Travel—a chance to dip a toe into a new version of yourself

雷林苗

（陜西省安康市高新中學(xué)）

記得哪位名人說過，人生至少要有兩次沖動：一場奮不顧身的愛情和一段說走就走的旅行。旅行的意義究竟是什么呢？是去看未曾見過的山水？是為了逃避某些人或事？還是單純地隨處走走？其實(shí)旅行的意義并不只是欣賞美麗的風(fēng)景，還在于體驗(yàn)旅途中每一處、每一刻的感受。事實(shí)上，旅行的益處只有親身體會了才知曉。

When I left my job as a psychologist and went on a round-the-world trip in search of adventures after a difficult time in my life,maybe I,too,was hoping to become a new person—or,like my father,a different version of myself.I was soon disappointed.It was nerve-racking to land in a strange place and know nobody.Away from the routines of life,the identity of my job and the security of my network of friends and family,I felt lonely and untethered（無依無靠的）.And,to my horror,despite visiting eye-wateringly（非常）beautiful places,I still felt miserable.Somehow,in the flurry of（一陣忙亂）packing for the trip,I’d forgotten that the thing you don’t choose to bring,but can’t leave behind,is yourself.I felt a very long way from home.I missed my friends.What was I thinking?

But as the weeks went on,something started to shift.It was during a stay on Ko Phi Phi island in Thailand,when a woman I’d met earlier on the beach approached me and asked if I was free that evening.She’d invited a few other women to meet for dinner.Would I like to join them? We were six women of different ages.At the meal she told us it was her 40th birthday and,as she was travelling alone,she’d decided to celebrate by gathering together a group of women she’d enjoyed meeting during the week.As the waves lapped on the beach,we sat together eating pad Thai and drinking Tiger beer,and for the next four hours we shared stories about our lives: hopes,dreams,sadness,loss and disappointment.I felt profoundly moved by the honesty of these strangers,and was surprised,too,by the ease with which I felt able to share things about myself.

At the end of the evening,we parted company.The birthday woman was leaving early in the morning.I was also leaving the next day.None of us saw each other again.I don’t remember their names,but I do remember the magic of that connection.For all of us,the anonymity was liberating;we had no shared past or future and,as a consequence,we could talk freely without judgment or repercussions.

In the months before I left home,I’d felt saddled by heartbreak and stuckness,and this experience had come to define me—and,in turn,my relationship with friends,family and colleagues.My home narrative read like a well-thumbed book.While the longevity（持續(xù)時間）of relationships can be a huge source of comfort,it can also be constraining when you want to write yourself a new and different story.

As I continued my travels,and took jobs along the way,I found these new and transient relationships liberating,and I was surprised by my growing resilience（恢復(fù)力）and independence as well as the rediscovery of parts of myself that were long buried.I extended my trip by another six months and when I got a job on a boat,I not only discovered the joy of scuba diving,but also managed to fall back in love with my life again.

【文章介紹】

本文是“人與社會”主題語境下的一個關(guān)于作者在旅途中體驗(yàn)社會、感悟人生的故事。該文曾刊登于英國知名雜志Economist（《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》）。故事講述的是作者在辭去工作之后開啟了一段說走就走的旅行，想要尋求冒險或者遇見更好的自己。在經(jīng)歷了最初的離家的不適應(yīng)之后，作者被邀請去參加一位陌生游客的生日聚會。在聚會中，一群不認(rèn)識的人隨心而談，讓作者受益匪淺。

全篇譯文

當(dāng)我辭去了心理學(xué)家的工作，在經(jīng)歷人生低谷之后開始環(huán)球旅行尋找冒險時，也許我也希望成為一個嶄新的人——或者像我父親一樣，成為一個不同的自己。但很快我就失望了。在一個陌生的地方降落，不認(rèn)識任何人，離開了常規(guī)的生活、工作的身份和家人朋友的支持網(wǎng)，我感到孤獨(dú)、無依無靠。令我震驚的是，盡管到了令人嘆為觀止的美景之地，我仍然感到不開心。在準(zhǔn)備旅行的忙碌中，我不知道的是，唯一無法帶走又無法離開的是自己。我感到離家很遠(yuǎn)，我想念我的朋友。我在想什么？

