【課文】
People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food--always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of travelling by sea.
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being the most expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.
【課文翻譯】
出遠門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個小時以上的火車。車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開旅途的困擾是很難的?？磿荒芙鉀Q部分問題。車輪與鐵軌間單調(diào)的嘎喳聲很快就會送你進入夢鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走運弄到一個臥鋪，夜間有一半時間你會盯著車頂那盞小藍燈而睡不著覺;要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。一旦抵達目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長途旅行則更加不舒服，因為連看書都幾乎不可能。在公路上還好，你至少能以相當(dāng)快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時間都花在路上，而且只有很少的服務(wù)設(shè)施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戲，還能也很見到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴 ——當(dāng)然，這一切只有在大海風(fēng)平浪靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行的方式都不會帶來的。即使風(fēng)平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長時間。沒有多少人會為享受坐船旅行的樂趣而犧牲假期的時間。
飛機以危險而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機。飛機另一個缺點是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛機是無與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在30，000 英尺高空以500英里的時速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因為飛機會迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時之內(nèi)，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著旅途的歡樂。真正會享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場電影和喝香檳。即使沒有這些消遣條件，也總是有事可做。飛機上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能飽覽大地的風(fēng)貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不斷的云海，同時陽光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨時間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當(dāng)你抵達目的地時，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無倦意，用不著因為漫長的旅途的辛苦而花幾天時間休息來恢復(fù)精神。
【詞匯】
positively adv. 絕對地，完全地
compartment n. 列車客車廂內(nèi)的分隔間(或單間)
cramped adj. 窄小的
stuffy adj. 憋氣的，悶氣的
monotonous adj. 枯燥的，乏味的，單調(diào)的
rhythm n. 有節(jié)奏的運動
click v. 發(fā)出咔噠聲
lull v. 催人欲睡
snatch n. 短時，片段
sleeper n. 臥鋪
fumble v. 亂摸，摸索
inspection n. 檢查
inevitably adv. 必然地，不可避免地
destination n. 目的地
exhaust v. 使精疲力盡
motorway n. 快車道
ferry n. 渡船
cruise n. 巡游船
civilized adj. 文明的
spacious adj. 寬敞的
seasick adj. 暈船的
intimidate v. 恐嚇，恫嚇
disadvantage n. 短處，缺點
exhilarating adj. 使人高興的，令人興奮的
scapist n. 逍遙者
sip v. 呷，啜
champagne n. 香檳酒
refinement n. 精心的安排
breathtaking adj. 激動人心的;不尋常的
soar v. 高飛，翱翔
effortlessly adv. 不費力地
landscape n. 景色
fresh adj. 精神飽滿的
uncrumpled adj. 沒有跨下來
【重點詞匯講解】
【positively】
例句：
1. He stated positively that he had never see the man.
他肯定地說他從未見過那個男子。
2. Scientists didn't think so, but weren't positively sure.
科學(xué)家們可不這樣認為，但也沒有全盤否認。
3. When Dick returned to lunch, he found her cooking in the kitchen, looking positively ugly with anger.
迪克回來吃午飯的時候，發(fā)現(xiàn)她在廚房里燒飯，臉色氣得很難看。
【monotonous】
例句：
1. Every newcomer must start from a monotonous routine work.
每個新來的人都必須從枯燥的日常工作做起。
2.To be idle sometimes is agreeable, but to be idle all the time might become monotonous .
一段時間空閑是令人愉快的，整日無所事事可能就單調(diào)乏味了。
【exhaust】
英英：wear out completely
例句：
1. Do your best, but don't make too many promises or you may exhaust yourself.
盡你所能，但是不要做太多的，否則你可能會使自己精疲力盡。
2. The marathon talks exhausted him completely.
馬拉松式的談判使他精疲力竭。
3. Caring for young children can exhaust you physically and mentally.
照顧小孩子會使你身心疲憊。
【exhilarating】
例句：
1. I can't really describe it, but it's a very exhilarating tune!
我沒辦法形容，但是這是個非常令人快活的曲調(diào)!
2. There is no doubt that running away on a fresh blue morning can be exhilarating!
毫無疑問，在清新藍色的早晨逃離是刺激的事情了。
【refinement】
例句：
1. The new car has many added refinements such as air-conditioning and anti- blocking brakes.
這輛新車有許多精巧的附加裝置，如空調(diào)和防抱死裝置。
2. Her mother is a woman with great refinement.
她母親是一個非常文雅的女人。
【breathtaking】
例句：
1. It was a breathtaking car race.
那是一場驚險的汽車比賽。
2. The flowers and hanging baskets were breathtaking.
花朵和吊籃生機勃勃的長著。
【常用表達】
【take mind off】轉(zhuǎn)移注意力
【partial solution】權(quán)宜之策
【in snatches】斷斷續(xù)續(xù)
【more often than not】通常，多半
People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food--always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of travelling by sea.
