Lesson 47 The great escape 大逃亡

First listen and then answer the following question.

听录音,然后回答以下问题。

What is one of the features of modern camping where nationality is concerned?

Economy is one powerful motive for camping, since after the initial outlay upon equipment, or through hiring it, the total expense can be far less than the cost of hotels. But, contrary to a popular assumption, it is far from being the only one, or even the greatest. The man who manoeuvres carelessly into his twenty pounds' worth of space at one of Europe's myriad permanent sites may find himself bumping a Bentley. More likely, 5 Ford Escort will be hub to hub with Renault or Mercedes, but rarely with bicycles made for two.

That the equipment of modern camping becomes yearly more sophisticated is an entertaining paradox for the cynic, a brighter promise for the hopeful traveller who has sworn to get away from it all. It also provides - and some student sociologist might care to base his thesis upon the phenomenon-an escape of another kind. The modern traveller is often a man who dislikes the Splendide and the Bellavista, not because 10 he cannot afford, or shuns their material comforts, but because he is afraid of them. Affluent he may be, but he is by no means sure what to tip the doorman or the chambermaid. Master in his own house, he has little idea of when to say boo to a maître d'hôtel .

From all such fears camping releases him. Granted, a snobbery of camping itself, based upon equipment and techniques, already exists; but it is of a kind that, if he meets it, he can readily understand and deal with. 15 There is no superior 'they' in the shape of managements and hotel hierarchies to darken his holiday days.

To such motives, yet another must be added. The contemporary phenomenon of car worship is to be explained not least by the sense of independence and freedom that ownership entails. To this pleasure camping gives an exquisite refinement.

From one's own front door to home or foreign hills or sands and back again, everything is to hand. Not 20 only are the means of arriving at the holiday paradise entirely within one's own command and keeping, but the means of escape from holiday hell (if the beach proves too crowded, the local weather too inclement) are there, outside-or, as likely, part of-the tent.

Idealists have objected to the practice of camping, as to the package tour, that the traveller abroad thereby denies himself the opportunity of getting to know the people of the country visited. Insularity and 25 self-containment, it is argued, go hand in hand. The opinion does not survive experience of a popular Continental camping place. Holiday hotels tend to cater for one nationality of visitors especially, sometimes exclusively. Camping sites, by contrast, are highly cosmopolitan. Granted, a preponderance of Germans is a characteristic that seems common to most Mediterranean sites; but as yet there is no overwhelmingly specialized patronage. Notices forbidding the open-air drying of clothes, or the use of water points for car 30 washing, or those inviting 'our camping friends' to a dance or a boat trip are printed not only in French or Italian or Spanish, but also in English, German and Dutch. At meal times the odour of sauerkraut vies with that of garlic. The Frenchman's breakfast coffee competes with the Englishman's bacón and eggs.

Whether the remarkable growth of organized camping means the eventual death of the more independent kind is hard to say. Municipalities naturally want to secure the campers' site fees and other custom. Police 35 are wary of itinerants who cannot be traced to a recognized camp boundary or to four walls. But most

probably it will all depend upon campers themselves: how many heath fires they cause; how much litter they leave; in short, whether or not they wholly aljenate landowners and those who live in the countryside. Only good scouting is likely to preserve the freedoms so dear to the heart of the eternal Boy Scout.

