原版英文小故事 36. Vacation at Home

The two-week vacation at the end of summer school ended yesterday. Kevin had gone nowhere during his vacation. He had the money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Gary, his youngest brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last vacation. Each of them had spent the last three years waiting for the other to apologize.

Kevin did not feel good about being on non-speaking terms with his favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his mind, this whole misunderstanding was his brother’s fault.

So Kevin’s summer vacation was spent in his own “back yard.” As usual, he had planned to clean up his apartment. As usual, two weeks later his apartment looked just as it had two weeks before.

He did do one thing new and different during his vacation. He went to a new coffee shop on Foothill Street. It served 25 varieties of delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff were genuinely¹ friendly.

The coffee shop had a do-it-yourself counter near the entrance. On the counter were lids, straws, and wooden stirrers. There were wraps to insulate² your hands against the hot coffee inside the cup. There were also individual servings of sugar, sweeteners, and creamers. Kevin used the lids and wraps, but drank his coffee black.

The shop was air-conditioned at a slightly chilly³ temperature. About eight small round tables were inside. Outside were four bigger tables. Each had four white metal chairs around it, and several big umbrellas provided⁴ shade. Even on hot afternoons, there was usually a pleasant breeze⁵.

Kevin visited the coffee shop four times during his vacation. He always sat at a table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there, he read most of the newspaper articles while he enjoyed two cups of coffee.

Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians⁶. The coffee shop was next to a huge parking lot. The lot was for customers of a grocery store, movie rental⁷ store, pharmacy⁸, bank, and restaurant. Kevin considered his outdoor seat the perfect place for one of his favorite activities—people watching.

The coffee shop, with its excellent location and coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. But he knew in his heart, had his brother been there to join him just one day, his vacation would have been a perfect one.

 

1 genuinely   

ad.真地；确实地

参考例句：

• She appeared genuinely surprised by this gesture of affection. 看来她真的被这个爱意的表示惊呆了。
• She seems genuinely fond of the children. 她似乎真的喜欢这些小孩。

2 insulate   

vt.使绝缘，使隔热，使隔音，隔离，使隔绝

参考例句：

• The function of a mammal's fur is to insulate the body.哺乳动物皮毛的功能在于使身体保温。
• The ceiling tiles help to insulate a room.那天花板瓦能使房间隔热。

3 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

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 breeze   

n.微风；轻而易举的事；vi.来去匆匆，急速走

参考例句：

• A little breeze is blowing in from the window.微风从窗户里吹进来。
• The clouds are pale and a light breeze is blowing.云淡风轻。

6 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

8 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。