旅行管家的叮咛
Planning on a trip abroad? Perhaps your summer holiday? Take note of Olivia Sterns’ Top 5 Travel Myths. Here they are in bold, and my comments to each.
Myth No. 1: Change Money At Home
Olivia says that carrying a large amount of cash makes you vulnerable to pickpockets. Agree. She says it’s better to rely on your credit cards. Er, I would say it depends. In a lot of places in Asia, ATM machines are hard to come by and may not accept all ATM cards. In some resorts and hotels in Asia, credit cards are also not accepted. The exchange rate may also be far worse, depending on the location. Unless you’re staying in a posh destination, never assume that e-transaction will work. Do your research before departure and prepare accordingly.
Myth No. 2: Deals on Last-Minute Booking
Last minutes deals are indeed becoming more and more rare. Better to watch out for sales and promotions (which regularly comes up anyway) to save on airfares and hotel bookings.
Myth No. 3: Locals Are Experts
Absolutely not. In fact, in a lot of cases, locals are foreigners to their own territory. In fact, if you’re heading off the beaten track, locals can’t even understand why, out of all the possible places in the world, you would be interested in their locality.
Myth No. 4: You Get What You Pay For
No, particularly in Asia. There are really good deals to be had, some worth far more than you have paid. And vice versa: some expensive digs just aren’t worth the top dollar they ask for. Do your research, and look for online reviews.
Myth No. 5: Buy Extras Ahead
When buying packages, you will always be lured into getting a“package”, agents telling you it will come out cheaper that way. But, sometimes it pays to be prudent.
正在规划你的出国旅游吗？还是正在筹划你的暑假？来关注一下奥利维亚·斯特恩的《旅行五大不得不说的事》吧。看见下面的粗体字了吗？同时也一并附上我的评论。
不得不说之一：在家换好钱
奥利维亚说随身携带巨款的你特别容易引起小偷的注意。我个人完全赞同。她说最好是用信用卡。我个人认为这是因地而异的。在亚洲的很多地方，自动取款机的分布点并不是很多，而且这些自动取款机也不一定能识别所有的卡。在亚洲的一些旅游胜地和酒店，是不能用信用卡的。而由于地区的不同，兑换率也不同，这是个令人头疼的问题。除非你的目的地很现代，很繁华，否则永远不要期望那里的网上交易平台会良好地运转。在出发之前一定要做足相应的准备。
不得不说之二：坚持到最后一秒再预定
在最后一秒预定这个方法现在其实已经越来越少了。为了节省机票费和住宿费，最好时刻关注那些打折或让利信息（基本上是有一定规律可循的）。
不得不说之三：当地人才是真正的专家
这是完全错误的。事实上，在很多情况下，在自己的地盘上，本地人才是真正的外国人。当你被一件对于当地人来说极其平常的事所阻挠时，当地人甚至不明白这个世界上有那么多可以去的地方，为什么你偏偏对他们的地方有兴趣。
不得不说之四：付了钱，你就是老大
这是个错误的想法，尤其是在亚洲。有时的确是物有所值，可能还会物超所值，但反之也亦然。有些贵的离谱的东西并不一定值那个价。研究一下，并且上网查查。
不得不说之五：事先用完你的额度。
当你拎着大包小包时，你很有可能会被说服去买更多的东西。经销商们会告诉你怎么买就可以获得更多的实惠。但是，你买东西的时候最好还是要谨慎些。
旅游中的小学问
旅游时带着大围巾，天气突然变冷时，可作无扣女士上衣穿。带小孩游览遇雨，用塑料袋剪成斗篷很方便。
在无法洗淋浴时，可用大塑料袋装上水，吊起即成简易淋浴设备。
洗后的衬衣想马上穿，可把湿衣放入大塑料袋，向袋内吹热风，衣服很快就干了。
实战提升
Practising&Exercise
单词注释
comment [5kCment] n. 注释，评注
location [lEu5keiFEn] n. 位置；场所，所在地
airfare [5eEfeE(r)] n. 飞机票价
locality [lEu5kAliti] n. 地区；场所，现场
prudent [5pru:dEnt] adj. 审慎的，小心的
实用句型&词组
I’d like to exchange some pounds for dollars.（交换；调换）
The park is becoming more and more beautiful.（越来越）
She is looking for her lost child.（寻找）
翻译行不行
奥利维亚说随身携带巨款的你特别容易引起小偷的注意，我个人完全赞同。
而由于地区的不同，兑换率也不同，这是个令人头疼的问题。
事实上，在很多情况下，在自己的地盘上，本地人才是真正的外国人。
第一章 Conjuring with Grapes (1) (1)
香槟是怎样“炼”成的
It is a tribute to the stimulating qualities of really good champagne that by 2:30 we were not only awake, but clearheaded enough to look forward to the afternoon and our studies of the grape’s progress, from bunches to bottles.
We began in the white-grape country of the Cotes des Blancs. The vines, which for long periods of the year are empty except for those few slow-moving and patient figures who check to see how nature is getting on, were bristling with people, the narrow green corridors crowded with their autumn population of pickers. It was fine weather for the vendange, mild and dry, and the frosts of late spring had caused less havoc than predicted. This would be a good, plentiful year.
The baskets of grapes were passed up to collection points at the end of the vines and ferried by truck or tractor to the village of Cramant, and the waiting pressoirs. These presses, vast round wooden instruments of torture with slatted sides, are big enough to take tons of grapes at a single gulp. From above, very, very slowly, a giant wooden grill descends on them, bursts them, and crushes them. The glorious juice runs off into subterranean vats.
Three times the grapes are subjected to this remorseless squeeze. Once, to extract the best of the juice, the tête de cuvee； a second time, for juice that can be used for blending； and finally, for the remains that will be distilled to make the local eau de vie, the marc de Champagne which they say grows hairs on your chest. Not a drop is wasted, and it is extraordinary to think that a single batch of grapes can be turned into two such different drinks, one delicate and light, the other—well, I happen to like marc, but you could never accuse it of being delicate.
We followed the route of the juice back to the fermentation casks in Epernay, and here I should offer a word of warning. If anyone should ever suggest that you inhale the bouquet of champagne in its formative period, decline politely if you value your sinuses. I made the mistake of leaning over an open cask to take a connoisseur’s sniff, and very nearly fell backward off the platform to the floor ten feet below. It felt like a noseful of needles. With head swimming and eyes watering, I asked to be led away to a less volatile part of the production line, and we left the casks for an expedition into the bowels of the earth.
Beneath the two famous towns of Reims and Epernay are literally miles of cellars and passageways, some of them three or four stories deep, all of them filled with champagne. In these cool, dim caverns the temperature never varies, and the bottles can doze in perfect conditions, mountain after dark green mountain of them, a champagne lover’s foretaste of paradise.