Modern camping

New words and expressions 生词和短语

assumption (1.2) $/{2}^{\prime }s \land {mp}\int {an}/n$ . 假定

manoeuvre (1.3) $/m$ ә'nuːvə/v.(驱车)移动

myriad (1.4) / "mɪriəd/ adj. 无数的

paradox (1.6) /’pærədɒks/ $n$ . 自相矛盾的事

cynic (1.7) /’sInɪk/ $n$ . 愤世嫉俗者

sociologist (1.8) ${I}_{1}$ səʊsi'ɒlədʒɪst/ $n$ . 社会学家

shun (l.10) $/\int {\Delta n}/v$ . 避开

affluent (1.10) / 'æfluənt/ adj. 富有的

chambermaid (1.11)/’tfeɪmbəmeɪd/ n. 女招待员

boo (1.12) /bu:/ n. 呸的一声

maître d'hôtel (1.12)/metra-dəʊ'tel/n. [法语]总管

snobbery (1.13) /’snɒbəri/ $n$ . 势利

hierarchy (1.15) /’hairɑːki/ n. 等级制度

entail (1.17) /In'teɪl/v. 使成为必要

inclement (1.21) /In 'klement/ adj. 险恶的

package tour (1.23) / 'pækɪdʒ-tuə/ 由旅行社安

排一切的一揽子旅游

insularity (1.24) ${/}_{1}$ msjʊ’lærɪti $/n$ . 偏狭

cater (1.26) /’keɪtə/ v. 迎合

exclusively (1.27) /Ik'skluːsrvli/ adv. 排他地

cosmopolitan (1.27) / ˌkɒzmə'pɒlɪtən/ adj. 世界的

preponderance (1.27)/prɪ'pɒndərəns/n. 优势

·overwhelmingly (1.28) / əʊvə'welmɪŋli/adv. 以压倒

优势地, 清一色地

patronage (1.29) /’pætrənɪdʒ/n. 恩惠, 惠顾

sauerkraut (1.31) /’saʊəkraʊt/ n. 泡菜

vie (1.31) $/$ var/v. 竞争

municipality (1.34)/mjuː, nɪsɪ'pælɪti/ n. 市政当局

itinerant (1.35) $/$ aɪ'tmərənt/ n. 巡回者

heath (1.36) $/{\mathrm}_{1}\theta /n$ . 荒地

alienate (1.37) / 'erliənert/ v. 使疏远

eternal (1.38) $/{\mathrm{I}}^{\prime }\mathrm{t}3 : \mathrm{n}\partial \mid /$ adj. 永久的

Unit 6 Lesson 47

Notes on the text 课文注释

1 it is far from ..., 远不是 ……。

2 twenty pounds' worth of space, 价值 20 镑的空地, 其中 worth 是名词。

3 hub to hub with, 车轴与 …… 车轴相接。

4 the Splendide and the Bellavista, 两大酒店的名字。

5 say boo to a maître d'hôtel, 对酒店的经理表示不满。say boo to a maître d'hôtel, 是从 not say boo to a goose (非常胆小,不敢得罪) 演变而来的。在这个成语中, a goose 常被人们幽默地换成其他字眼。

6 Granted, ... but ... (虽然 …… 但是 ……) 这种句型中的 Granted 总放在句首, 意思是 Yes, 相当于一个连接副词的作用。

7 in the shape of, 以 ……形式出现的。

8 be to hand, 垂手可得。

9 cater for, 迎合 ……。

10 be wary of, 提防 ……。

11 Boy Scout, 童子军。

参考译文

图省钱是露营的一个主要动机, 因为除了开始时购置或是租借一套露营装备外, 总费用算起来要比住旅馆开支少得多。但是, 和一般的看法相反, 这决非是仅有的, 甚至不是最主要的动机。如果一位游客漫不经心地驾车驶入欧洲无数常年营地之一, 花 20 镑租用一个空位, 那么他可能会碰见一辆本特利汽车, 更可能会望见一辆福特·康索尔和一辆雷诺或一辆梅塞迪斯并排停放着,不过双人自行车则不容易看到。

现代露营装备一年比一年讲究,这对那些厌世嫉俗者来说是一件有趣的自相矛盾的事情。而对于发誓用露营来摆脱烦恼的人来说,却带来了更光明的前景。学社会学的大学生来露营是另一种形式的摆脱现实,他们的目的很可能是根据观察到的露营现象去写论文。现代露营旅游的人往往讨厌住 “斯普兰迪德”和 “贝拉维斯塔” 这样的大酒店,这并不是因为他们付不起钱,也不是为了躲避物质享受,而是因为他们害怕酒店。他们可能很富有, 但给看门人和房间女服务员多少小费, 心中却根本没有数; 他们在家可能是主人, 但不知道什么时候才能对酒店的经理表示不满。

