英语杂谈：94 let's take a vacation

1   Introduction
A    Americans are very mobile¹, and travel is very popular for many people.   In America, when people take a vacation, they often drive a car.  Some families travel far within their home state once a year during vacations.  Some would even go abroad for a change if they have time. 
B    Instead of Chinese summer vacation and winter vacation, Americans have two or three weeks off from work specifically² for vacations.  They may choose to take three one-week vacations depending on the workplace. 
C    American children have the entire summer months, June, July and August, for vacation from school.  They also have Christmas to New Year’s, Easter and Thanksgiving holidays. 
D   American vacations are usually longer than four days. Otherwise, they are considered weekend getaways.  

 2   Sample Sentences
1.   I’d like to buy a timetable.
2.   I want an upper berth³ / a middle berth / a lower berth in the sleeping car.  
3.   I’d like to leave / register⁴ my luggage, please.
 4.   Is this the platform for the train to Shanghai?
5.   How long does the slow train / fast train / express train take to get there? 
6.   I’d like to take a short cruise⁵ / take a tour of the harbor⁶. 
7.   Can I hire a rowing boat?  There’re two of us.  I’d like it for one hour.  What’s the charge per hour?
8.   Can you recommend a sightseeing tour / a sightseeing package? 
9.   I’d like to hire an English-speaking private guide for half a day. 
 10.  Is there a reduction⁷ for children / the disabled / groups / pensioners⁸ / students? 
 11.  What’s the rate for excess⁹ baggage?
12.  I’d like a single (one-way) / return (round trip) ticket to Los Angeles. 
13.  The bus to Boston leaves on the half-hour.  
 14.  I usually stay home on my day off. 
15.  I wish I could start my summer vacation early.

 
3   Conversations
1.   I need this vacation. 
At a research laboratory¹⁰ in Southern California.
Robert:  Anita, I’ve been here only three days and you’re leaving already. 
Anita:  Just for a few weeks.  I need this vacation.  You’ll be all right.  You know the project we’re working on, and you’re a good scientist.  Don’t worry.  I’ll be back as soon as I spend or gamble¹¹ all my money. 
Robert:  Gambling¹²?  Where? 
Anita:  Las Vegas.  I find gambling relaxing.  I don’t take it seriously, the way some people do.  Besides, I love the shows and the all-night atmosphere of the town.  The casinos1 never close, you know. 
Robert:   (Laughing) If you gamble all night, you’ll run out of money in a few days.
(The director of the laboratory walks in.) 
Anita:  Good afternoon, Dr. Green.  I just finished showing Robert the ropes around here. 
Green:  That’s good.  He’ll be able to keep the project going in your absence.  Where are you going on your vacation? 
Anita:  I’m going to Nevada to relax.  The desert is a good place to get away from the stress of work. 
Green:  Enjoy yourself.  We’ll see you when you get back. 

2.   Ted¹³ and Laura are in a loud disco.
Ted:  Hi, my name is Ted, what’s yours?
Laura:  What?
Ted:  I said, I’m Ted, who are you?
Laura:  Huh?  Oh, my name is Laura.
Ted:  Do you comehere often, Laura? 
Laura:  Huh?  I can’t hear you; the music’s too loud. 
Ted:  Let’s go outside and talk.  So Laura, do you come here often?
Laura:  Hold on, my ears are still ringing from the music… what was it you asked me?
Ted:  I asked if you come here often.
Laura:  Sometimes, usually once every few weeks.  Do you? 
Ted:  No, this is my first time here. 
Laura:  I usually come with a group of friends.  We dance a little, have a few drinks, and just have a good time.
Ted:  Yeah, that’s why I’m here.  My friends dragged2 me here, because they think I spend too much time studying. 
Laura:  That’s good.  It’s good to hit3 the books, but you need to get out once in a while. 
Ted:  I guess so.  But the music is too loud.  I don’t mind getting out and meeting people, but next time I’ll do it in a park.
 
