Sometime in the early 1960s, a significant thing happened in Sydney, Australia. The city discovered its harbor. Then, one after another, Sydney discovered lots of things that were just sort of there - broad parks, superb beaches, and a culturally diverse population. But it is the harbor that makes the city.
20世纪60年代初，澳大利亚悉尼发生了一件大事。这座城市发现了自己的港口。然后，悉尼的特色一个接一个地被发现——广阔的公园、一流的海滩和不同文化的人口。但正是港口造就了这座城市。
Andrew Reynolds, a cheerful fellow in his early 30s, pilots Sydney ferryboats for a living. I spent the whole morning shuttling back and forth across the harbor. After our third run Andrew shut down the engine, and we went our separate ways - he for a lunch break, I to explore the city.
安德鲁·雷诺兹三十出头，是一个开朗的小伙子，以担任悉尼渡轮领航员为生。整个上午都在港口之间往返。第三次后，安德鲁关掉了引擎，我们分开。他午休，我探索这座城市。
"I'll miss these old boats," he said as we parted.
“我会想念这些旧船的，”我们分开时他说。
"How do you mean?" I asked.
“什么意思？”我问。
"Oh, they're replacing them with catamarans. Catamarans are faster, but they're not so elegant, and they're not fun to pilot. Hut that's progress, I guess."
“哦，他们正在用双体船代替它们。双体船速度更快，但没那么优雅，领航起来也不好玩。但我想这就是进步。”
Everywhere in Sydney these days, change and progress are the watchwords, and traditions are increasingly rare. Shirley Fitzgerald, the city's official historian, told me that in its rush to modernity in the 1970s, Sydney swept aside much of its past, including many of its finest buildings. "Sydney is confused about itself," she said. "We can't seem to make up our minds whether we want a modern city or a traditional one. It's a conflict that we aren't getting any better at resolving.”
如今，在悉尼的每个地方，改变和进步都是口号，传统越来越少。悉尼的官方历史学家雪莉·菲茨杰拉德告诉我，20世纪70年代，悉尼在快速走向现代化的过程中，扫除了许多历史遗迹，包括许多最优秀的建筑。“悉尼对自己感到困惑，”她说，“我们似乎无法决定是想要一个现代城市还是一个传统城市。这是一个我们无法更好解决的冲突。”
On the other hand, being young and old at the same time has its attractions. I considered this when I met a thoughtful young businessman named Anthony. "Many people say that we lack culture in this country," he told me. "What people forget is that the Italians, when they came to Australia, brought 2000 years of their culture, the Greeks some 3000 years, and the Chinese more still. We've got a foundation built on ancient cultures but with a drive and dynamism of a young country. It's a pretty hard combination to beat."
另一方面，年轻和古老也都有其吸引力。当我遇到一位有思想的年轻商人安东尼时，我就考虑过这一点。“很多人说我们国家缺乏文化，”他告诉我，“人们忘记的是，意大利人来到澳大利亚时，带来了2000年的文化，希腊人带来了3000年的文化，而中国人更是如此。我们建立在古老文化的基础上，同时具有年轻国家的活力。这是一个非常棒的组合。”
He is right, but I can't help wishing they would keep those old ferries.
他是对的，但我仍然希望他们能保留那些旧渡轮。
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