露营使人们免除了这些忧虑。诚然, 露营地本身也存在以露营装备和方式取人的势利现象, 但如果有这种情况,露营者也容易理解,知道如何对付,但在露营地里根本不会有管人的“人上人”和酒店里的等级制度来使露营者的假日过得阴郁低沉。

除了以上动机外,还应再加上一个。当前崇拜汽车现象可以用与所有权相伴的独立和自由意识来解释。因此开车去露营会给这种快乐意识增加一种优雅意境。

从自己的家门出发到国内国外的山区或沙滩上露营然后返回,一切都很便利。完全在自己掌握之中的私人汽车不仅是到达假日天堂的工具, 而且也是逃离假日地狱 (如海滩太挤, 当地天气恶劣) 的方便工具, 因为汽车就停在帐篷外面,或者汽车本身可能就是露营帐篷的一个组成部分。

理想主义者像反对旅行社安排一切的一揽子旅游一样反对露营的作法, 说这种封闭的作法使到国外旅游者失去了了解所去国家人民的机会。他们争论说, 心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。但这种说法在受人欢迎的欧洲露营场地是站不住脚的。假日旅馆有只接待来自一个国家的旅游者的倾向,有时会达到排他的程度。而露营驻地则相反,是高度世界性的。在大多数地中海露营地里,德国人占优势似乎是个普遍现象,确实如此,但并没有特别的优待。禁止露天晒衣服、禁止用水龙头冲洗汽车的布告和邀请露营朋友参加舞会、乘船观光的招贴不仅印成法语、意大利语、西班牙语,而且也印成英语、德语、荷兰语。用饭的时候,德国泡菜味和大蒜味争相散发,法国人的早点咖啡和英国人的咸肉煎蛋竞相比美。

有组织的露营活动的明显发展是否意味着较独立的自我封闭式露营的最终消失, 还很难说。市政当局当然希望获得露营者的场地费和其他光临的好处,警察则对那些查不出有固定营地或住处的游荡者保持警惕。但最

Unit 6 Lesson 47

重要的或许是露营者自己, 即他们引起了多少场野火, 留下了多少垃圾。总之, 他们是否弄得土地的主人和乡间的居民同他们反目。只有优良的童子军活动才能保持不朽的童子军所衷心热爱的各项自由。

Comprehension 理解

Answer these questions:

1 Name three factors which induce people to go camping.

2 What do you understand by this statement: 'To this pleasure camping gives an exquisite refinement.'? (II.17-18)

3 Why have idealists objected to the practice of camping and how have they been proved wrong?

4 What factors may lead to the death of the more independent kind of camping?

Vocabulary 词汇

Refer to the text to see how the following words have been used, then write sentences of your own using these words: motive (1.1); initial outlay upon equipment (1.1); hub to hub (1.5); to say boo to (1.12); granted (1.13); inclement (1.21); package tour (1.23); insularity (1.24); exclusively (1.27); cosmopolitan (1.27); preponderance (1.27); wary of itinerants (1.35); litter (1.36).

Summary 摘要

Drawing your information from lines 6-32 ('That the equipment ... bacon and eggs.'), write an account of modern camping. Do not write more than 160 words. Use your own words as far as possible. Your answer should be in one paragraph.

Composition 作文

Write a composition of about 600 words on one of the following subjects:

1 Holiday camps.

2 Package tours.

3 What, in your opinion, are the requirements of an ideal holiday?

Key structures 关键句型

Rewrite the sentences given below using the opening phrases provided. Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:

1 Though the modern traveller is often a man who can afford and does not shun the material comforts of the Splendide and the Bellavista, he dislikes them because he is afraid of them.

