练习材料:
Speed and comfort Part-1
spiːd ænd ˈkʌmfət pɑːt-1
又快捷又舒适
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 you 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.
ˈpiːpl ˈtrævlɪŋ lɒŋ ˈdɪstənsɪz ˈfriːkwəntli hæv tuː dɪˈsaɪd ˈwɛðə ðeɪ wʊd priˈfɜː tuː gəʊ baɪ lænd, siː, ɔːr eə. ˈhɑːdli ˈɛnɪwʌn kæn ˈpɒzətɪvli ɪnˈʤɔɪ ˈsɪtɪŋ ɪn ə treɪn fɔː mɔː ðæn ə fjuː ˈaʊəz. treɪn kəmˈpɑːtmənts suːn gɛt kræmpt ænd ˈstʌfi. ɪt ɪz ˈɔːlməʊst ɪmˈpɒsəbl tuː teɪk jɔː maɪnd ɒf ðə ˈʤɜːni. ˈriːdɪŋ ɪz ˈəʊnli ə ˈpɑːʃəl səˈluːʃən, fɔː ðə məˈnɒtnəs ˈrɪðəm ɒv ðə wiːlz ˈklɪkɪŋ ɒn ðə reɪlz suːn lʌlz juː tuː sliːp. ˈdjʊərɪŋ ðə deɪ, sliːp kʌmz ɪn ˈsnæʧɪz. æt naɪt, wɛn juː ˈrɪəli wɪʃ tuː gəʊ tuː sliːp, juː ˈreəli ˈmænɪʤ tuː duː səʊ. ɪf juː ɑː ˈlʌki ɪˈnʌf tuː gɛt ə ˈsliːpə, juː spɛnd hɑːf ðə naɪt ˈsteərɪŋ æt ðə smɔːl bluː laɪt ɪn ðə ˈsiːlɪŋ, ɔː ˈfʌmblɪŋ tuː faɪnd juː ˈtɪkɪt fɔːr ɪnˈspɛkʃən. ɪnˈɛvɪtəbli juː əˈraɪv æt jɔː ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃən ˈɔːlməʊst ɪgˈzɔːstɪd. lɒŋ kɑː ˈʤɜːniz ɑːr ˈiːvən lɛs ˈplɛznt, fɔːr ɪt ɪz kwaɪt ɪmˈpɒsəbl ˈiːvən tuː riːd. ɒn ˈməʊtəˌweɪz juː kæn, æt liːst, ˈtrævl ˈfeəli ˈseɪfli æt haɪ spiːdz, bʌt mɔːr ˈɒf(ə)n ðæn nɒt, ðə ˈgreɪtə pɑːt ɒv ðə ˈʤɜːni ɪz spɛnt ɒn rəʊdz wɪð fjuː ˈsɜːvɪs ˈsteɪʃənz ænd tuː mʌʧ ˈtræfɪk.
出远门的人常常需要决定是走旱路、水路,还是坐飞机。很少有人能够真正喜欢坐几个小时以上的火车。车厢很快就变得拥挤、闷热,想摆脱开旅途的困扰是很难的。看书只能解决部分问题。车轮与铁轨间单调的嘎喳声很快就会送你进入梦乡。白天是忽睡忽醒,到了夜晚,你真想睡了,却很难入睡。即使你走运弄到一个卧铺,夜间有一半时间你会盯着车顶那盏小蓝灯而睡不着觉;要不然就为查票摸索你的车票。一旦抵达目的地,你总是疲惫不堪。乘汽车作长途旅行则更加不舒服,因为连看书都几乎不可能。在公路上还好,你至少能以相当快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分时间都花在路上,而且只有很少的服务设施,交通也很拥挤。
任务配置:L0、L3、L4
知识笔记:
单词与短语
frequently have to do sth常常需要做某事
positively enjoy doing sth真正喜欢
a few hours 几个小时
get cramped and stuffy变得拥挤潮热
take one's mind off sth摆脱某事的困扰
monotonous/məˈnɒtnəs/lacking in variety; tediously unvarying
get a sleeper弄到一个卧铺
sleeper/ ˈsliːpə/a person or thing that sleeps.
On motorways 在公路上
练习感悟:
现在让我感觉到难的地方有两个:复述时无词、无短语可用时,以及背诵原文时。