【英语趣味课堂】旅游的最佳方式-The Best Way to Travel

Todd: So, Simon, are you still planning to take trip to Southeast Asia?

 

Simon: Yeah, I really like Southeast Asia so I would like to go there again.

 

Todd: Oh, cool. When you go, are you taking a tour, packaged tour or are you just going to go on your own like a backpacker?

 

Simon: Well, I haven't decided¹ yet. Ah, both have their advantages and their disadvantages. (Mm, yeah!) Um, well, let's say with backpacking, it's cheap, and you can meet a lot of interesting people and you can sometimes stumble² upon, really, really cool things or interesting places by chance.

 

Todd: Hm, it's true, but if you do a packaged tour, they usually have the expertise³ about the area. You'll have a guide who can speak the language.

 

Simon: Well, if I go for a short-time, which is probably the case I think packaged tours have, are also good because you're there for a short time. Everything is provided⁴ for you and you can just enjoy fun in the sun, or culture. Basically⁵, your mind can relax. When you're a backpacker you always have to think about everything, you know. "Can I find a place to stay?", "Is this place safe?" you know, "Are my belongings⁶ safe?" uh, things like that. Packaged tour you just sit back and relax.

 

Todd: Yeah, I think it's always best to take a packaged tour if you travel with somebody, but it's always best to do backpacking if you're going to travel alone.

 

Simon: Absolutely, I agree. If you're alone, in, as a backpacker, you can meet people. You're forced to meet people.

 

Todd: Yeah, that's true.

 

Simon: Ah, if you took a packaged tour alone you'd probably be one lonely person, sitting on the beach, drinking your glass of lemonade or whatever drank and sitting there reading a book.

 

Todd: So, on your trip to Southest Asia, are you going alone with somebody?

 

Simon: Well, we'll see won't we.

 

学习内容:

 

packaged tour

 

When you go, are you taking a packaged tour or are you going on your own like a backpacker? 

When you go on a 'packaged tour' it means that everything is included in price you pay. This would mean transportation, accommodation and maybe food. Notice the following:

 

What is the price for a 4-day packaged tour?

The packaged tour was cheap, but it didn't really give us the freedom that we wanted.

advantages, disadvantages

 

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so I haven't decided yet. 

An 'advantage' is a positive benefit or something you gain from doing something a certain way. A 'disadvantage' is a negative outcome⁷ for doing something a certain way. Notice the following:

 

One of the big advantages of this camera is that it's so small that it can just fit in my pocket.

One of the disadvantages of reading long books is that you have to carry it around with you.

backpacking

 

Backpacking is cheap and you can meet a lot of interesting people. 

'Backpacking' is a word to describe an inexpensive method of travel. It includes traveling by bus or train and staying in shared hotel rooms. It is called backpacking because the people who travel like this put all of their belongings in a big backpack. Notice the following:

 

I spent so much time backpacking that it seems strange to stay in a real hotel now.

Many young people go backpacking through Europe now.

stumble upon

 

When backpacking, you can sometimes stumble upon really cool things by chance. 

When you 'stumble upon something' it means that you discover it by chance. It is not something that you knew about before arriving there. Notice the following:

 

She always seems to stumble upon interesting buildings.

I stumbled⁸ upon the cutest little bakery today.

expertise

 

But if you do a packaged tour, they usually have the expertise about the area. 

If someone has 'expertise' about something it means that he is very knowledgeable⁹ about the subject. It is a like a specialty¹⁰. Notice the following:

 

I would say that his expertise is learning¹¹ how to get out of difficult situations.

Well, that isn't really my area of expertise, but I will try to help you.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 stumble   

n.绊倒，失策；vi.绊倒，失策，踌躇，无意中发现；vt.绊倒，困惑

参考例句：

• Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,for they have strengthened your ability.感激绊倒你的人，因为他强化了你的能力。
• You never knew when you might stumble across some new talent.谁也说不准什么时候会碰上一位新的天才。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

5 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

6 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

7 outcome   

n.结果，出口，演变

参考例句：

• The outcome of the experiment is in the lap of the gods.实验结果尚难预料。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。

8 stumbled   

v.（不顺畅地）说( stumble的过去式和过去分词 )；跌跌撞撞地走；绊脚；（说话、演奏等）出错

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• The child stumbled and fell. 孩子绊了一下，摔倒了。

9 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

10 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。