Pleasures of going off the beaten track
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2009-04-15 05:09 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Last Saturday morning I was driving on my way to an eastern suburban1 town of Beijing when I turned on the radio to hear that all roads leading to the Fragrant2 Hill Park were crowded with cars near the tourist attraction famous for its scenery of flourishing red leaves.

It has become a routine news program in the "Traffic Radio" every year around this time that Beijing residents flocking to the scenic3 spot in the northwestern suburb jam the roads nearby and tourists are advised to go to other venues5.

I wonder why Beijing's red leaf lovers favor Fragrant Hill only. Red leaf trees grow in many other places in and around the city. The highway I was driving on last Saturday, for instance, was flanked by trees of red and yellow and green leaves, making a gorgeous scene under the blue sky.

I recalled an excursion I went on last autumn in a Beijing suburb. It was a sunny Saturday and I decided6 that I needed to find a quiet place for some respite7 from work. I simply drove northward8 away from the downtown area without any particular destination in my mind. Somewhere beyond the 6th Ring Road I turned to a small road that seemed leading to the mountains in the distance.

Finally I came to a valley that looked secluded9 from the outside world. The hillsides were all covered with unknown trees with leaves in a riot of colors. Groves10 of red and yellow leaves flared11 in the autumn sun in contrast to the evergreen12 vegetation. Wisps of bluish grey smoke curled up from villages in the hills. Down the valley there was a small reservoir mirroring the white clouds in the azure13 sky. I was intoxicated14 with the serene15 yet vibrant16 scenery.

I stayed there for several hours strolling on trails in the woods and shooting photographs of red leaves. It was a perfect experience of refreshment17. Wasn't it better than joining the jostling hordes18 of tourists in the Fragrant Hill Park?

Yet people still like to go to the park because it is a famous scenic spot.

That is the mindset of most of Chinese holiday makers19. They take vacation as a good opportunity to visit famous tourist attractions. They feel content with the thought of "I've been there." This habit leads to over-crowdedness in these places and partly contributes to packed trains, buses and flights during the holiday seasons. The crowdedness, in turn, causes the service to decline in quality and the comfort of traveling to deteriorate20.

Such an understanding of tourism also leads to tight itineraries21. Look at travel agencies' ads in newspapers. There are hundreds of such schedules as "10-day tour of seven European countries." Herded22 by the guides, the tourists travel to one famous place after another and have photos taken with the landmark23 building or object before rushing to the next venue4. Riding transport vehicles, taking photos and buying souvenirs are, for them, the only content of holiday travels.

This is not a vacation but rather a labor24. This concept of tourism should be changed. Holidays and vacations are time for rest. They should be spent in a relaxed manner. And it is not necessary to go to famous tourist attractions. There are lots of less known places where landscapes are also attractive.

During my recent vacation in September, I went to a new tourist venue by the Qingjiang River, a tributary25 of the Yangtze. The river got its name from its clear water, which is rare among today's rivers in China, but has been unheard-of for most tourism lovers. I stayed there for two days and really reveled in the serenity26 of the clean environment.



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1 suburban Usywk     
adj.城郊的,在郊区的
参考例句:
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
2 fragrant z6Yym     
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的
参考例句:
  • The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
  • The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。
3 scenic aDbyP     
adj.自然景色的,景色优美的
参考例句:
  • The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
  • The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。
4 venue ALkzr     
n.犯罪地点,审判地,管辖地,发生地点,集合地点
参考例句:
  • The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
  • The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。
5 venues c277c9611f0a0f19beb3658245ac305f     
n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 );会场;(尤指)体育比赛场所;犯罪地点
参考例句:
  • The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
  • Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角,有长800米,宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网
6 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
7 respite BWaxa     
n.休息,中止,暂缓
参考例句:
  • She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
  • Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。
8 northward YHexe     
adv.向北;n.北方的地区
参考例句:
  • He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
  • I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。
9 secluded wj8zWX     
adj.与世隔绝的;隐退的;偏僻的v.使隔开,使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时,喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑,有茅草房顶和宁静的花园,漂亮极了,简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 groves eb036e9192d7e49b8aa52d7b1729f605     
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
  • The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林,还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。
11 Flared Flared     
adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
  • The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭,但它突然又燃烧起来。
12 evergreen mtFz78     
n.常青树;adj.四季常青的
参考例句:
  • Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的,被叫做常青树。
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
13 azure 6P3yh     
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的
参考例句:
  • His eyes are azure.他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
  • The sun shone out of a clear azure sky.清朗蔚蓝的天空中阳光明媚。
14 intoxicated 350bfb35af86e3867ed55bb2af85135f     
喝醉的,极其兴奋的
参考例句:
  • She was intoxicated with success. 她为成功所陶醉。
  • They became deeply intoxicated and totally disoriented. 他们酩酊大醉,东南西北全然不辨。
15 serene PD2zZ     
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的
参考例句:
  • He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
  • He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多,只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。
16 vibrant CL5zc     
adj.震颤的,响亮的,充满活力的,精力充沛的,(色彩)鲜明的
参考例句:
  • He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
  • She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。
17 refreshment RUIxP     
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点
参考例句:
  • He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
  • A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
18 hordes 8694e53bd6abdd0ad8c42fc6ee70f06f     
n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 );部落
参考例句:
  • There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
  • Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 makers 22a4efff03ac42c1785d09a48313d352     
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 deteriorate Zm8zW     
v.变坏;恶化;退化
参考例句:
  • Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗?
  • He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为,这只会使局势更加恶化。
21 itineraries ea7fc6173314bb82d2fae58bab9350e3     
n.旅程,行程( itinerary的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Submit weekly status reports and monthly itineraries to Region Vice President. 每周递交工作报告,每月递交工作计划给总经理。 来自互联网
  • Big Ticket ItemsBig Savings-Complex international itineraries can offer opportunities for significant savings. 复杂线路节省更多:复杂的国际航线其实有更多的省钱机会。 来自互联网
22 herded a8990e20e0204b4b90e89c841c5d57bf     
群集,纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 ); 放牧; (使)向…移动
参考例句:
  • He herded up his goats. 他把山羊赶拢在一起。
  • They herded into the corner. 他们往角落里聚集。
23 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
24 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
25 tributary lJ1zW     
n.支流;纳贡国;adj.附庸的;辅助的;支流的
参考例句:
  • There was a tributary road near the end of the village.村的尽头有条岔道。
  • As the largest tributary of Jinsha river,Yalong river is abundant in hydropower resources.雅砻江是金沙江的最大支流,水力资源十分丰富。
26 serenity fEzzz     
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗
参考例句:
  • Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤,但仍使人感觉安详。
  • She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。
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