我在《新概念英語》中找到了我的「桃花源」
這一問，突然把我的記憶拉到了我三年級的課室里，在這個周末課外輔導班，一位尖鼻子、小眼睛、說話聲音很尖的中年「巫女」老師帶著我們讀新概念第1冊的第1篇課文：「Excuse me! Is this your 喊八哥?」
因為上的是外語學校，初高中時，英語老師都會時不時列印一些新2和新3中的文章給我們講解，那時候我才知道原來課文還可以真么有意思，語言可以優美到讓人窒息。
我最喜歡的一篇，是第三冊的第41課《平靜田園生活的幻想》（這數字41對我也有非凡的意義，正好是我初中三年的學號）。
在這篇文章中，作者描述了他對嚮往農家樂的朋友的不解，覺得城市鄉下的好都是可以省略的浮雲，城市的便捷、舒適才是王道。
來澳洲三年多了，對田園生活的幻想演變成了現實。文中所描述的朝夕的鳥鳴、跟你打招呼的陌生人、餘暉映照的樹木剪影……也都成為了伴隨著我的日常生活的寫照。在享受著自然寧靜的生活的同時，本來習以為常的城市生活，也就悄悄地變成了別人家的現在進行時。
雖然《田園生活的幻想》一文的立場跟我大相徑庭，但還是篇不容錯過的美文：詞語搭配、語法句型、敘事結構、燈紅酒綠的城市風貌、一筆帶過的田園生活…願你也能發現其中的美好~
Illusions of pastoral life
The quiet life of the country has 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 occasionally 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 them 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 city 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. 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 why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
我的往期熱（所）門（有）文章：
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附（彩）錄（蛋）：
精彩描述性的短語（帶be的）
to be superior [to… ]
to be compared [with… ]
to be available [for…]
to be [beyond 人 ]
to be tucked away
to be a mystery [to 人] {why... }
to be loaded [with]
to be prepared <to do>
to be a short bus ride away
to be a pleasure
to be only part of the picture
精彩動詞短語
to appeal [to 人]
to regarded … [as …]
to go [into raptures]
to live [under the illusion] {that …}
to talk [about… ]
to be back [in town]
to say nothing [about… ]
to fail <to do>
to choose <to do>
to do [without…]
to provide 人[with…]
to descend [on 地]
to (obstinately) pretend {that...}
to prefer <to do>
to come up [to town]
to draw [to its close]
to rightly belong [in…]
to wonder {whether …}
to travel [from …] [to …]
to get [to work]
to extol …
to tolerate …
to run wild.
to make do [with second best]
to involve considerable planning
to experience anxieties
to save misery and expense
精彩介詞短語
[at dawn]
[as a special treat]
[through a train window]
[during the weekend]
[at the mere mention [of …]]
[within six months]
[for the dubious privilege [of…]]
[in front of the TV]
精彩句型
nothing can be compared [with… ]
there is something …. [about… ]
few things could be more …. [than… ]
精彩名詞短語
the city dwellers
the virtues of the peaceful life
the closeness [to nature]
the gentle pace of living
the first cockcrow
the twittering of birds
the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees andnpastures
the idyllic pastoral scene
the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winternnights
the long and friendless winter evenings
the only form of entertainment
the poor selection of goods
其他結構
…. of this sort
as many … {as }
the best that life can offer
city born and city bred
nor is … without its moments of beauty.
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