2024年4月22日发(作者：)

The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred. I have always

regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you

occasional visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into

raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only

one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even

he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever

talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace

of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cock crow, the twittering of birds

at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene is

only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front

of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of

goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the

city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day

for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much misery

and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong. If you can do without the few

pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the

best that life can offer. You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably live

nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my

acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special

treat. For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draws

to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The city dweller never

experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride

away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make

do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home

loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of

beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet

winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city

streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their

homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all

these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred.

appeal

[?'pil] vi. appeal 的基本意思是强烈的请求他人注意某事或希望他人认真考虑自己的请求

,即“呼吁”

“恳求”呼吁；有吸引力；求助；诉请;

appeal to sb.

(吸引某人 )

appeal to the court

(向法院上诉

)

，

appeal to history

(

弓|证历史

)

，

appeal to the public

，

appeal to patriotism

(引起爱国心

)

，

appeal to force

(

求助于武力

)

breed

[brid]

vi.繁殖；饲养；产生

(过去式 bred)

bread

[br?d]n.

面包；生计

vt.

在

,

上洒面包屑

宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。我生在城市，长在城市，

(向大众呼吁 )

I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you

occasional visit during the weekend.

regard

[r?'ɡɑ

rd]n.

注意；尊重；问候；凝视

注重；注视

vt.

注重，考虑；看待；尊敬；把

, 看作；与

, 有关

vi. 注意，

regard sth. as sth. 以为某物是某物

occasional

[?'ke ??nl]

adj.

偶然的；临时的；特殊场合的

总认为乡村是透过火车车窗看到的那个样了，或偶尔周末去游玩一下景象。

Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country.

rapture

['r? pt??]n.兴高采烈

vt.使

,

狂喜

(低频词汇

)

mere

[m?r]adj.

仅仅的；只不过的

mention

['m?n??n]

vt.

提到，谈到；提及，论及；说起

at the mere mention of sth. 一提起某事就 ...

我的许多朋友都住在城市，但他们只要一提起乡村，马上就会变得欣喜若狂。

n. 提及，说起

Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and

he was back in town within six months.

extol

[?k'stol]

vt.颂扬；赞美；赞颂

extol sth. = praise sth. enthusiastically(满腔热情地

virtue

['v? t??]n.美德；优点；贞操；功效

)

(人或物的普通意义上优点长处，或指人的美德

)

peaceful

['pisf ? l]adj.

和平的，爱好和平的；平静的

尽管他们都交口称赞宁静的乡村生活的种种优点，但其中只有一个人真去农村住过，而且不足

来了。

6 个月就回

Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.

illusion

[?'lu?n]n.幻觉，错觉；错误的观念或信仰

live under the illusion

存在幻觉

somehow

['s?mha ? ]adv.

以某种方法；莫名其妙地

super

['s?p ? ]adj.

特级的；极好的

n. 特级品，特大号；临时雇员

superior

[su'p ?r??]

adj.

较上级的；较优秀的，较出众的；较高傲的

be superior to

比某物好

superior 用作形容词时

,本身含有“较”的意思

,故不再有比较级或最高级形式

,用“ ”表示“两

事物的比较” 。

不能用

即使他也仍存有幻觉，好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。

He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle

pace of living.

forever

[f? '?v? ]adv.

永远；不断地；常常

atmosphere

['? tm? sf?r]n.

气氛；大气；空气

closeness

['klosn ?s]n.亲密；接近；密闭；严密

gentle

['d ??ntl]

adj.

温和的；文雅的

peace

[pis]

n.

和平；平静；和睦；秩序

pace

[pes]

n.

一步；步速；步法

vi. 踱步；缓慢而行

vt.

踱步于；用步测