【英语趣味课堂】旅游技巧-Travel Tips

 Todd: So, Greg, you are quite the world traveler I hear.

 

Greg: Um, yeah, I love traveling. I've been to probably around, I don't know, 20 different countries. I've lived in Thailand and South Korea¹ and United² Arab³ Emirates, and four different parts of Japan

 

Todd: Oh, that's a lot.

 

Greg: And of course several different places in the U.S.

 

Todd: Well, for somebody who's going to travel for for the first time, what type of advice would you give them, so you know, in case they never get lost.

 

Greg: Ah, getting lost. (Right) Yeah, that happens all the time. You have to prepare for that. Some of the, one of the first things I do whenever I get to an airport is I see if I can get a map from the information center. I go to a hotel. I ask if they have a map of the area. When I want to go somewhere, I ask then to write the destination in the local language, and also I practice my pronunciation with them, and sometimes I'll, almost always actually, I get a business card or a match book from the hotel to where I'll be returning (right, right) and then I go off on my merry way.

 

Todd: OK, well, let's say that um, you're on business in a foreign country, and it's really busy and you forget to get the business card, you don't have the map, you're trying to find someplace and you're completely⁴ lost, what should you do?

 

Greg: Well, of course, you've got to ask people. (Right, right) and it's a good idea to ask a lot of different people because in some countries people don't want to say no, but they don't want to say I don't know, right. They give you some directions, or maybe they don't understand you, and they give you the wrong directions, so even if you think you got good directions the first time constantly⁵ check with other people along your way.

 

Todd: Well, so when you're going down the street, and say you are lost, is there a certain type of person you look for like let's say an old lady or children. Is there a certain person who is better at giving directions?

 

Greg: Um, well, if it's a child, and you want to get to a business section or something, probably they don't know. (Right) It's a good idea to ask somebody who looks as if they live in the area, and not just another, sorry, tourist passing through or something.

 

Todd: Right, right, right. So you're talking about people who work in shops and things like that?

 

Greg: Yes, and also though, delivery⁶ men are usually very good, cause they have to go all over the city, so they know it well.

 

Todd: Right. So have you actually ever been lost?

 

Greg: Oh, I've been lost all the time. Once I got lost for a couple hours in Bangkok and it was terrible.

 

Todd: Well, that's a pretty, that's a pretty intense⁷ city.

 

Greg: Yeah, so after that, it gave me the idea that I should always check for landmarks⁸, you know landmarks are really tall buildings, or a river, something I could always know, I could see easily, and try to remember, "oh the river's on my right side. Ah, there's a hill over there." Keep looking for it. Remember it

 

Todd: Well, it sounds like good advice. Thanks Greg.

 

Greg: You're welcome.

 

学习内容：

 

getting lost

 

Getting lost happens all the time, and you have to prepare for that. 

When you 'get lost' you travel to a place where you don't know where you are or how to return to where you started. Notice the following:

 

You should get a GPS because it's very easy to get lost in the city.

Do you get lost easily?

business card

 

When I go to a hotel, I ask for a map of the area or I get a business card. 

A 'business card' is a piece of paper that has the contact information for a person or place. Notice the following:

 

Let me give you my mobile⁹ number because it's not on my business card.

You should give me your business card and I'll give you a call later this week.

match book

 

Sometimes, I get a match book from the hotel to where I'll be returning. 

A 'match book' is a pack of matches that come in a small paper folder¹⁰ that has the name or address of a place written on it. These are used as an advertisement. Notice the following:

 

We want to have some match books made with our logo on it.

The have a basket full of match books by the front door.

go off on my merry way

 

After I get the stuff¹¹ I need, then I go off on my merry way. 

The phrase¹² 'go off on my merry way' is used to say that you left a place to do your own thing. It is an informal¹³ phrase. Notice the following:

 

Let's meet for a few minutes so I can explain everything to you and then we can both go off on our merry ways.

Just answer the question and I will leave you alone and go off on my merry way.

pretty intense city

 

I got lost in Bangkok and it was terrible, because it's a pretty intense city. 

If a city is 'pretty intense' it means¹⁴ that there is a lot of activity going on and probably a lot of people. Anything that is 'pretty intense' has a lot for the senses to take in and analyze¹⁵. Notice the following:

 

Saigon is a pretty intense city, so some days you just want to go to a quiet, calm place.

I've been to quite a few large cities in my life, but Mexico City was a pretty intense city.

1 Korea   

n.朝鲜(亚洲)

参考例句：

• Korea lies to the east of China.韩国位于中国东面。
• Korea and China are separated by only the Yalu River.朝鲜和中国只隔一条鸭绿江。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 Arab   

n.阿拉伯人，阿拉伯马；adj.阿拉伯人的，阿拉伯的

参考例句：

• It's a story about an Arab in the desert.这是一个生活在沙漠地区的阿拉伯人的故事。
• An Arab is travelling in the desert on his camel.一个阿拉伯人正骑着骆驼在沙漠中旅行。

4 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

5 constantly   

adv.不变地，不断地，时常地

参考例句：

• The two countries have been warring constantly for years.这两国多年来一直交战。
• We should constantly urge ourselves on to study hard.我们要经常鞭策自己努力学习。

6 delivery   

n.交付；投递；分娩；解救者；演讲的风格

参考例句：

• The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递。
• He was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy.他受雇于当地杂货店当送货员。

7 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

8 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

9 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

10 folder   

n.纸夹，文件夹

参考例句：

• Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。
• He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。

11 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

12 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

13 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。

14 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

15 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。