新概念英語第四冊第3課:Matterhorn man

由天下分享時間：2022-04-08 10:30:37 加入收藏我要投稿點贊

Lesson 3 Matterhorn man馬特霍恩山區人

First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What was the main objective of early mountain climbers?

Modern alpinists try to climb mountains by a route which will give them good sport, and the more difficult it is, the more highly it is regarded. In the pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all. The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top, because the summit was the prize they sought, especially if it and never been attained before. It is true that during their explorations they often faced difficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature, equipped in a manner with would make a modern climber shudder at the thought, but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement. They had a single aim, a solitary goal -- the top!
現代登山運動員總想找一條能夠給他們帶來運動樂趣的路線來攀登山峰。他們認為，道路愈艱險愈帶勁兒。然而，在登山運動的初期，全然不是這種情況。早期登山者所尋找的是通往山頂的最方便的途徑，因為頂峰特別是前人未曾到過的頂峰 -- 才是他們尋求的目標。確實，在探險中他們經常遇到驚心動魄的困難和危險，而他們裝備之簡陋足以使現代登山者一想起來就膽戰心驚。但是，他們并非故意尋求這種刺激，他們只有一個目標，唯一的目標 -- 頂峰！

It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers. Except for one or two places such as Zermatt and Chamonix, which had rapidly become popular, Alpine village tended to be impoverished settlements cut off from civilization by the high mountains. Such inns as there were generally dirty and flea-ridden; the food simply local cheese accompanied by bread often twelve months old, all washed down with coarse wine. Often a valley boasted no inn at all, and climbers found shelter wherever they could -- sometimes with the local priest (who was usually as poor as his parishioners), sometimes with shepherds or cheese-makers. Invariably the background was the same: dirt and poverty, and very uncomfortable. For men accustomed to eating seven-course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home, the change to the Alps must have very hard indeed.
我們今天很難想像昔日的登山先驅們是多么艱苦。除了澤曼特和夏蒙尼等一兩個很快出了名的地方外，阿爾卑斯山山區的小村幾乎全是高山環抱、與世隔絕的窮鄉僻壤。那里的小客棧一般都很骯臟，而且跳蚤猖獗。食物是當地的干酪和通常存放了一年之久的面包，人們就著劣酒吞下這種食物。山谷里常常沒有小客棧，登山者只好隨遇而安。有時同當地牧師（他通常和他的教民一樣窮）住在一起，有時同牧羊人或制乳酪的人住在一起。無論住在哪兒，情況都一樣：骯臟、貧窮，極其不舒適。對于過慣了一頓飯吃7道菜、睡亞麻細布床單的人來說，變換一下生活環境來到阿爾卑斯山山區，那一定是很艱難的。

New words and expressions 生詞和短語
Matterhorn
n. 馬特霍恩峰（阿爾卑斯山之一，在意大利和瑞士邊境）

alpinist
n. 登山運動員

pioneer
v. 開辟，倡導；
n. 先鋒，開辟者

summit
n. 頂峰

attain
v. 到達

perilous
adj. 危險的

shudder
v. 不寒而栗

court
v. 追求

solitary
adj. 唯一的

impoverish
v. 使貧困

Alpine
adj. 阿爾卑斯山的

flea-ridden
adj. 布滿跳蚤的

coarse
adj. 粗劣的

boast
v. 自恃有

parishioner
n. 教區居民

shepherd
n. 牧羊人

linen
n. 亞麻布床單

the Alps
n. 阿爾卑斯山脈

Notes on the text課文注釋
1 in the pioneering days，在初創時期，這里指登山運動的初創期。
2 equipped in a manner which would make a modern climber shudder at the thought，他們的裝備如此簡陋足以使現代登山者一想起來就膽戰心驚。at the thought，一想到(他們的裝備)，英文中省略了 of the manner
3 go out of one's way ,特地，不怕麻煩。
4 cut off... from...,把...與...隔絕。
5 such inns as there were，那里有的小客棧，as there were用來修飾inns.作定語。
6 the food simply local cheese，在food后面省略了was。