The modern traveller _____ not because _____ (ll.9-10)

2 The means of arriving at the holiday paradise are not only entirely within one's own command and keeping, but the means of escape from holiday hell are there, outside-or, as likely, part of-the tent.

Not only _____ (ll.20-22)

3 They argue that insularity and self-containment go hand in hand.

Insularity and self-containment, it _____ (ll.24-25)

4 The freedoms so dear to the heart of the eternal Boy Scout are only likely to be preserved by good scouting. Only good _____ (11.37-38)

Unit 6 Lesson 47

Special difficulties 难点

A Study the following pairs of words and then write sentences of your own to bring out the difference.

1 initial (1.1) - primary

The lawyer charged 50 dollars for the initial consultation.

The safety of our passengers is our primary concern.

2 hire (I.2) - rent

I want to hire a car for my trip to London.

We've rented a villa in the south of France for the summer.

3 total (1.2) - whole

The total bill came to $894.

You can't give an opinion unless you've read the whole book.

4 shun(I.10) - avoid

He was shunned by his former friends.

You should avoid being late for work again.

5 worship (1.16) - warship

Religious leaders have always denounced the worship of money as the root of all evil.

The Spanish warships sent to conquer Britain in the 16th century were wrecked by an exceptionally violent storm.

6 by contrast (1.27) - opposite to

This new manager is really competent, especially by contrast with his predecessor.

This new manager is the complete opposite to what you would expect.

B Note the words in italics in the following sentences. Use these words again in sentences of your own, giving each word a different meaning from the one it has in the example:

1 The man who manoeuvres carelessly into his twenty pounds' worth of space may find himself bumping a Bentley. (II.3-4)

2 Granted, a snobbery of camping itself already exists. (ll.13-14)

3 Municipalities naturally want to secure the campers' site fees and other custom. (1.34)

Multiple choice questions 多项选择题

Choose the correct answers to the following questions.

Comprehension 理解

1 The main reason people enjoy camping is _____ .

(a) they can spend less on their holidays

(b) their enjoyment of owning camping equipment

(c) not necessarily so that they are saving money

(d) because they can show off their cars

2 Many modern campers are certainly rich enough to _____ .

(a) stay at hotels, but prefer not to

(b) have holidays, but choose not to

(c) buy expensive cars, but prefer cheap models

(d) visit camping sites, but generally avoid them Unit 6 Lesson 47

3 One of these statements is true. Which one?

(a) Modern campers enjoy considerable mobility.

(b) Modern campers look down on people who stay at expensive hotels.

(c) Modern campers are always moving from one place to another.

(d) Modern campers enjoy camping even in bad weather.

4 People of different nationalities at camping sites _____.

(a) like to keep to themselves

(b) often have arguments about the use of facilities

(c) frequently disobey the camping site rules

(d) like to mix freely and get to know each other

Structure 句型

5 _____ an entertaining paradox that equipment becomes more sophisticated. (1.6) (a) There is (b) It is (c) There has (d) It has 6 _____ he may be affluent, he isn't sure what to tip the doorman. (II.10-11) (a) Since (b) Because (c) Though (d) As 7 _____ master in his own house, _____ he has little idea ... (II.11-12) (a) He is ... but (b) He has ... and (c) He does ... but (d) He was ... though 8 _____ the contemporary phenomenon of car worship ... (1.16) (a) It is explained (b) To explain (c) You can explain (d) To be explained Vocabulary 词汇 9 The equipment of modern camping becomes yearly more _____ (1.6) (a) superseded (b) demanding (c) complicated (d) refined 10 - not because he _____ or shuns their material comforts ... (II.9-10) (a) ridicules (b) can’t pay for (c) has contempt for (d) dislikes 11 The _____ phenomenon of car worship ... (1.16) (a) latest (b) modern (c) up-to-date (d) recent 12 Holiday hotels tend to _____ one nationality of visitors. (1.26) (a) acknowledge (b) appeal to (c) provide for (d) include