然而，隨著時間的推移，某些事情開始發(fā)生改變。在泰國的科皮皮島逗留期間，一位我早些時候在海灘上遇到的女士走過來問我晚上是否有空。她邀請了其他幾位女士一起共進(jìn)晚餐。我想加入他們嗎？我們是六位不同年齡的女性。在用餐時，她告訴我們今天是她的40 歲生日，她正在獨(dú)自旅行，所以她決定邀請一群她在這一周中認(rèn)識并喜歡的女性一起慶祝。海浪拍打著海灘，我們坐在一起，品嘗著泰式炒河粉，喝著老虎啤酒，在接下來的四個小時里，我們分享了我們生活的故事：希望、夢想、悲傷、失落和失望。我被這些陌生人的坦誠深深感動，同時也驚訝于我能夠輕松地分享自己的事情。

晚餐結(jié)束后，我們分別離開。生日女士早上要離開。我第二天也要離開。我們再也沒有見過面。我不記得她們的名字，但我記得那種連接的魔力。對于我們所有人來說，匿名是解放的；我們沒有共同的過去或未來，因此我們可以自由地交談，沒有判斷或后果。

在離家前的幾個月，我感到被心碎和困境所拖累，這種經(jīng)歷已經(jīng)開始定義我——反過來也定義了我與朋友、家人和同事的關(guān)系。我的家庭故事讀起來像一本翻舊的書。雖然長期的關(guān)系可以帶來巨大的安慰，但當(dāng)你想為自己寫一個新的、不同的故事時，它也可能是限制性的。

隨著旅行的繼續(xù)和沿途做的一些工作，我發(fā)現(xiàn)這些新的、短暫的關(guān)系是解放的，我驚訝于自己越來越有彈性和獨(dú)立，以及重新發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己長期被埋藏的部分。我將旅行延長了六個月，當(dāng)在一艘船上找到了工作，我不僅發(fā)現(xiàn)了潛水的樂趣，也重新愛上了我的生活。

人教版課標(biāo)單詞復(fù)現(xiàn)

psychologyn.心理學(xué)；心理；心理影響（選必三U2）psychologist n.心理學(xué)家

adventuren.冒險，奇遇（必修一U1）

versionn.版本；（從不同角度的）說法（選必三U5）

routinen.常規(guī)；正常順序/常規(guī)的；日常的（選必一U2）

identity（必修二U3）n.身份；本體；個性

secureadj.安全的；安心的；可靠的；牢固的 v.獲得；拴牢；保護(hù)（選必一U2）

security n.保護(hù)措施；安全工作

networkn.（互聯(lián)）網(wǎng)絡(luò)；網(wǎng)狀系統(tǒng)；人際網(wǎng)（必修二U3）

despiteprep.即使；盡管（必修一U5）

miserableadj.痛苦的；令人難受的（選必三U4）

shiftn./v.改變；轉(zhuǎn)換；輪班/轉(zhuǎn)移；挪動；轉(zhuǎn)向/轉(zhuǎn)移；挪動；轉(zhuǎn)向（選必二U1）

approachn.方法；途徑；接近（必修二U4）

easev./n.（使）寬慰；減輕；緩解/（使）寬慰；減輕；緩解/容易；舒適；自在（選必二U5）

literaturen.文學(xué)；文學(xué)作品（必修一U1）literate adj.有讀寫能力的；有文化的

consequencen.結(jié)果；后果（選必一U1）

stuckadj.卡?。幌荩ㄈ耄?；困（于）（必修二U3）

definev.給……下定義；界定；解釋（必修二U3）

colleaguen.同事；同僚（必修三U2）

narratorn.（書、戲劇或電影中的）敘述者；講述者；（電視節(jié)目中的）幕后解說員（必修三U5）narrate v.講（故事）；敘述；給（紀(jì)錄片或節(jié)目）作解說

