Lesson2 The Amish

The Amish

In the land of rock and roll , the space shuttle, and computerized living, who could imagine that about 50,000 Americans do not use telephones, electric lights, or cars, not because they are poor, but out of choice ? As hard as this may be to imagine , the Amish, or more properly, the Amish Mennonites, still live a traditional, rural lifestyle direct from 17th century Europe!

To understand these unique Americans better, it is necessary to understand their history. Beginning with the revolution started by Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany in the 16th century, Europe was wracked by religious wars for several hundred years. Modern Europe is a product of these wars and of the political and religious philosophies of those times. The main figures in this tragic period were the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants, those who rebelled against papal rule from Rome. Among the thousands of splinter groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule were the Mennonites, a group of particularly conservative, rural Christians situated in what is today Switzerland, part of eastern France, and southern Germany.

To make a long story short, the Mennonite Amish were so conservative that they made more enemies than friends. In order to preserve their peculiar lifestyle, they began to immigrate to the British colonies in North America in about 1720 (before Canada and the United States were formed as independent countries). There they found the religious freedom they had sought. Amish settlements sprang up in the colonies and territories of Pennsylvania, Ohio & Indiana as well as in Ontario, in what is today Canada. Surprisingly, there are no Amish groups today in Europe.

Little has changed about their lifestyle since then. Just how conservative are the Amish? A group of Amish looks like a cast from a biblical movie set. All the men wear large brimmed black hats, beards (but not mustaches), and clothes made by their wives. The women wear a hair covering called a bonnet , long dresses, and black shoes. Even though all Amish men and women marry, you will not see a wedding ring, for even this simplest type of jewelry is banned among them. The Amish are primarily farmers, and good ones, despite the fact that they do not use modern farm machinery. Their children are educated in local primary schools, but secondary education is in the home. Sundays are spent mostly in church. An old dialed of German mixed with English is used in church and at home. Their lives are uncomplicated and few Amish leave their homes to enter the mainstream American society.

Rural Pennsylvania where most of the Amish live is beautiful countryside. If you have the opportunity to drive through the gentle, rolling hills amidst lush farmlands, perhaps you will see a horse and buggy driven by a family dressed mostly in black. These are the Amish, an enduring and endearing people.

在摇滚、航天飞机和计算机化生活的时代 ，谁能想象约5万美国人不使用电话、电灯或汽车，并非因为他们贫穷，而是出于选择？尽管这可能很难想象 ，阿米什人，或者更确切地说，阿米什门诺派，仍然过着直接源自17世纪欧洲的传统乡村生活！

为了更好地了解这些独特的美国人，有必要了解他们的历史。从16世纪德国新教改革领袖马丁·路德发起的宗教改革开始，欧洲被宗教战争折磨了几百年。现代欧洲就是这些战争以及当时政治和宗教哲学的产物。这一悲剧时期的主要角色是罗马天主教会和新教徒，即那些反抗罗马教皇统治的人。在罗马宗教统治之外形成的数千个分裂团体中，门诺派是其中之一，这是一群特别保守的乡村基督徒，分布在今天的瑞士、法国东部部分地区和德国南部。

长话短说，阿米什门诺派非常保守，以至于树敌众多。为了维持他们独特的生活方式，他们大约在1720年（在加拿大和美国成为独立国家之前）开始移民到北美的英属殖民地。在那里，他们找到了他们一直寻求的宗教自由。阿米什定居点在宾夕法尼亚、俄亥俄和印第安纳的殖民地和地区以及今天加拿大的安大略省如雨后春笋般出现。令人惊讶的是，如今欧洲没有阿米什群体。

从那时起，他们的生活方式几乎没有改变。阿米什人有多保守呢？一群阿米什人看起来就像是从圣经电影片场出来的演员阵容。所有男性都戴着宽边黑帽子、留着胡须（但不留小胡子），穿着他们妻子制作的衣服。女性戴着一种叫做 无边女帽 的发饰、穿着长裙和黑色鞋子。尽管所有阿米什男性和女性都结婚，但你不会看到结婚戒指，因为即使是这种最简单的首饰在他们中间也是被禁止的。阿米什人主要是农民，而且是优秀的农民，尽管他们不使用现代农场机械。他们的孩子在当地小学接受教育，但中学教育是在家里进行。星期天大多在教堂度过。在教堂和家里使用一种夹杂着英语的古老德语方言。他们的生活简单，很少有阿米什人离开家园进入美国主流社会。

大多数阿米什人居住的宾夕法尼亚乡村风景秀丽。如果你有机会驾车穿过郁郁葱葱的农田间起伏平缓的山丘，也许你会看到一辆由大多穿着黑色衣服的一家人驾驶的马车。这些就是阿米什人，一个经久不衰且可爱的群体。

Vocabulary & Idioms

• out of choice——出于选择/别无选择
• as hard as this may be to imagine——这可能很难想象
  • =Though/Although this may be as hard as to imagine
• protestant——新教
• wracked——折磨
• papal——教皇
• splinter group——从大团体中分裂出来的小团体
• peculiar——特有的
• cast——演员
• biblical——圣经的
• brim——边缘
• bonnet——阀盖
• enduring——持久的
• endearing——可爱的，讨人喜欢的
• rebel against——反抗
  • Teenagers often rebel against their parents’ authorit
• Among the thousands of splinter groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule were the Mennonites,a group of……
  • =The Mennonites,a group of……were among the thousands of splinter groups formed outside of Rome’s religious rule
• spring up——兴起