
  • This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。
17 supremely MhpzUo     
adv.无上地，崇高地
参考例句：
  • They managed it all supremely well. 这件事他们干得极其出色。
  • I consider a supremely beautiful gesture. 我觉得这是非常优雅的姿态。
18 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
19 demons 8f23f80251f9c0b6518bce3312ca1a61     
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念
参考例句：
  • demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
  • He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 criteria vafyC     
n.标准
参考例句：
  • The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
  • There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。
21 auspicious vu8zs     
adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的
参考例句：
  • The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
  • With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。
22 dwindling f139f57690cdca2d2214f172b39dc0b9     
adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句
23 mused 0affe9d5c3a243690cca6d4248d41a85     
v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）
参考例句：
  • \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

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