narrative adj.敘述的；敘事體的；善于敘述的

sourcen.來源，出處（必修一U2）

buryv.將……埋在下面（必修一U4）

extentn.程度；限度；大??；范圍（必修三U5）

extendv.延長；擴(kuò)展；擴(kuò)大（必修三U5）

詞匯積累

nerve-rackingadj.令人神經(jīng)緊張的；令人焦慮不安的

lapv.輕拍（-pped）n.（坐著時的）大腿部；（跑道等的）一圈；（行程或工作中的）一段，環(huán)節(jié)

profoundlyadv.極大地；深刻地

partv.分開，分離 n.部分，角色，作用

anonymityn.匿名（者）

repercussionn.影響，反響

well-thumbedadj.常常翻閱的，翻舊了的

constrainv.限制，約束

transientadj.短暫的

地道表達(dá)

◎dip a toe into

字面意思為“把腳趾先浸下去”，很生動的表達(dá)，引申為“開始一件新事物時試水的情形”。

如：I began dipping my toes into Asian cooking.我開始嘗試做亞洲料理。

拓展知識：與身體部位相關(guān)的英語俚語

1.play by ear 表示“臨時決定，見機(jī)行事”。這個俚語的典故是音樂家演奏樂器時，忘了帶樂譜，只能根據(jù)記憶來演奏，所以play by ear 就有了“隨機(jī)應(yīng)變”的意思。

如：I haven’t had a chance to make any preparations,so all I can do is play it by ear.我今天沒有機(jī)會做準(zhǔn)備，所以只好見機(jī)行事了。

2.up to one’s neck (in sth.) 表示“深深陷入某事物”?？梢灾改臣虑椤⒛撤莨ぷ?，也可以指債務(wù)，甚至是罪惡。

如：I’m up to my neck in work/debt.我忙得不可開交/債務(wù)纏身。

3.button one’s lip/ zip one’s lip表示“用開關(guān)關(guān)上”或者“用拉鏈拉起一個人的嘴巴”，意為“保守秘密，保持緘默”。

4.motor mouth 表示“滔滔不絕，說話沒完的人”。motor 是汽車馬達(dá)，如果一個人的嘴像馬達(dá)那樣不停地說就可想而知了。

如：He’s such a motor mouth that people avoid talking to him.他老是一說話就沒完沒了，所以人們都避開他。

5.keep a straight face 表示“板著臉，努力強(qiáng)忍著笑”。其實(shí)這是很有趣的一種情況。

如：He looked funny and I could hardly keep a straight face.他看起來很滑稽，我?guī)缀踅蛔⌒Τ雎晛怼?/p>

6.jump down one’s throat 表示“突然對某人發(fā)飆”。跳進(jìn)別人的嗓子里，一定會令他人很不舒適。

如：He jumped down my throat after I said a few words.我還沒說幾句話，他就突然對我發(fā)飆了。

7.jump on one’ back 表示“惹到某人”。

如：You’re jumping on my back.你惹到我了。

8.rub shoulders with sb/ rub elbows with sb 表示“與某人接觸，交往（尤其指名人）”。

如：You can rub shoulders with the stars,take pictures with them.你可以結(jié)交明星朋友，與他們合照。

9.wear my heart on my sleeve 表示“善于表達(dá)真實(shí)感情”。把心都穿在袖子上了，表達(dá)得還不夠淋漓盡致嗎？

如：I’m not the type to wear my heart on my sleeve.我不是善于表達(dá)感情的人。

閱讀小練

一、根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容，選擇最佳答案。

1.Why did the author go on a trip?

A.Because she had just left her job.

B.Because she suffered a difficult time in her life.

C.Because she wanted to be like her father.

D.Because she wanted to make a change.

2.How did the author feel about the birthday party?

A.Uneasy and unhappy.

B.Sad and disappointing.

C.Touching and relaxing.

D.Surprising and strange.

3.What happened after the party?

A.They became life long good friends.

B.They returned to their own lives with great memory.

C.They kept in touch with each other.

D.They kept each other’s phone numbers.

4.What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A.The author’s new life back at home.

B.The author’s new job in the trip.

C.The author’s feedback of the trip.

D.The author’s trip and feelings afterwards.

