【譯文】
　　I've got a deep secret few people understand and even fewer will admit to sharing. It's time to tell the truth: I love the rain, deeply and passionately <http://dict.qsbdc.com/passionately> and more than the sun. At least I live in the right place, famous for its damp weather and spawning <http://dict.qsbdc.com/spawning> its own genuine rainforest. I can't imagine living anywhere else than the Pacific Northwest. The sun shines so infrequently that my friends forget where they put their sunglasses. Gloomy clouds cause many people around here to suffer from seasonal <http://dict.qsbdc.com/seasonal> affective disorder <http://dict.qsbdc.com/disorder>. Yet I welcome the rain.
　　Seattleites will say they like how rain keeps the city green, how clean the air tastes afterwards. My real reason for enjoying the rain is steeped in pure selfishness when it's mucky outside, I don't have to do anything. I can spend the afternoon curled up reading, build a fire and make a big pot of spiced tea. I can sleep in late, waking up occasionally to hear soothing <http://dict.qsbdc.com/soothing> patter on the roof, water racing <http://dict.qsbdc.com/racing> down the gutter <http://dict.qsbdc.com/gutter>. Nobody expects me to leave my house or do anything overly productive. Maybe I'll invite a few friends over to watch an old movie or play a board game. Friends' expectations are low and easy to meet.
　　Summer in Seattle is beautiful but exhausting. The sunny, gorgeous weather and blue skies draw Seattleites from their cozy <http://dict.qsbdc.com/cozy> little homes, ready to dry out and have fun. People go hiking, biking, canoeing. Folks work in their gardens, wash their cars and attend outdoor concerts in the park all in the same day! The effort involved to throw a party ratchets up several notches <http://dict.qsbdc.com/notches>, as people host barbecues and picnics and water-skiing parties. It's a sin around here to not thoroughly <http://dict.qsbdc.com/thoroughly> enjoy every moment of every golden day.
　　Another mark in rain's favor is that my body doesn't betray me when it's cold and damp outside. Throughout the winter, people wear several layers, with perhaps several extra pounds here and there. In June I dig out my shorts to discover my thighs <http://dict.qsbdc.com/thighs> resemble cottage cheese. I dread <http://dict.qsbdc.com/dread> buying a swimsuit, as consecutive <http://dict.qsbdc.com/consecutive> horror and humiliation <http://dict.qsbdc.com/humiliation> make me cringe in the dressing <http://dict.qsbdc.com/dressing> room.
　　Even my tastebuds prefer the rain. When it storms outside, it's time for steamy hot chocolate or even a soothing <http://dict.qsbdc.com/soothing> toddy. People devour <http://dict.qsbdc.com/devour> hot, hearty <http://dict.qsbdc.com/hearty> meals, with lots of potatoes and savory <http://dict.qsbdc.com/savory> sauces. This type of eating evaporates when the sun comes out; suddenly everyone offers salads and ice water and expects it to be satisfying.
　　It's time to publicly acknowledge that I love the rain, how it transforms my house into a cozy <http://dict.qsbdc.com/cozy> caves where I can spend the afternoon cooking and dreaming. It seems nobody else will admit to a love affair with the rain, nobody else will groan <http://dict.qsbdc.com/groan> when it's hot outside and join me in a rain dance.
　　When the sun comes out I do greet it with a smile, slipping sunglasses to my purse and pulling a tank top out of my closet. Yet my comfortable sweaters and warm slippers <http://dict.qsbdc.com/slippers> beckon <http://dict.qsbdc.com/beckon>, making me wish for another wet, chilly <http://dict.qsbdc.com/chilly> afternoon. When the rain returns, I will grin even more. Am I the only one??( finished )
　　【原文】
　　我愛西雅圖的雨
　　我有一個極少為人理解甚至無人愿意分享的秘密。現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該說出來了：我愛雨，深情而熱烈，甚至勝過對太陽的愛。最起碼我住在適宜之地，以潮濕的天氣和產(chǎn)生自己的雨林而出名。除了太平洋西北部，我想不出自己還能住在哪兒。陽光如此罕見，以至我的朋友們都忘了把太陽鏡放到哪里去了。烏云密布的天空讓很多在這兒生活的人都遭受季節(jié)性的情緒波動，然而我卻歡迎雨的到來。
　　西雅圖人會說他們喜歡雨使這個城市變綠，空氣變得清新。我喜歡雨的真正原因純粹是出于自我考慮。在外面泥濘的時候，我可以什么都不干，整個下午蜷縮在家里看書，再生盆火，泡一大壺香茶。我可以睡到很晚，時而醒來傾聽屋檐上柔和的拍打，水順著水槽往下流的聲音。沒人要我離開房子或去干一些超負(fù)荷的勞動。也許我會邀上幾個朋友看一部老電影，或者玩玩棋盤游戲。朋友的期望不高，極易滿足。
　　西雅圖的夏天如此美麗卻令人疲憊不堪。晴朗的天氣和蔚藍(lán)的天空吸引著西雅圖人走出安逸舒適的小家，準(zhǔn)備去干燥的戶外尋找樂趣。他們?nèi)ミh(yuǎn)足、騎車、劃獨木舟。他們修整自家的花園、洗車、去公園聽露天音樂會，所有這些都在同一天做完！在他們舉行烤肉、野餐和參加水上滑雪派對時，他們會把派對分成幾個等級一步步推進(jìn)。
　　在這樣絢麗多彩的日子不出去盡情享受這美妙的時刻好像不合情理。
　　我喜歡雨的另一個原因是，當(dāng)室外天氣較冷且潮濕時，我的身體不會跟我作對。整個冬天，人們都穿著好幾層衣服，可能這兒那兒的多重了幾磅。在六月份我就翻出了短褲，結(jié)果卻發(fā)現(xiàn)我的大腿就像白軟干酪似的。我害怕買游泳衣，由于接二連三令人恐怖和丟面子的情形發(fā)生，使得我總是躲在更衣室里。
　　甚至我的味蕾也喜歡雨天，外面狂風(fēng)暴雨時，正是吃熱巧克力或者喝輕柔的棕櫚汁的好時機。人們吞吃著豐盛的熱肉、許多土豆以及風(fēng)味極佳的調(diào)味品。等太陽出來了就不使用這種吃法了，猛然間每個人都吃沙拉以及冰水，認(rèn)為這就能使人滿意了。
　　現(xiàn)在我該公開宣布了：我喜歡雨，是它把我的家變成了一個溫暖而舒適的小窩。我可以花整個下午的時間邊做飯邊胡思亂想。似乎沒有其他人愿意承認(rèn)喜歡雨，但在外面很熱時，也沒有人為加入我的祈雨舞會而感到猶豫。
　　太陽出來時我一樣會笑臉相迎，把太陽鏡塞進(jìn)包里，從壁櫥中取出緊身背心。然而我舒適的羊毛衫和溫暖的拖鞋又在召喚我了，讓我期待有雨而寒冷的下午再次到來。雨又回來時我甚至更為高興。我是惟一一個這樣的人嗎？（完）