精美英文欣赏:洗衣服

House chores are boring routine stuff that everybody hates.However,doing laundry is different.My laundry career began when my wife started assigning me little duties in the name of gender¹ equality.In no time,I've become an expert in laundering².

家务事是一成不变的枯燥事情，每个人都不喜欢。然而，洗衣服却不同。当我的妻子以男女平等的名义开始叫我做东做西时，我的洗衣生涯就此开始。很快的，我变成先衣专家了。

With these new washing machines,turning stinking³ clothes back smelling good takes almost no work at all.Unlike other tasks that put me baking in the sun,sweating,burning,and getting myself all oily,washing clothes gives me the comfort of the laundry room and involves only pushing buttons.I take credits for 2 hours even though I only spend 15 minutes on my part.

用这些新型洗衣机，把那些臭衣服变得好闻（洗干净）几乎不用花什么功夫。不像其他的任务得让我在太阳下烤着，流着汗，晒着，把自己弄得全身油腻腻的；洗衣服这差事可以让我在舒适的洗衣房里，而所需要做的只是按按钮而已。我可以说是做了两小时，但真正工作的时间却只有15分钟而已。

Actually,doing laundry is not as simple as I thought.After I started reading the labels on those shirts.I found that some like to be washed cold while others like it warm.Dark clors don't mix well,expecially in hot water.Not everything should be dried in the dryer,and women's clothes tend to be less durable⁴.Luckily,I was put off duty from ironing since I made a hole through my suit the other day.

实际上，洗衣服并不像我想的那么简单。自从我开始读那些衣服上的标签后，我发现有些衣服需要用冷水洗而有些则要用温一点的水。深色的不能混着一起洗，尤其是在热水里，不是每件衣服都可以用烘干机型弄干，还有女人的衣服比较不耐洗。幸运的是，自从有一天我把我的西装外套弄破一个洞之后，我就免除了熨衣服的工作了。

But after doing if for so long,laundry is now a no-brainer for me.But it doesn't get boring.When I handwash my wife's more delicate underwear with some imagination,it gets pretty interesting.

但是在做了这么久之后，现在洗衣服对我来说是件不用大脑的事了。但它也不枯燥，当我用手洗我妻子的精致内衣时，再加上一些儿想像力，这事情变变得有趣了。

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stinking   

adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
• Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

4 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。