二、用所給單詞的適當(dāng)形式填空。

1.They must be able to help to some _______________________________(extent).

2.It was hard ____________________(approach)the painting as there were so many people around.

3.At age 50,she found herself out of work and____________________(stick) at home with only her computer to keep her company.

4.These smart homes will keep us ______________________________(security),save us energy,and provide a more comfortable environment to live in.

三、將括號中的漢語部分譯成英語。

1.In addition,______________________(不同的教和學(xué)的方法) may come as a shock to many students

2.People’s lives have been changed by online communities and ___________________________(社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)).

3.__________________________(結(jié)果),he had to flee Germany.

4.China is widely known for its ancient civilization which has continued all the way through into modern times,___________________________(盡管有很多起起落落) in its history.

5.All controls will respond to voice commands,so___________________________(如果你想要改變你的日常),you just say aloud what you want and the home system will obey.

6.Artemisinin has become ____________________________________________(重要的一部分) of the treatment for malaria,and is thought to save 100 000 lives a year in Africa alone.

7.There are also differences in how we touch each other,how close we stand to someone we are talking to,and how we act _______________________________________(在我們相見或分別時).

8.As I ______________________(參加夏令營)about personal life choices,I started to analyse my choices,especially what I did to relax and how it was affecting my whole life.

答案和解析

一、1.D。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段第一句“When I left my job as a psychologist and went on a round-the-world trip in search of adventures after a difficult time in my life,maybe I,too,was hoping to become a new person—or,like my father,a different version of myself.”可知，當(dāng)“我”辭去了作為心理學(xué)家的工作，在經(jīng)歷人生低谷之后開始了環(huán)球旅行尋找冒險時，也許“我”也希望成為一個嶄新的人——或者像“我”父親一樣，成為一個不同的自己。由此可知，作者是為了做出改變才開始這段旅行的。故選D。

2.C。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段最后兩句“ As the waves lapped on the beach,we sat together eating pad Thai and drinking Tiger beer,and for the next four hours we shared stories about our lives: hopes,dreams,sadness,loss and disappointment.I felt profoundly moved by the honesty of these strangers,and was surprised,too,by the ease with which I felt able to share things about myself.”可知，海浪拍打著海灘，“我們”坐在一起，品嘗著泰式炒河粉，喝著老虎啤酒。在接下來的四個小時里，“我們”分享了“我們”的生活故事：希望、夢想、悲傷、失落和失望?！拔摇北贿@些陌生人的坦誠所深深感動，同時也驚訝于“我”能夠輕松地分享自己的事情。由此可知，作者覺得這個生日聚會令人感動且放松。

3.B。推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段內(nèi)容可知，晚餐結(jié)束后，“我們”分別離開。生日女士早上要離開?！拔摇钡诙煲惨x開?！拔覀儭痹僖矝]有見過面?！拔摇辈挥浀盟齻兊拿郑拔摇庇浀媚欠N連接的魔力。對于“我們”所有人來說，匿名是解放的；“我們”沒有共同的過去或未來，因此“我們”可以自由地交談，沒有判斷或后果。由此可推知，她們在聚會之后都回到了各自的生活中。

4.D。推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段內(nèi)容可知，隨著旅行的繼續(xù)和沿途做的一些工作，“我”發(fā)現(xiàn)這些新的、短暫的關(guān)系是解放的，“我”驚訝于自己越來越有彈性和獨(dú)立，以及重新發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己長期被埋藏的部分?！拔摇睂⒙眯醒娱L了六個月，在一艘船上找到了工作，不僅發(fā)現(xiàn)了潛水的樂趣，也重新愛上了“我”的生活。由此可知，作者在那之后又進(jìn)行了六個月的旅行，且在之后的旅行中也有新的感受和認(rèn)知。由此可推斷出，接下來作者會寫到之后的旅途中的經(jīng)歷和感受。

二、1.extent 2.to approach

3.stuck 4.secure

三、1.different approaches to teaching and learning

2.social networks

3.As a consequence

4.despite the many ups and downs

5.if you want to change your routine

6.a vital part

7.when we meet or part

8.took part in the summer camp