44 · 又快捷又舒适
Speed and Comfort
读懂长句与段落衔接，分清事实、推断和观点，再连贯复述或说明。
原稿有一处写成 travlling；通常拼作 travelling。正文保留原稿字面，书写时请注意。
课文精读整篇课文
点选一句，句末即可听读；连起意思，大声读一遍。
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 holiday time for the pleasure of travlling by sea.
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being an 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 film 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.
本课原文与译文
展开完整文本 · 便于查阅与检索
整篇课文
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 holiday time for the pleasure of travlling by sea.
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being an 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 film 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.
长途旅行时，人们经常要在陆路、海路和航空之间作出选择。坐火车一连坐上好几个小时，几乎没人能真觉得享受。车厢很快就显得拥挤憋闷，想不去在意旅途的煎熬，几乎做不到。读书只能暂时排遣，因为车轮碾过铁轨的单调声响，很快又会把人催眠。白天，睡得断断续续；夜里真想好好睡，却又往往睡不着。就算幸运地买到卧铺，也可能半夜不是盯着顶上的蓝色小灯，就是摸索着找车票，准备查验。抵达目的地时，免不了已是筋疲力尽。长途乘车更不舒服，连书都没法看。高速公路上，至少还能比较安全地高速行驶，可更多时候，大半路程都是车流拥挤、服务站寥寥的普通道路。相比之下，乘渡轮或邮轮有着丰富而舒适的享受：可以在宽敞的甲板上活动腿脚，玩游戏，结识有趣的人，品尝美食。当然，这一切都以风平浪静为前提。要是海况不好，而你又容易晕船，那就没有比乘船更糟的交通方式了。即使天气理想，海上旅行也十分耗时，没有多少人愿意为了乘船的乐趣，牺牲宝贵的假期。
飞机向来有不安全的名声，甚至让久经旅行的人也感到害怕，而且票价昂贵也是一大缺点。但论速度和舒适，没有什么交通方式能比得上它。在三万英尺的高空、云层之上，以每小时五百多英里的速度前进，是一种令人振奋的体验。你不必设法转移注意力、熬过旅途，因为飞机很快就会把你送到目的地。只需舒舒服服地靠在宽大的座椅上，享受几个小时的飞行。在某些航班上，真想暂时抛开尘世烦恼的人，还可以一边看电影，一边小酌香槟。即使没有这些讲究，也有许多事可做。飞机会带你从不同寻常的角度，看见这个世界令人惊叹的景色：你毫不费力地掠过高山深谷，真正看清大地的轮廓。如果看不见地面，也可以欣赏眼前绵延数英里的无边云海，以及晴空中灿烂的阳光。飞行平稳，读书或睡觉都不受妨碍。不论选择怎样打发时间，有一点可以肯定：到达时，你依然精神饱满、衣着整齐，不必再花上好几天，从漫长艰苦的旅途中恢复过来。
学完这一课
用 decide whether to… or… 写一次有明确维度的选择。
译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第151—154页，2022年2月第3版。