自助游新时尚“沙发漫游”

 　　Just how comfortable is your sofa? Would you be prepared to let a stranger crash out there for the night? And, on the basis of a bit of email correspondence and seeing a photo of the sofa belonging to 'A. N. Unknown', would you travel halfway¹ across the world to do the same? It might sound crazy, but this is exactly what millions of people have done whilst participating in an activity known as couch surfing.

　　你的沙发舒适吗？你愿意让一个陌生人在你的沙发上过夜吗？在只有邮件来往、只看了一个“陌生人”传来的沙发照片后，你会到地球的另一边在他家的沙发上过夜吗？这些听起来可能有点疯狂，不过这恰恰是数百万参与“沙发漫游”的人曾经做过的事情。

　　Couch surfing is travelling on a budget, using a broad network of contacts in order to get overnight accommodation for free, or at as little cost as possible. Participants, dubbed² couch surfers, join dedicated³ websites, providing as much information about themselves as possible in order to make others feel comfortable hosting them, or using them as a host. Various safety features are generally available in such online networks, like verification of names and addresses, personal references, and 'vouching⁴ for' a particular member as a reliable host or guest.

　　“沙发漫游”是一种经济的旅游方式，可以通过一个庞大的关系网免费或者用尽量低的费用在旅游目的地过夜。“沙发漫游者”一般会加入专门的网站，并尽可能多的提供他们的个人信息以使其他会员愿意为他们提供住宿或跟他们换房旅游。这类网站一般都会有安全认证程序，比如核实姓名和地址、个人推荐、以及“担保”某位会员为可靠房主或房客等。

　　As well as the financial advantages of couch surfing, participants also claim that the practice gives them a more unique, authentic⁵ travel experience, allowing them to experience culture and cuisine⁶ through the locals, rather than from the confines of sanitized tourist accommodation.

　　除了省钱这个优势外，“沙发漫游者”还认为这种旅游方式让他们有一段更加独特、更加真实的旅行体验，能够让他们通过当地人体会那里的文化和美食，而不是整天被困在旅游团队的住地。

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 vouching   

n.（复核付款凭单等）核单v.保证( vouch的现在分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说

参考例句：

• These are references vouching for his ability. 这些都是证明他能力的介绍信。 来自互联网
• If you want to test, to test a Vouching Clerk is also more useful to some. 你如果要考，去考个单证员还更有用一些。 来自互联网

5 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

6 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。