英语沙龙：Tourism

Tourism

Railroads¹, ships, buses, and airplanes

have made travel easier, faster, and cheaper;

and the number of people who can spare the time and the money

to take trips has grown enormously².

It is not reserved to a lucky few, nowadays,

to admire Inca temples, French castles,

and Australian kangaroos.

Millions of people do each year.

But instead of being called travelers,

they are known as tourists

and they are seen all over the world —

floating down the Amazon, cruising³ to Alaska,

flying from Timbuktu to Easter Island,

and taking pictures of Norwegian churches and Pakistani costumes.

Surely this represents great progress.

It is just and good that most of the people

who dream of seeing the Parthenon should have a chance to do so.

It is satisfying to know that remote ruins

are not forgotten in deep forests,

to be seen only a few explorers at the risk of their lives.

It is excellent that people of different counties⁴

should meet and talk to each other.

But is it really?

Is it really desirable⁵ to have the most remote beach,

the most hidden temple exposed to human curiosity⁶

and at the same time to the litter and graffiti

that humanity⁷ leaves in its path?

Would it be better to leave such treasures to the local population,

which perhaps doesn?t pay any attention to them?

The saddest aspect of tourism has been brought recently

to the attention of the public:

it seems that the great number of visitors

is destroying the treasures that they enjoy most.

Under millions of feet,

ancient stones wear out,

ancient floors break down.

Parts of the palace of Versailles

may have to be closed to the public

in order to preserve them,

and some European caves,

famous for their thirty-thousand-year-old paintings,

have already been closed

because the paintings were damaged by human respiration⁸.

There may come a time when only specialists in art, history,

or archaeology⁹ will be allowed near the treasures of the past.

Perhaps we’d better hurry to see them;

perhaps we’d better take a tour soon.

1 railroads   

n.铁路，铁道( railroad的名词复数 )；铁路系统v.铁路，铁道( railroad的第三人称单数 )；铁路系统

参考例句：

• Water transportation was outmoded by railroads and good pikes. 水上运输已因铁路和良好的税道而变得过时了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads. 一场暴风雪使铁路中断。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 enormously   

adv.巨大地，庞大地；大大

参考例句：

• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His research has contributed enormously to our understanding of this disease. 他的研究对我们认识这一疾病贡献很大。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cruising   

adj.巡航的v.乘船巡游( cruise的现在分词 )；以快而平稳的速度长距离行驶；巡航；轻而易举赢得（或获得）

参考例句：

• The car was cruising along at 100 kilometres an hour. 这辆汽车平稳地以每小时100公里的速度行驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They will go cruising in the Mediterranean. 他们将在地中海上巡游。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 counties   

郡，县( county的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The deposits spread for 100 kilometers across four counties. 这些矿藏绵延一百公里，跨越四个县。
• The Jinggang Mountains stand where the boundaries of four counties meet. 井冈山位于四县之交。

5 desirable   

adj.值得拥有的；可取的，有利的

参考例句：

• Some reasonable adjustments seem desirable.某些合理的调整似乎是可取的。
• Prolonged negotiation was not desirable.拖长了的谈判并不是大家所想要的。

6 curiosity   

n.好奇心，新奇的事物，珍品

参考例句：

• He gave in to curiosity and opened my letter.他抑制不住好奇心，拆开了我的信。
• The children are dying of curiosity to see what's in the parcel.孩子们出于好奇，迫不及待地想看看包裹中是什么东西。

7 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

8 respiration   

n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用

参考例句：

• They tried artificial respiration but it was of no avail.他们试做人工呼吸，可是无效。
• They made frequent checks on his respiration,pulse and blood.他们经常检查他的呼吸、脉搏和血液。

9 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。