Which type of transport does the writer prefer, do you think?

People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether theywould prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoysitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon getcramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey.Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheelsclicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes insnatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to doso. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staringat the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket forinspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long carjourneys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. Onmotorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more oftenthan not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few servicestations and too much traffic. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer agreat variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spaciousdecks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food -- alwaysassuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely toget seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in idealweather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared tosacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travelling by sea.

Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardenedtravellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being anexpensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways oftaking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destinationrapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy theflight. The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services.But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep youoccupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world.You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see theshape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy theextraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles beforeyou, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooththat there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However youdecide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at yourdestination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few daysrecovering from a long and arduous journey.

New words and expressions 生词与短语

positively

adv. 绝对地，完全地

compartment

n. 列车客车厢内的分隔间(或单间)

cramped

adj. 窄小的

stuffy

adj. 憋气的，闷气的

monotonous

adj. 枯燥的，乏味的

rhythm

n. 有节奏的运动新概念英语2mp3下载

click

v. 发出咔哒声

lull

v. 催人欲睡

snatch

n. 短时，片段

sleeper

n. 卧铺

fumble

v. 乱摸，摸索

inspection

n. 检查

inevitably

adv. 必然地，不可避免地

destination

n. 目的地

exhaust

v. 使精疲力尽

motorway

n. 快车道

ferry

n. 渡船

cruise

n. 巡游船

civilize

v. 使文明

spacious

adj. 宽敞的

seasick

adj. 晕船的

intimidate

v. 恐吓，恫吓

disadvantage

n. 短处，缺点

exhilarating

adj. 使人高兴的，令人兴奋的

escapist

n. 逍遥者

sip

v. 呷，啜

champagne

n. 香槟洒

refinement

n. 精心的安排

breathtaking

adj.激动人心的;不寻常的

soar

v. 高飞，翱翔

effortlessly

adv. 不费力地

landscape

n. 景色

fresh

adj. 精神饱满的

uncrumpled

adj. 没有垮下来

本文参考译文

出远门的人常常需要决定是走旱路、水路，还是坐飞机。很少有人能够真正喜欢坐几个小时以上的火车。车厢很快就变得拥挤、闷热，想摆脱开旅途的困扰是很难的。看书只能解决部分问题。车轮与铁轨间单调的嘎喳声很快就会送你进入梦乡。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，却很难入睡。即使你走运弄到一个卧铺，夜间有一半时间你会盯着车顶那盏小蓝灯而睡不着觉;要不然就为查票摸索你的车票。一旦抵达目的地，你总是疲惫不堪。乘汽车作长途旅行则更加不舒服，因为连看书都几乎不可能。在公路上还好，你至少能以相当快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分时间都花在路上，而且只有很少的服务设施，交通也很拥挤。相比之下，坐船旅行或环游可以得到文明世界的各种享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戏，还能也很见到各种有趣的人，能享用各种美味佳肴——当然，这一切只有在大海风平浪静的情况下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起来，你就可能晕船，那种难受劲儿是任何一种别的旅行的方式都不会带来的。即使风平浪静，坐船旅行也要占用很长时间。没有多少人会为享受坐船旅行的乐趣而牺牲假期的时间。

飞机以危险而著称，连老资格的旅行者也怕飞机。飞机另一个缺点是昂贵。但就速度与舒适而言，飞机是无与伦比的。腾云驾雾，在30，000英尺高空以500英里的时速旅行，这种经历令人心旷神怡。你不必想办法去摆脱旅途的困扰，因为飞机会迅速地把你送到目的地。几小时之内，你躺在扶手椅上，享受着旅途的欢乐。真正会享受的人还可以在某些航班上看一场电影和喝香槟。即使没有这些消遣条件，也总是有事可做。飞机上，你可以观察世界上非同寻常的奇妙的美景。你毫不费劲地飞越高山幽谷，你确能饱览大地的风貌。如果这种景色被遮住了，你可以观赏一下展现在你面前的、一望数英里的、连绵不断的云海，同时阳光灿烂，天空清澈明朗。旅途平稳，丝毫不妨碍你阅读或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨时间，有件事是可以肯定的，即当你抵达目的地时，你感到精神焕发，毫无倦意，用不着因为漫长的旅途的辛苦而花几天时间休息来恢复精神。

(兼职编辑：张博)