Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasional visit during the weekend.

總認為鄉村是透過火車車窗看到的那個樣了，或偶爾周末去游玩一下景象。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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

我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉村，馬上就會變得欣喜若狂。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of hem has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months.

盡管他們都交口稱贊寧靜的鄉村生活的種種優點，但其中只有一個人真去農村住過，而且不足6個月就回來了。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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

即使他也仍存有幻覺，好像鄉村生活就是比城市生活優越。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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

他滔滔不絕地大談友好的農民，潔凈的空氣，貼近大自然的環境和悠閑的生活節奏。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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.

他堅持認為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽染紅樹木、牧場，此番美景無與倫比。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture.

但這種田園詩般的鄉村風光僅僅是一個側面。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment.

我的朋友沒有提到在電視機前度過的漫長寂寞的冬夜——電視是唯一的娛樂形式。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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.

他也不說商店貨物品種單調，以及那些每天不得不從鄉下趕到城里工作的不幸的人們。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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

人們為什么情愿每天在路上奔波4個小時去換取值得懷疑的鄉間的優點，我是無法理解的。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.

要是他們愿意住在本來屬于他們的城市，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節約大量開支。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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.

如果你愿舍棄鄉下生活那一點點樂趣的話，那么你會發出城市可以為你提供生活最美好的東西。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

You never have to travel miles to see your friends.

你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好幾英里，

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

They invariably lie nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment.

因為他們都住在附近，你隨時可以同他們聊天或在晚上一起娛樂。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat.

我在鄉村有一些熟人，他們每年進城來看一回或幾回戲，并把此看作一種特殊的享受。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning.

看戲在他們是件大事，需要精心計劃。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home.

當戲快演完時，他們又為是否能趕上末班火車回家而犯愁。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.

這種焦慮，城里人是從未體驗過的。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away.

坐公共汽車幾站路，就可看到最新的展覽、電影、戲劇。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

Shopping, too, is always a pleasure.

買東西也是一種樂趣。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best.

物品種繁多，從來不必用二等品來湊合。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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.

鄉里人進城采購欣喜若狂，每次回家時都買足了外來商品，直到拿不動方才罷休，連走路都搖搖晃晃的。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.

城市也并非沒有良辰美景。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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

寒冷潮濕的冬夜里，廣告燈箱發出的暖光，會給人某種安慰。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

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.

周末，當成千上萬進城上班的人回到他們的鄉間寓所之后，空曠的街市籠罩著一種寧靜氣氛，沒有什么能比此時的寧靜更令人難忘了。

Lesson 41 Illusions of Pastoral peace

It has always been a mystery to me who city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

城里人對這一切心里很明白，卻偏要執拗地裝出他們喜歡住在鄉村的樣子，這對我來說一直是個謎。

Lesson 42 Modern cavemen

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

洞穴勘查——或洞穴勘探——是一項比較新的體育活動。

Lesson 42 Modern cavemen

Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures people down to the depths of the earth.

尋求獨處的愿望或尋求意外發現的機會的欲望吸引人們來到地下深處。

Lesson 42 Modern cavemen

It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer's motives.

要想對洞穴探險者的動機作出滿意的解釋是不可能的。

Lesson 42 Modern cavemen

For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.

對洞穴探險者來說，洞穴有一種特殊的魅力，就像高山對登山者有特殊魅力一樣。