專八考試閱讀練習及答案解析（2）
Passage Two (The Tourist Trade Contributes Absolutely Nothing to Increasing Understanding between Nations)
The tourist trade is booming. With all this coming and going, you’d expect greater understanding to develop between the nations of the world. Not a bit of it! Superb systems of communication by air, sea and land make it possible for us to visit each other’s countries at a moderate cost. What was once the ‘grand tour’, reserved for only the very rich, is now within everybody’s grasp? The package tour and chartered flights are not to be sneered at. Modern travelers enjoy a level of comfort which the lords and ladies on grand tours in the old days couldn’t have dreamed of. But what’s the sense of this mass exchange of populations if the nations of the world remain basically ignorant of each other?
Many tourist organizations are directly responsible for this state of affairs. They deliberately set out to protect their clients from too much contact with the local population. The modern tourist leads a cosseted, sheltered life. He lives at international hotels, where he eats his international food and sips his international drink while he gazes at the natives from a distance. Conducted tours to places of interest are carefully censored. The tourist is allowed to see only what the organizers want him to see and no more. A strict schedule makes it impossible for the tourist to wander off on his own; and anyway, language is always a barrier, so he is only too happy to be protected in this way. At its very worst, this leads to a new and hideous kind of colonization. The summer quarters of the inhabitants of the cite universitaire: are temporarily reestablished on the island of Corfu. Blackpool is recreated at Torremolinos where the traveler goes not to eat paella, but fish and chips.
The sad thing about this situation is that it leads to the persistence of national stereotypes. We don’t see the people of other nations as they really are, but as we have been brought up to believe they are. You can test this for yourself. Take five nationalities, say, French, German, English, American and Italian. Now in your mind, match them with these five adjectives: musical, amorous, cold, pedantic, native. Far from providing us with any insight into the national characteristics of the peoples just mentioned, these adjectives actually act as barriers. So when you set out on your travels, the only characteristics you notice are those which confirm your preconceptions. You come away with the highly unoriginal and inaccurate impression that, say, ‘Anglo-Saxons are hypocrites’ of that ‘Latin peoples shout a lot’. You only have to make a few foreign friends to understand how absurd and harmful national stereotypes are. But how can you make foreign friends when the tourist trade does its best to prevent you?
Carried to an extreme, stereotypes can be positively dangerous. Wild generalizations stir up racial hatred and blind us to the basic fact—how trite it sounds! – That all people are human. We are all similar to each other and at the same time all unique.
1. The best title for this passage is ___________
[A] tourism contributes nothing to increasing understanding between nations.
[B] Tourism is tiresome.
[C] Conducted tour is dull.
[D] tourism really does something to one’s country.
2. What is the author’s attitude toward tourism?
[A] apprehensive.
[B] negative.
[C] critical.
[D] appreciative.
3. Which word in the following is the best to summarize Latin people shout a lot?
[A] silent.
[B] noisy.
[C] lively.
[D] active.
4. The purpose of the author’s criticism is to point out ___________
[A] conducted tour is disappointing.
[B] the way of touring should be changed.
[C] when traveling, you notice characteristics which confirm preconception.
[D] national stereotypes should be changed.
5. What is ‘grand tour’ now?
[A] moderate cost.
[B] local sight-seeing is investigated by the tourist organization.
[C] people enjoy the first-rate comforts.
[D] everybody can enjoy the ‘grand tour’.
