《新概念英语》第44篇 Speed and comfort（第一段）精读讲义-2023～2024学年高中英语拓展阅读讲义（拔尖班）

 

语篇导读：这是一篇说明文。本文运用的对比的手法，说明长途旅行，无论是选择旱路、水路还是飞机，都令人多多少少感到疲倦。火车拥挤吵闹、公路堵车、船运晕船，相比之下，飞机出行在速度和舒适度上更胜一筹，乘客抵达目的地时感到精神焕发，不必费时恢复精神。

 

Speed and comfort

• 指飞机的速度之快和舒适度

 

①People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. ②Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours.③ Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy.④It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey.⑤Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep.⑥During the day, sleep comes in snatches.⑦At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so.⑧If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection.⑨Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. ⑩Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read.⑪On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic.⑫By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts.⑬You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food -- always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm.⑭If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be

worse.⑮Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. ⑯Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travlling by sea.

语篇导读：本段讲述人们出行需要乘坐交通工具，而往往会令人疲惫不堪，尤其是火车、长途汽车和轮船。①开篇引入出行要乘坐交通工具的话题；②③⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨这几句话主要描述火车的劣势：车厢狭窄沉闷；火车单调的嘎喳声，无论是白天还是黑夜，都不得安眠；⑩⑪公路出行在路上费时长，会遇上塞车；⑫⑬⑭⑮⑯坐船相对舒服，空间大，有娱乐设施和食物供应，但前提是风平浪静，否则，会晕船。

 

词汇小学堂

• positively /'pɒzətɪvlɪ/：You use positively to emphasize that you really mean what you are saying. 绝对地，完全地；如：This is positively the last chance for the industry to establish such a system. 这绝对是该行业建立此机制的最后一次机会
• compartment/kəm'pɑːtm(ə)nt/：one of the separate sections which a coach/car on a train is divided into（铁路客车车厢分隔成的）隔间，如：On the way home we shared our first class compartment with a group of businessmen. 在回家的路上我们和一群商人共同乘坐头等车厢。
• cramped/kræmpt/：a cramped room, building etc does not have enough space for the people in it狭窄的，狭小的，如：The kitchen was small and cramped. 这间厨房又小又窄。
• stuffy/'stʌfɪ/：a room or building that is stuffy does not have enough fresh air in it〔房间或建筑物〕通风不好的，空气不新鲜的，憋闷的，如：No stuffy cubicles here.没有闷热的隔间。
• take your mind off the journey：摆脱旅途的困扰。take one’s mind off…：不想……，将注意力从……上移开，如：I have taken my mind off work.

我的心思已经不在工作上了。与第二段“You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey”，所以可以看出文章的结构是很紧凑的。【语篇结构】

• 【近义词辨析】monotonous/mə'nɒt(ə)nəs/: boring because of always being the same单调的，乏味的，一味的，如：They simply hate living a monotonous life and doing the same everyday things. 他们讨厌千篇一律的生活或做重复单调的事。

• monotonous：因重重复复而单调烦人，意为“单调乏味的，一成不变的”；如：a monotonous diet 单调的饮食
• tedious：因时间过长或无趣而枯燥乏味，意为“枯燥乏味的，冗长的”；如：a tediously long film 一部冗长的电影
• dull：因无趣或沉闷而令人乏味，意为“乏味的，无聊的”；如：a dull movie 一部沉闷的电影
• boring：主要是无趣，用法比较宽泛，意为“无趣的，无聊的，乏味的”；如：Life was never boring. 生活从来都不无聊。

• rhythm/'rɪðəm/：a strong regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements节奏；韵律；律动，如：He can't seem to play in rhythm . 他的演奏好像不合节拍。
• click/klɪk/：to make or cause sth to make a short sharp sound 使发出咔嗒声；使咔嗒（或咔嚓）响，如：The cameras clicked away. 照相机咔嚓咔嚓地不停拍照。
• clicking on the rails soon：现在分词短语，作定语，表主动，修饰wheels
• lull/lʌl/：to make someone feel calm or as if they want to sleep使平静下来；使昏昏欲睡，*lull someone to sleep哄某人入睡。如：The hum of the tyres on the road lulled her to sleep. 一路上滚滚的车轮声使她昏昏欲睡。
• snatch/snætʃ/：A snatch of a conversation or a song is a very small piece of it. (谈话或歌曲的) 片断，短时，如：I heard snatches of the conversation. 我听到