3.  Anna is Lucy’s American friend.  They’re talking about traveling. 
Luke:  Hi, Anna. I haven’t seen you for ages. Where have you been?
Anna:  I’ve been away on holidays for sometime.
Luke:  No wonder I haven’t seen you recently.  Where did you spend your holidays?
Anna:  I went with my husband.  Our first stop was Bangkok4.  We stayed there for 5 days.  Then we flew to Hong Kong, stopover for 3 days.  Our last stop was China.  We visited the Great Wall. 
Luke:  You must have a wonderful time.
Anna:  Yes.  We enjoyed ourselves very much.  Have you traveled much, Luke? 
Luke:  No, my wife doesn’t like traveling.  We haven’t been traveling for more than ten years.  The first time we traveled together was in 1978 when we just got married.  We spent our honeymoon¹⁴ in the Alps. 
Anna:  Oh, I see.  Yeah.  Some people like traveling, some don’t.  My husband didn’t like traveling at first, either.  He said ‘what’s the use of traveling?  A waste of money and a waste of time.’  At last I got him on the move5.  After all, he loved me.  We went to Bali, Indonesia6, one of the most beautiful places in the world.  That trip left a very deep impression on him.  Since then whenever we have holidays and money, we’d like to patronize7 the travel agency¹⁵.  Isn’t it a bit dull to shut yourself at one place all your life?
Luke:  I know that.  But at present we just can’t arrange time for traveling.  The kids are still young.  The eldest¹⁶ one is in middle school, the second one is in primary school and the youngest one is still in kindergarten.  Besides, my wife is very busy with her doctorate8. 
Anna:  Life must be a bit hard for you at present.  But don’t worry.  You’ll certainly be better off9 when the kids are grown up.  Then you’ll have more time to travel, and your wife will change her mind, too.
Luke:  I hope so.

4.  Taking a vacation. 
George:  Lili, let’s take a vacation! 
Lili:  George, how can we?  Vacations cost money.  And this month we don’t have much money left after paying the rent. 
George:  Well, Lili, we can visit different places in the state in our van10.  We are not going to take a plane or stay at a hotel this time.  Trust me, it won’t cost much. 
Lili:  Where will we sleep, then? 
George:  In the van.  
Lili:  What about other expenses? 
George:  Let’s see.  Gas, food, recreation11, we won’t spend much.  Come on.  Don’t hesitate.  We need to get out of the house once in a while.  We have been working hard, haven’t we? 
Lili:  Maybe you’re right.  When do you plan to go? 
George:  The sooner the better!  I can’t wait! 
Lili:  Oh, I don’t know where we’re going yet. 
George:  As long as we’re going,you can decide where to go.  I trust your judgments12.  I know you miss Chinese food, so we can eat at a Chinese restaurant this time. 
Lili:  Let’s go to Chicago.  We can have lunch in Chinatown.  Then we can go to a ball game at Wrigley Field!  
George:  You have such good ideas!

 

 4    Words and Expressions 
1. casino  (有跳舞、音乐等娱乐的) 赌场
2. drag  拉,拖;拖着(脚等)行进
3. hit   打,打击;击中
4. Bangkok  曼谷(泰国首都) 
5. on the move  在活动中;在进行中 
6. Indonesia  印度尼西亚 
7. patronize  资助,光顾,惠顾
8. doctorate  博士头衔,博士学位
9. better off    景况较佳;更有余裕
10. van  有盖小货车;箱形客货两用车
11. recreation  消遣;娱乐,游戏
12. judgment  审判;判断力,辨别力

 

1 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。

2 specifically   

adv.明确地，具体地；特别地，特意

参考例句：

• The book was written specifically for children.这本书是特地为儿童编写的。
• I told you specifically not to do that.我明确地告诉你不要那样做。

3 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

4 register   

n.登记簿，花名册，注册员；v.登记，注册

参考例句：

• Please list your name in the attendance register.请在点名册上登记你的名字。
• He was looking over a hotel register.他正在仔细检查旅馆住宿登记表。

5 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。

6 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。

7 reduction   

n.减少，减低，减缩；减少，减低

参考例句：

• Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.减少所得税将受到热烈欢迎。
• You will have a reduction for cash.付现金可以打折扣。

8 pensioners   

n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He intends to redistribute income from the middle class to poorer paid employees and pensioners. 他意图把中产阶级到低薪雇员和退休人员的收入做重新分配。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. 我自己就是一个我们的高贵的施主遗留基金的养老金领取者。 来自辞典例句

9 excess   

n.过量，过度；超越；adj.过量的，附加的

参考例句：

• He advised his son never to spend in excess of his income.他劝儿子开支不可超过收入。
• You're too fat;try and run off all those excess pounds.你太胖了，要跑跑步减肥。

10 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

11 gamble   

n.冒险；v.赌博，孤注一掷

参考例句：

• Setting up this business was a bit of a gamble.开办这样的公司有点冒险。
• Drive carefully and don't gamble with your life.小心驾驶，别拿你的生命冒险。

12 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

13 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

14 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

15 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

16 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。