答案詳解：
1. A。旅游對增進民族了解毫無建樹。第二段開始點出，許多旅游組織直接負責旅游事宜，他們有意識不讓旅游者接觸當?shù)鼐用?，讓他們過著一種關懷備至又與世隔絕的生活。住的是國際飯店，吃的是國際食品，喝的是國際飲料，在原處觀看當?shù)鼐用?。嚴格有序的計劃使旅游者難以自己一人閑逛，語言的障礙，又使他們樂意接受保護。第三段涉及堅持民族模式化――老一套的想法，所以一開始旅游，你見到的民族特性就只是證實了你自己設想的基本事實――所有人民都是人類。只有交朋友才能知道民族模式是多么荒謬、有害，可是旅行社竭力制止，你又怎么能交上外國朋友呢?這一切說明A項對。
B.旅游很累。C.導游觀光很單調(diào)乏味。D.旅游確實對國家有貢獻。
2. C。批評。
3. B。吵吵鬧鬧的。
4. B。旅游的方式應改變。整篇文章(除第一段外)都環(huán)繞旅游方式不理想來進行批評。第二段集中在導游觀光使旅游者難以和當?shù)厝嗣窠佑|。第三段，見到的只是證實了旅游者本人事先形成的思想/先入之見，旅游根本達不到了解對方的目的。第四段講了民族固定模式(先入之見的模式)的可怕后果。要使人懂得所有的人們都是人類，彼此相似，又各具特點，就得改變旅游的方式。
A.導游觀光令人失望。C.旅游時，你見到的 特性證實了你的先入之見。D.民族模式應當改變。這三條都是批評的具體內(nèi)容。
5. D。人人都能享受大旅游。大旅行是專指英國富家子弟上學中的一門課程-到歐洲大陸觀光。不是人人都能享受。這里用grand tour表示人人都能享受類似grand tour的一切，甚至超過，如第一段指出：現(xiàn)代旅游者享受的舒適設施，達到了大旅行中老爺、小姐們做夢都沒有想到的水平。海陸空高級交流聯(lián)絡通訊系統(tǒng)，使人們有可能錢花得不多就能訪問、觀光別的國家。所以說，曾是有錢人專享的大旅行，普通人也能領略。“grand tour”有引號，表明作為比喻。
A.費用不高。文內(nèi)是費用合適、中等、恰當。B.當?shù)赜^光受組織審查。C.人們喜歡一流舒適設施。
詞匯講解：
1. superb 卓越的，杰出的，第一流的
2. moderate 中庸的，中等的，適度的
3. grand tour 大旅行，指舊時英國富家子弟教育中，到歐洲大陸觀光的旅行，為學業(yè)必經(jīng)階段。
4. package tour 由旅行社代辦而費用與路線、日程固定的假日旅游。也可用package holiday。
5. chartered flight 包機航班
6. set out to do sth. = begin a job with a particular aim 開始做某事，決心/打算做……
7. cosset 寵愛，溺愛，縱容
8. conducted tour = guided tour 有人指導/引到下的參觀，有導游的旅游
9. censor 檢查
10. wander off 離開原處/正道，離群，漫步，漫游
11. quarters 住處，營
12. paella 西班牙什錦飯
13. chip 炸馬鈴薯條(土豆條)
14. amorous 多情的，色情的
15. pedantic 學究式的，賣弄學問的
16. generalization 歸納，概括
17. stir up 惹起，煽動，挑起
18. trite 陳腐的，老一套的
難句譯注
1. What was once the ‘grand tour’, reserved for only the very rich, is now within everybody’s grasp.
【結(jié)構(gòu)簡析】within sb.’s grasp.某人理解/了解，為某人所能抓到的。
【參考譯文】一度只有最富有者專享的“大旅行”現(xiàn)在人人都可獲得。
2. The package tour and chartered flights are not to be sneered at.
【參考譯文】旅行社包辦的旅游，包機航班決不會遭人恥笑。
3. They deliberately set out to protect their clients from too much contact with the local population.
【參考譯文】旅行社有意使他們的谷底和當?shù)鼐用裆俳佑|。
4. The modern tourist heads a cosseted sheltered life.
【參考譯文】現(xiàn)代旅行者過的使愛護有加與世隔絕的生活。
5. Conducted tours to places of interest are carefully censored.
【參考譯文】有人指導下參觀一些靜電收到組織者――旅行社仔細的檢查核準。
6. A strict schedule makes it impossible for the tourist to wander off on his own; and anyway, language is always barrier, so he is only too happy to be protected in this way.
【結(jié)構(gòu)簡析】only too + 形容詞/分詞 = very非常。
【參考譯文】嚴格致密的計劃值得旅行者不可能自己一個人到處閑逛;再說，至少語言總是個障礙，所以他對這樣保護非常高興。
7. At its very worst, this leads to a new and hideous kind of colonization.
【結(jié)構(gòu)簡析】at one’s worst 在情況最壞的時候。
【參考譯文】最糟的時候，這種保護會導致形成一種新型而又可怕的殖民現(xiàn)象。
8. Carried to an extreme, stereotypes can be positively dangerous.
【結(jié)構(gòu)簡析】carried to an extreme (to an excess )如果做得過分。
【參考譯文】如果走向極端，模式化的想法會非常危險。
9. Wild generalizations stir up racial hatred and blind us to the basic fact.
【參考譯文】野蠻(亂七八糟)的概括/歸納會激起種族仇恨，使我們對這基本事實視而不見。
寫作方法與文章大意：
文章主要采用因果寫法。雖然旅游業(yè)發(fā)展，人們可享受以前只有最富有者享受的大旅游，但由于旅行社種種限制/呵護及其它，使旅游者難以和當?shù)鼐用窠佑|。陳舊的固定的想――對民族的模式化想法，只有通過接觸才能接觸模式。而旅行社的種種都使人相互難以理解。
