UNIT Ⅴ 文章欣賞

　　一

　　The quiet life of the country ahs 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 hem 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 cockcrow, 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 lie 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 cit 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. 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 who city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

　　二

　　People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped 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 wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. 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 you ticket for inspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. 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. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized 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. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travlling by sea.

　　Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive 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 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. 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 you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. 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. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.

　　附：

　　句子(要考慮邏輯性和連貫性兩大要素---句子內(nèi)部和句子之間)

　　確定句子結(jié)構(gòu)，突出重心---確定主語(yǔ)、謂語(yǔ)、賓語(yǔ)等成分，以判斷對(duì)句子結(jié)構(gòu)的理解無(wú)誤;

　　使用非謂語(yǔ)結(jié)構(gòu)---必須考慮到非謂語(yǔ)結(jié)構(gòu)的特點(diǎn)，如不定式和分詞的邏輯主語(yǔ)應(yīng)該與句子的主語(yǔ)一致，動(dòng)名詞應(yīng)該起名詞的作用，獨(dú)立主格應(yīng)該有自己獨(dú)立的邏輯主語(yǔ)等;

　　使用從句---尤其是定語(yǔ)從句和狀語(yǔ)從句;

　　詞語(yǔ)

　　會(huì)使用小詞：challenge, opportunity等

　　使用各種短語(yǔ)：

　　動(dòng)作指向性動(dòng)詞詞組表示動(dòng)詞，做謂語(yǔ);

　　用含有否定意思的詞表示否定，如：fail to, instead of, rather than, anything but等

　　both … and …,not only … but also, not because … but because, more … than等。

　　綜上，要想寫出一篇好文章，要兼顧：

　　從宏觀上先嚴(yán)密地組織，有邏輯性地展開;

　　從結(jié)構(gòu)上先清楚地闡明觀點(diǎn)，然后恰當(dāng)?shù)倪x擇寫作技巧支持各種觀點(diǎn)，或舉例，或描述，或分析前因后果或定義分類等;

　　從具體的詞匯語(yǔ)言使用上，盡量變換句型和句子結(jié)構(gòu)，避免用詞過多重復(fù)，靈活運(yùn)用語(yǔ)法知識(shí)。