VOA常速英语2008年-Lakeside Tranquility is One Sure Thing in Uncer

By Greg Flakus
Uncertain, Texas
08 February 2008
 

Environmentalists and conservationists work to protect natural areas around the world and are often supported in by local people who want to maintain their rural lifestyle. One such place is Caddo Lake, which straddles the border between Texas and Louisiana and is the only natural lake in the state of Texas. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from the lakeside town of Uncertain, a Texas community about 280 kilometers east of Dallas but a world apart from big city ways.

Caddo Lake is tucked away in the woods in northeast Texas, far from the cities and all the stress of the modern world.

Although it has around 100 square kilometers of water surface, the lake is not very deep, according to local boat tour operator Jim McMillen. He explains, "Most of it is pretty shallow, like you see here, more swamp than real lake, especially on this end of the lake, the Texas side of Caddo Lake."

McMillen spends most of his time out on the water, showing visitors the place he calls home.

In decades past, it was a rough trek¹ getting to Caddo Lake over a trail the locals called the "uncertain road." 

McMillens recalls the process of naming the town. He says, "When they incorporated they just used the name. They came to that place in the paperwork where it said 'name of town' and they just wrote 'Uncertain' and so it became official."

But the 200 or so people who live here can be quite certain when it comes to important matters, such as their desire to keep the lake the way it is.

"It seems like somebody is always coming up with some kind of development plan and the local people get pretty much unified² to fight those battles," McMillens said.

The locals recently fought the nearby City of Marshall, preventing it from taking water from the lake for municipal use. Rock star Don Henley of the Eagles, who grew up nearby, donated money to protect the lake.

Residents, like Jim McMillen, are grateful for any help they can get in preserving their own little piece of paradise. He says, "You can almost do a whole trip out there for an hour and a half and not see another boat. It's very quiet. Whereas in a lake near a big city, of course, you can almost get run over. People appreciate that and there are a lot of people who come out here to fish and enjoy the solitude³ and kind of serenity⁴."

For certain, Uncertain is the place to find peace and quiet.

1 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

2 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

3 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

4 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。