After Reading

1. Useful Expressions                                                

1. 偏远之地                                         out-of-the-way place

 2. 在源头                                       on the headwaters

 3. 在密密的树叶间                                          in deep-leaved shadow

 4. 在空地上                                       across the clearing             

 5. 一会儿…一会儿                      be alternately doing…and doing…

 6. 喜形于色                                             with open delight

7. 自由作家                                       a freelance writer

8. 停顿了一下                        after a pause

 9. 不妨                                           might as well

10. 感受一下                                      get a feel for

11. 忽而飞进阳光里，忽而飞入树荫里    dart in and out of the light

  12. 肉质鲜美的鱼                                       sweet-meated fish

  13. 在河里沐浴                        bathe in the river

  14. 惊讶地                                                        be startled to do sth.

  15. 一眼望去                                           at eye level

  16. 有部分印第安血统的向导                            part-Indian guide

  17. 偏离目标                                              miss the target

  18. 从表象看事物                                       see things by their effects

  19. 落幕                                                     ring down the curtain

  20. 动人                                                     catch the heart    

21. 声音清脆的                                                 clear-voiced

  22. 近在咫尺                                              in the way

2. Brainstorming

1.    The vocabulary of travel:

(= trip, tour, journey; tourist, traveler; travel agent, reservation, guide; camera, souvenir, litter, graffiti)

2.    The modern means of transportation:

(=airplane, ship, boats, yacht, car, bus, train, horse)

3.    The conveniences for a traveler:

(=good means of transportation, the help of a travel agent, comfortable hotels, the possibility of paying by check, the telephone)

4.    The inconveniences:

(=the crowds, the noise, the heat, the souvenir shops…)

3. Spot Dictation

A man                                        (1)in a small red car. One day he                                               (2). When he came back,                                         (3). Some boys told him that an elephant had damaged it. The man did not believe them, but they took him to a circus                                     (4). The owner of the elephant said, "I am very sorry! My elephant                                    (5). He thought that your car was his chair, and                                       (6)!" then he gave the man a letter,                                       (7) and that he would pay for all the damage.
　　When the man                                        (8), the customs officers would not believe his story. They said, "You sold your new car                                          (9) and bought this old one!"                                       (10) from the circus man that they believed him.

(1)：was traveling abroad

(2)：left the car and went shopping

(3)：its roof was badly damaged

(4)：which was near there

(5)：has a big, round, red chair

(6)：he sat on it

(7)：in which he said that he was sorry

(8)：got back to his own country

(9)：while you were abroad

(10)：It was only when the man showed them the letter

4.  Sentence Translation

1.        Green fireflies spattered lights across the air and illumined for seconds, now here, now there, the pale trunks of enormous, solitary trees.

(=绿莹莹的萤火虫在空中闪出光亮，一会儿这里照亮一下、一会儿那里照亮一下幽木巨树暗淡的树干。)

2.     All at once, in the thatch house across the clearing behind us came the sound of a recorder, playing a tune that twined over the village clearing, muted our talk on the bankside, and wandered over the river, dissolving downstream.

(=突然，我们身后空地旁的茅屋里，传出了录音机的声音，一首乐曲在村子空地之上缭绕，减弱了我们在河畔谈话的声音，然后又传至河面，顺流飘去。)

3.    He aimed brilliantly at moving targets, always, and always missed; the birds were out of range.

 (=他摆出漂亮的架势瞄准飞鸟，却一次又一次地偏离目标；鸟总是飞出他的射程。)

4.    The Napo River: it is not out of the way. It is in the way, catching sunlight the way a cup catches poured water; it is a bowl of sweet air, a basin of greenness, and of grace, and, it would seem, of peace.

(=纳波河： 那不是荒僻的地方。那是个有人烟的地域，像杯子盛载注入的水那样，纳波河接住照射下来的阳光；那是个充满清新空气的低洼地区，一片翠绿的盆地，环境优美的盆地，看来还是个平静的盆地。)

5.    人生在世，唯有一次，我们不妨去感受一下那个地方。

(=We are here on the planet only once, and might as well get a feel for the place.)

6.    晚上睡了个好觉后，我们精神很爽，便出发去探索奥克兰市中心的引人入胜之处。

(=Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep， we set out to explore the dizzy heights of central Auckland.)

7.    我们驶入北岛最南端的市镇时，“风城惠灵顿”果然名不虚传，大发风威。

(=”Windy Welly” certainly lived up to its nickname, as we blew into the southernmost town of the North Island.)

8.    我们差不多就要完成这次史诗般的旅行了，你们也都可以松一口气了。

(=You can all heave a sigh of relief that we have almost finished this epic!)

5. Writing Practice

How to Write a Reservation Letter

1.    A brief introduction

Main aim of most reservation letters is to get a hotel room booked. However, knowing how to write a letter is a key to success. Be sure it contains the following information:

1. The letter should include all the necessary data as to:

— your contact information;

— exact date and time of arrival and departure;

— number of days that  are planning to stay;

— type of room you would like to book;

— the way you are going to pay;

— some special requests, for example, floor, colors, air-conditioner,

etc.

2. Look like a professional, I mean try your best and use formal

language in order that your letter looks great and authoritative. Your

salutation should be something like “Dear Sir or Madame.”

3. Write the date of the letter in the upper corner of the sheet.

4. Please, be polite and let your letter end with something like: thank

you.

5. Be sure you have left all the needed contact information.

2.    An example and practice

10 Vacation Street

Holiday Town

Destinationsville

Florida 33462

USA

01234 567 899

myvacation@vacation.com

April 4th, 2009

To: Costa Rica Cabinas

RE: Room Reservation for Travel Cat — 09/13/09 to 09/25/09

I am writing to confirm the details of the reservation I would like to make at the Costa Rica Cabinas after speaking with Maria on April 1st last week.

As a result of that conversation, I would like to reserve 2 double rooms at your hotel, with a sea view and a balcony, for the following dates:

September 13th — 25th inclusive (13 nights total).

I would also like to confirm the following amenities are included in the cost of the stay:

1) Breakfast and lunch

2) A safe in the room

3) Free Internet access in reception

4) Air conditioning & DVD player

As discussed previously, I understand that the total cost will be $1560 and is to be paid in advance.

We look forward to arriving at your hotel around 16:00 on September 13th.

Please could you confirm this reservation in writing using the above address, or contact me regarding any queries or advice.

Thank you for your time, and look forward to your reply.

Kind regards,

Miss Travel Cat

3. Homework

Suppose you want to visit World Expo 2010 Shanghai China and want to make a reservation at Shanghai Park Hotel. (To know something more about the hotel, you can log on the following web site: https://www.chinahighlights.com/hotel/shanghai-hotels/park-hotel.htm.) You will stay there

6. Talk about the Pictures （插入课文插图）

7. Role Play

       Based on the three sample letters on Pages 295, 296 and 342 in Student’s Book, make three phone calls to reserve a room.

8. Proverbs and Quotations

1． He who travels far knows much.

    远行者见闻多。

2． Who saw life steadily and saw it whole.

只有不断观察生活的人，才能全面了解生活。

3．Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought.

快乐可遇不可求。  

4．The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular reason for being happy except that they are so.

最幸福的人们似乎是那些知足常乐者。

5．Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.

—Francis Bacon, British philosopher

旅游对年轻人是一种教育，对老年人是一种体验。

—英国哲学家  F. 培根

6．Work while you work; Play while you play; this is the way to be cheerful and gay.

—Richard Stoddart, American poet

工作时工作，玩乐时玩乐，依此方法做，轻松与快乐。

—美国诗人 R. 斯托达德