5 THE FARM

CHAPTER 5 THE FARM Mr. Shareef turned and shouted, "Come here, Rambler!" A moment later, a pickup truck automatically rolled out from the garage. The truck pulled up to the man and the robot, its doors opened wide, and they both climbed in. Rambler had a steering wheel, but Mr. Shareef sat back and let the truck drive itself. They followed the driveway behind the house, across the backyard, past trees and hedges, and suddenly they were surrounded by farm buildings. The buildings were different sizes and shapes, all white walls with gray roofs, and they were so tightly packed together that you could hardly tell where one building ended and the next one began. Some were spattered with mud. Others had holes and loose boards. The entire place smelled like grass and manure. Mr. Shareef pointed out each building to Roz. There was the enormous dairy barn, the milking

第五章农场谢里夫先生转身喊道：“过来，流浪者！”过了一会儿，一辆小货车自动从车库里开了出来。 卡车停在男人和机器人面前，车门开得很大，他们俩都爬了进去。 “漫步者”有一个方向盘，但沙里夫坐在后面，让卡车自己驾驶。 他们沿着房子后面的车道，穿过后院，经过树木和树篱，突然，他们被农场的建筑包围了。 这些建筑大小不一，形状各异，都是白墙灰顶，它们紧紧地挤在一起，你几乎分不清一栋楼的尽头和另一栋楼的起点。 有些人身上溅满了泥。 其他的有洞和松动的木板。 整个地方都有草和粪肥的味道。 谢里夫把每一栋楼都指给罗兹看。 那里有巨大的牛奶房，挤奶的地方

parlor, the workshop, the machine shed. Smaller sheds were scattered all around. Rambler drove out from the buildings and down the back side of the hill into a wide sweep of farmland. A fence lined this part of the driveway, and behind the fence was a sprawling, rolling pasture, lush with tall grass and a few leafy trees, where a herd of cows was grazing. The cows swished their tails and chewed their cud and followed the truck with their eyes. One of them let out a long "Moooooo." "This is a dairy farm," said Mr. Shareef, "so these cows are the queens around here. Your whole world now revolves around them. Understand?" "I understand," said Roz as she stared at a young calf who was staring right back at her. They rolled past the herd of cows, past clumps of wildflowers, past a quiet pond, past birds and field mice and bumblebees. The driveway cut through a row of trees on its way out to the crop fields, which were flat and square and covered with bright green sprouts. Hilltop Farm was bursting with life, but it had seen better days. Patches of weeds and bare dirt were spreading across the fields. Broken-down farm

客厅，车间，机棚。 小棚屋散布在各处。 兰博勒把车开出了楼房，从山的后面开了下来，来到一片广阔的农田里。 车道的这部分有一道栅栏，栅栏后面是一片绵延起伏的牧场，长着茂盛的高草和几棵枝繁叶茂的树，一群牛正在吃草。 母牛摇着尾巴，反刍着，眼睛跟着卡车。 其中一个发出了一声长长的“哞”。 “这是一个奶牛场，”谢里夫说，“所以这些奶牛是这里的女王。 你的整个世界都围着他们转。 明白了吗?”“我明白，”罗兹一边说，一边盯着一头正盯着她的小小牛。 他们滚过一群牛，经过一丛丛野花，经过一个安静的池塘，经过鸟儿、田鼠和大黄蜂。 车道穿过一排树木，通向农田，农田平坦而方形，长满了嫩绿的嫩芽。 山顶农场生机勃勃，但它也曾有过好日子。 一片片杂草和光秃秃的泥土遍布田野。 破败不堪的农场

machines and piles of junk were strewn across the grounds. Thick tangles of brush were creeping in from the edges of the property. They drove all the way out to the farthest fields, to a little roundabout at the very end of the driveway. Rambler shut off its engine, and the man and the robot sat and looked at the countryside. Far off, where the land met the sky, a train quietly slid along its tracks and disappeared to the north. Then all was still. "This farm needs help," said Mr. Shareef at last. "It's been in my family for generations and I don't want to lose it. But I can't do farmwork anymore, not with this bad leg. That's why you're here. They say ROZZUM robots can learn to do almost every kind of job. And you'll have to do almost every kind of job on this farm." "I understand," said Roz. "We've had automachines for ages," Mr. Shareef went on, "but we didn't need a robot until my wife died." Those last words hung in the air for a while. The silence was finally broken by a low rumble of thunder. A storm was approaching. Tornado season

机器和成堆的垃圾散落在地上。 密密麻麻的灌木丛从地产的边缘爬了进来。 他们一路开到最远处的田野，来到车道尽头的一个小回旋处。 漫步者关掉了引擎，男人和机器人坐下来看着乡村。 在遥远的地方，在陆地与天空相接的地方，一列火车静静地沿着轨道滑行，消失在北方。 然后一切都静了下来。“这个农场需要帮助，”谢里夫先生最后说。 “它已经在我家传了好几代了，我不想失去它。 但是我不能再干农活了，因为我的腿坏了。 这就是你来这里的原因。他们说ROZZUM机器人可以学会做几乎所有的工作。 你几乎要做这个农场里的所有工作。” “我明白，”罗兹说。“我们有自动机器很久了，”沙里夫继续说，“但直到我妻子去世，我们才需要机器人。” 那最后几句话在空中悬了一会儿。 最后，一阵低沉的雷声打破了寂静。 暴风雨即将来临。龙卷风季节

was still months away—but in farm country any storm could become dangerous. "Let's go home," said Mr. Shareef. Rambler started its engine and drove back up the long driveway. By the time they reached the farm buildings, a steady rain was falling, and the cows were in the barn. "This is for you," said Mr. Shareef, and he handed Roz her own computer. "That controls the farm's equipment, and it's got all the information you'll need to work here. Do you know how to use a computer?" "Yes, I know how to use a computer." Roz had never used a computer before, but she instinctively knew what to do. Clearly, the robot was designed to work with technology. "Study up tonight, and start farming tomorrow," said Mr. Shareef. "You can stay in the machine shed with the other machines." "Perhaps I should stay in the barn with the cows," said Roz. "My whole world now revolves around them." The man smirked, and he said, "I like the way you think, Roz."

距离现在还有几个月的时间——但在农业国家，任何风暴都可能变得危险。 “我们回家吧，”谢里夫说。 漫步者启动引擎，沿着长长的车道往回开。 当他们到达农场的房子时，大雨不停地下着，奶牛们都在牲口棚里。 “这是给你的，”谢里夫先生说着，把她自己的电脑递给了罗兹。 “它控制着农场的设备，里面有你在这里工作所需的所有信息。 你知道怎么用电脑吗？”“是的，我知道如何使用电脑。” 罗兹以前从未使用过电脑，但她本能地知道该怎么做。 很明显，这个机器人被设计成与科技一起工作。 “今晚好好学习，明天开始种地，”谢里夫说。 “你可以和其他机器一起待在机器棚里。” “也许我应该和奶牛呆在牲口棚里，”罗兹说。 “现在我的整个世界都围着它们转。” 那人得意地笑着说：“我喜欢你的思维方式，罗兹。”