Lesson 44 Speed and comfort又快捷又舒适比较级 最高级

People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. ^{统领整个文章的结构}

Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours.

hardly anyone = almost no one ^{几乎无人...}

• Hardly anyone writes to me these days.

positively ^{adv. used to emphasize the truth of a statement, esp. when this is surprising（加强语气）真，真的很，真的是}

• Some diets may be positively dangerous.
• Tonight's performance is positively the last time the band will appear together.

造句：Hardly anyone can positively enjoy eating the same food for more than a few days. ^{很少有人真喜欢几天以上吃同一种食物。}

Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy.

compartment ^{n.隔层，分隔间}

• ..., for she had sixteen watertight compartments.

a cramped room / office / cabin ^{狭窄的房间/办公室/船舱}

• The corridor was so cramped that I had to edge my way through it. ^{走廊如此狭小我只好侧着身子走过去。}

stuffy ^{adj.闷的，不通风的}

• The room is too stuffy. Please open the window to allow the air to circulate.

It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey.

take one's mind off sth. ^{转移注意力(不去想不愉快的事)}

• It is almost impossible to take my mind off my dog's death.
• The good thing about running is that it takes my mind off any problems I've got.

Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep.

part → partial ^{adj.部分的}

• a partial solution / success
• a partial solar / lunar eclipse ^{日/月偏食}
• a total solar / lunar eclipse ^{日/月全食}

造句：Taking medicine is only a partial solution, and above all, you have to lead an orderly life.^{吃药只能解决部分问题，最重要的是你必须要过有规律的生活。}

rhythm ^节奏

• It's a funky sort of rhythm. ^{这是一种音低节奏强的旋律。}

lull sb. to sleep ^{催人入睡(使某人睡觉)}

• lull a baby to sleep

During the day, sleep comes in snatches.

sleep comes in snatches ^{忽睡忽醒（断断续续的）}

• The work was done in snatches. ^{这件工作是断断续续做成的。}
• On the train, we sleep in snatches. ^{在火车上我们断断续续的睡着。}
• Sleep came to him in brief snatches. ^{他时睡时醒。}

 At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so.

wish to do ^{希望做某事}

• She expressed a wish to be alone. ^{她表示希望一个人待着。}
• It was her dearest wish to have a family. ^{有一个家是她由衷的希望。}
• They wish to limit the power of the State. ^{他们希望限制政府权力。}
• I wish to God you'd learn to pay attention! ^{我真希望你能学会集中注意力！}

If 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.

大 形 年 新 颜 国 材 用 + 中心名词 §

• the small blue light
• a little white lamb
• small black boxes

in、on 细致的用法

• As we were walking past a shop, he held a diamond firmly against the window and made a deep impression in the glass.
• He hit me on the nose.
• He hit me in the face.
• I drove it into a lamp-post.
• A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it onto the wires.

Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.

inevitably ^{adv. 必然，不可避免}

• Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple.

形容词做主语补足语 ^{（补充说明动作发生时主语的状态）}

• ..., you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled.
• When I got home, I was tired and sleepy. → I got home tired and sleepy.

Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read.

..., for you are quite impossible to read.  X

quite ^{adv.完全地、相当地}

• They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire.
• The drunk, however, seemed quite sure of himself.
• In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different.

On 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.

motorway ^{n.高速公路}

• A nine-mile stretch of motorway has been closed. ^{一段九英里长的高速公路已关闭。}
• Sorry I'm late. There was a hold-up on the motorway. ^{抱歉，我来晚了，公路上堵车了。}

more often than not = as often as not ^通常

• More often than not, the arguments could have been avoided.

petrol / service station ^加油站

• In the service station he asked all about my family.^{在加油站他问了关于我家人的一切。}
• Look, Dashan. There's a service station straight ahead.^{大山，你看，前边有一家加油站。}
• There is a petrol station round the bend in the street.^{在下一个街道拐角处有个加油站。}

traffic ^{n.路上行驶的车辆，交通（数不清楚）}

• Meanwhile, the traffic piled up behind.
• A policeman approached Jimmy and told him he ought to have gone along a side street as Jumbo was holding up the traffic.

造句：Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic.^{我的几个住在乡下的熟人每年进 城一两次来看戏，对他们来说这是一种特殊的享受了，但是通常旅程中大部分 时间花在了路上，在路上加油站很少，车辆却很多。}

By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts.

by / in comparison ^相比之下

• By comparison, shipments to North America, mainly the U.S., were flat in that period. ^{而与其相比，对以美国为主的北美国家的出口同期基本持平。}
• The amount of carbon dioxide released by human activities such as burning coal and oil is small in comparison. ^{相比之下人类燃烧煤、石油等活动所释放的二氧化碳的量是少的。}

comforts ^{n.使人感觉舒适的事物}

• hotels with all the modern comforts
• After the trip, it was nice getting back to a few home comforts.

You 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.

stretch one's legs ^舒展筋骨

• He wanted to stretch his legs to relax a little. ^{他想去遛遛腿，休息一会儿。}
• He has just spent eight months at sea, and needs to stretch its legs. ^{这家伙刚在海里度过了八个月，需要舒展筋骨。}

meet ^{v.结识、结交}

• One wants to meet like-minded collectors, ...

If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse.

transport _<英> / transportation _<美> ^{交通方式（不可数）}

• public transport / transportation
• A lot of people object to mobile phones, especially when they are used in public places like restaurants or on public transport.

否定词 + 比较级 = 最高级

• Nothing could have been more annoying.
• No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail.
• There is no quicker method of disposing of patients than by giving them what they are asking for.
• Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures.
• But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.
• Nobody equals / matches him in strength.
• In English she has no equal in her class.
• In computer programming, Susan is head and shoulders above the rest of us.

Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time.

Even if ^{即使，尽管}

• People will do anything to see a free show -- even if it is a bad one.
• Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float.
• ..., even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase.
• ... would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged. 
• Even if one didn't know from concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games, for instance) ...
• Even if a piped water supply is safe at its source, it is not always safe by the time it reaches the tap.

Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travelling by sea.

relatively few / easy / new / minor ... ^{相对较少/容易/新/次要…}

• Cave exploration, or pat-holing, as it has come to be known, is a relatively new sport.

be prepared to do = be willing / ready to do ^{愿意做某事（不要翻译成“准备做某事”）}

• Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.

sacrifice ... for ... ^{为...而牺牲(牺牲前者为了得到后者)}

• Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers.

造句： Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice their human dignity for money. ^{没有多少人愿意为了钱而牺牲掉自己作为人的尊严。}

Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. ^{欲扬先抑(先说缺点)}

have the reputation of being ... ^{有...的名声}

• The tree that was planted near the church has the reputation of being evil.
• She has the reputation of being a good doctor.
• Peter has the reputation of being the worst boy in the class.
• The heroine, at some dramatic moment in the story, had the reputation of being ruined.

hardened ^{adj. someone who is hardened has had a lot of difficult or unpleasant experiences and is no longer much affected by such things 老练的，老资格的，见怪不怪的，麻木不仁的}

• The hardened protessional smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase.

They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive form of transport.

have the disadvantage of ... ^{有...的缺点}

• He has the disadvantage of being unable to drive a car.

But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. ^{比较级表最高级}

nothing can match ^{没有什么能比得上}

• Although we have eaten delicious food, nothing can match Mom's cooking.
• No matter how many delicious meals we have had, nothing can match Mom's cooking. ^更文言
• Nothing can match a European night against one of the greats like Barcelona or Juventus. ^{没什么可以和与巴萨或者尤文图斯对决的欧冠之夜比。}
• No matter how painful you experience, eventually will gradually forgotten. Because, nothing can match the time... ^{不管你经历多痛的事情，到最后都会渐渐遗忘。因为，没有什么能敌得过时光。}

* Travelling at a height of 30, 000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience.

exhilarating ^{adj.令人极其兴奋和高兴的}

There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result. — Sir Winston Churchill

You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly.

devise ^{v.设计，发明;设想、图谋}

• They devise hundreds of competitions which will enable us to win huge sums of money.
• Experts are trying to devise ways to clean up the huge slick.^{专家们在努力想出清除大面积浮油的办法。}
• Devise a new instrument. ^{设计一台新仪器。}
• Devise formulas for calculating cost savings. ^{为计算节省的成本设计公式。}

For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight.

settle ^{v.舒适地坐到...}

• settle back in a deep armchair ^{仰坐在高扶手椅里}
• We settled in front of the television for the evening.

The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services.

escapist ^{n.遁世逍遥者，逃避现实生活一心享受的人}

• Her books are usually escapist fantasies. ^{她的书通常是逃避现实的幻想作品。}
• This is an escapist therapy. ^{这是逃避现实的疗法。}
• You may be an escapist, too. ^{你也可能是个逃避主义者。}
• You can read the Escapist two ways. ^{您可以从两个方面解读“避世者”。}

service ^{n. BrE a regular journey made by a bus, train, boat, plane etc. to a particular place at a particulertime 汽车，火车，轮船，飞机等的班次}

• The bus service is appalling now. ^{现在公共汽车服务很差。}
• The local bus service is well run and extensive.  ^{当地的公交线路运营良好，四通八达。}

But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied.

refinement ^{n.改进，改良（可数名词：常用复数）}

• With several refinements your essay would be excellent.

occupy ^{vt.占据（时间，空间等）}

• A little later, a man came along with a biscuit which occupied the whole boot of his car.

An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world.

breathtaking ^{adj.令人惊叹的}

• The house has breathtaking views from every room.  ^{这房子从各个房间都能看到令人惊叹的风景。}
• Some of their football was breathtaking, a delight to watch. ^{他们踢的足球赛有些场次令人惊叹,看起来赏心悦目。}

You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys.

soar ^{v.急升，猛涨；高飞，翱翔}

• Shares soared on the New York stock exchange.  ^{纽约证券交易所股票暴涨。}
• If you're lucky, a splendid golden eagle may soar into view.  ^{幸运的话，一只金色雄鹰会跃入视线。}

You really see the shape of the land.

the shape of ... ^{某种形状：以某种形式出现，或看起来像某种形状。}

• The Shape of Water ^{《水形物语》（电影名）}
• Shape of You -Ed Sheeran ^你的样子

If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky.

before you ^在你面前

• You have two choices before you.
• There is a lot of trouble before you.

The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping.

prevent sb. from doing ^{阻止、妨碍某人做某事} 

• In the new society, there is nothing to prevent a child from receiving good education. ^{在新社会，每个孩子都能接受良好的教育。}
• She is so talented and diligent that there is nothing to prevent her from fulfilling her dream. ^{她既有天赋又这么勤奋，一定能实现自己的梦想。}

However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled.

造句：Whatever difficulty we may encounter on our road ahead, one thing is certain: we will manage to overcome it so long as we persist. ^{无论在前进的道路上遇到什么样的困难，有一件事是肯定的：只要我们坚持就一定能克服它。}

You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.

recover from ... ^{从…中恢复(正常状态)}

• It'll take her time to recover from the illness. ^{她康复需要时间。}
• It is hard for people to recover from the pain of losing a family member. ^{人们很难从失去亲人的痛苦中恢复过来。}

arduous ^{adj.艰苦的，费力的}

• Those who seek it undertake an arduous journey and can never be sure that they will find it.