Putting Down Roots in Russia
在俄罗斯扎根

　　Barbara Duvoisin did not so much leave America as find herself drawn to Russia. For a woman who studied Russian history, Sovietera economics, and international finance, running the Moscow office of a multinational corporation is a lot more logical than working in the US.

* draw：“拉”、“拖”的意思，在这里则是“被……所吸引”的意思。Barbara Duvoisin离开美国并不是因为俄罗斯有多大的吸引力，而是因为她所学的课程都是关于俄罗斯的，在那里比美国更有用武之地。

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　　 Ms. Duvoisin does not think of herself as an "expatriate." She has lived in Russia for six years now and expects to be here for another six before she thinks of moving anywhere else. But with a Russian husband and two small sons, Afanasi and Fyodr, she has put down roots that could hold her here for a long time.

*expatriate：“被流放者”、“居留他国者”。
* put down roots：是“到另一个地方落地生根”的意思。因为有了俄罗斯的丈夫和两个儿子，Barbara Duvoisin很可能会永居俄罗斯了。

　　 Her reasons for coming, like most of the American business people, who moved here when the Soviet Union collapsed, were part personal, part professional. She wanted to witness close up the momentous changes in Russia, and at the same time she knew she could never get a job at home that would rival the excitement of working here.

* rival：当名词讲时是“竞争对手”、“敌手”的意思。在这里，rival用作动词，意思是“与……相抗衡”。的确，在哪个国家能比在俄罗斯更痛快地研究俄罗斯呢？

　　"There is no doubt in any 35-to-45-year-old's mind that in Russia you are given more responsibility and more exposure within your organization than anyplace else in the world," she says.

* exposure：“曝光”、“暴露”的意思。在俄罗斯的组织里，你可以比在其它国家的组织里负更多的责任，且有更多的机会展示自己。

　　The downsides of life so far from home are sometimes trivial (Duvoisin confesses to receiving "care" packages containing video recordings of popular American TV shows such as "Murphy Brown" and "E. R.") and sometimes terrifying: The family has had two cars stolen at gunpoint, and Duvoisin's husband regularly runs up against the Russian Mafia in his business dealings.

* downside：“低侧”、“下降趋势”的意思，这里指在俄罗斯生活中不好的一面。
* trivial：“琐细的”、“无足轻重的”的意思。俄罗斯生活每况愈下，与美国相差很远，有的时候可以忍受，觉得无足轻重；有时就有点吓人了。Duvoisin被抢走了两辆车，而且其丈夫作生意时，还要和Russian Mafia（俄罗斯黑手党）较量。

　　She makes her decision about where to live without much sentiment. "It's a question of which quality of life we want, how much that costs, and what we have to do to make that money," she says. "That calculation comes out here."

* sentiment：“情绪”、“伤感”的意思。俄罗斯经济、社会状况这么差，所以即使让她离开俄罗斯，Duvoisin也不会感伤，因为她想追求更高质量的生活。当然，她现在还没有条件离开。由此可见，她迁移的动机就是为了追求更好的生活。