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being the most expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.
【課文翻譯】
出遠門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個小時以上的火車。車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開旅途的困擾是很難的?？磿荒芙鉀Q部分問題。車輪與鐵軌間單調(diào)的嘎喳聲很快就會送你進入夢鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走運弄到一個臥鋪，夜間有一半時間你會盯著車頂那盞小藍燈而睡不著覺;要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。一旦抵達目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長途旅行則更加不舒服，因為連看書都幾乎不可能。在公路上還好，你至少能以相當(dāng)快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時間都花在路上，而且只有很少的服務(wù)設(shè)施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戲，還能也很見到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴 ——當(dāng)然，這一切只有在大海風(fēng)平浪靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行的方式都不會帶來的。即使風(fēng)平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長時間。沒有多少人會為享受坐船旅行的樂趣而犧牲假期的時間。
飛機以危險而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機。飛機另一個缺點是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛機是無與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在30，000 英尺高空以500英里的時速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因為飛機會迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時之內(nèi)，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著旅途的歡樂。真正會享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場電影和喝香檳。即使沒有這些消遣條件，也總是有事可做。飛機上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能飽覽大地的風(fēng)貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不斷的云海，同時陽光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨時間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當(dāng)你抵達目的地時，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無倦意，用不著因為漫長的旅途的辛苦而花幾天時間休息來恢復(fù)精神。
【詞匯】
positively adv. 絕對地，完全地
compartment n. 列車客車廂內(nèi)的分隔間(或單間)
cramped adj. 窄小的
stuffy adj. 憋氣的，悶氣的
monotonous adj. 枯燥的，乏味的，單調(diào)的
rhythm n. 有節(jié)奏的運動
click v. 發(fā)出咔噠聲
lull v. 催人欲睡
snatch n. 短時，片段
sleeper n. 臥鋪
fumble v. 亂摸，摸索
inspection n. 檢查
inevitably adv. 必然地，不可避免地
destination n. 目的地
exhaust v. 使精疲力盡
motorway n. 快車道
ferry n. 渡船
cruise n. 巡游船
civilized adj. 文明的
spacious adj. 寬敞的
seasick adj. 暈船的
intimidate v. 恐嚇，恫嚇
disadvantage n. 短處，缺點
exhilarating adj. 使人高興的，令人興奮的
scapist n. 逍遙者
sip v. 呷，啜
champagne n. 香檳酒
refinement n. 精心的安排
breathtaking adj. 激動人心的;不尋常的
soar v. 高飛，翱翔
effortlessly adv. 不費力地
landscape n. 景色
fresh adj. 精神飽滿的
uncrumpled adj. 沒有跨下來
【重點詞匯講解】
【positively】
例句：
1. He stated positively that he had never see the man.
他肯定地說他從未見過那個男子。
2. Scientists didn't think so, but weren't positively sure.
科學(xué)家們可不這樣認為，但也沒有全盤否認。
3. When Dick returned to lunch, he found her cooking in the kitchen, looking positively ugly with anger.
迪克回來吃午飯的時候，發(fā)現(xiàn)她在廚房里燒飯，臉色氣得很難看。
【monotonous】
例句：
1. Every newcomer must start from a monotonous routine work.
每個新來的人都必須從枯燥的日常工作做起。
2.To be idle sometimes is agreeable, but to be idle all the time might become monotonous .
一段時間空閑是令人愉快的，整日無所事事可能就單調(diào)乏味了。
【exhaust】
英英：wear out completely
例句：
1. Do your best, but don't make too many promises or you may exhaust yourself.
盡你所能，但是不要做太多的，否則你可能會使自己精疲力盡。
2. The marathon talks exhausted him completely.
馬拉松式的談判使他精疲力竭。
3. Caring for young children can exhaust you physically and mentally.
照顧小孩子會使你身心疲憊。
【exhilarating】
例句：
1. I can't really describe it, but it's a very exhilarating tune!
我沒辦法形容，但是這是個非常令人快活的曲調(diào)!
2. There is no doubt that running away on a fresh blue morning can be exhilarating!
毫無疑問，在清新藍色的早晨逃離是刺激的事情了。
【refinement】
例句：
1. The new car has many added refinements such as air-conditioning and anti- blocking brakes.
這輛新車有許多精巧的附加裝置，如空調(diào)和防抱死裝置。
2. Her mother is a woman with great refinement.
她母親是一個非常文雅的女人。
【breathtaking】
例句：
1. It was a breathtaking car race.
那是一場驚險的汽車比賽。
2. The flowers and hanging baskets were breathtaking.
花朵和吊籃生機勃勃的長著。
【常用表達】
【take mind off】轉(zhuǎn)移注意力
【partial solution】權(quán)宜之策
【in snatches】斷斷續(xù)續(xù)
【more often than not】通常，多半