【夏雨行动——006号学员】

Lesson 41 lllusions of pastoral peace
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 live 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. 沪江品牌英语Ahu版http://www.hjbbs.com/list.asp?boardid=54

Language points: 沪江品牌英语Ahu版http://www.hjbbs.com/list.asp?boardid=54

1. City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasional visit during the weekend.
1) City born and city bred 是由"名词+过去分词"构成的复合形容词，此作原因状语。
2) regards...as 把...视为. 相当: think of ...as / refer to ...as

2. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country.
1) go into raptures 变得欣喜若狂
2) at the mere mention of 一提到
at the sight of 一看到
at the touch of 一触及到
at the news of 一听到
at the sound of 一听到
E.g.: They went to reptures at the good news.

3. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.
1) be under the illusion 有这样的错觉，其后that引导一个同位语从句。
E.g.: He is under the illusion that he is always right.
2) be superior to 比...优越，含比较之意，用于两人或两个事物之间的比较。
be superior to 表示"在...方面胜过..."时，通常使用be superior in... to" OR "be superior to...in ..."这结构。
E.g.: He felt superior in maths to John.

4. He is forever talking about the friendly people...
这里的副词 forever 与正在进行时的一同使用，表示作者的不满这样的感情色彩。always, forever, constantly, continually 等副词同进行时态共用，除表示某事常发生外，往往表示说话人对发生的此类事情的不满。

5. 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.
compared with 将...同...相比，用于两者间比较
cockcrow n. 鸡叫
twitter v. 鸟）吱吱叫，喊喊喳喳叫

今日练习（注意一段话是五个句子，不要勾选回复可见。请大家写明学号，记得批改你楼上的作业哦！要求批改的筒子注明“请批改”）：
1、购物是一种乐趣。
2、人们一提到购物就欣喜若狂。
3、然而，购物时大量使用的塑料袋，被认为是“白色污染”的主要来源。
4、自2008年6月1日开始实行的“限塑令”已经在改变着人们的习惯，越来越多的人不用免费塑料袋也行，他们宁愿出门购物时带上自己的袋子，这将大大遏制浪费和减少污染。
5、人们的环保意识日益增强，没有什么可与这相比。

我的仿写：

1、Shopping is a sort of joy.

2、Individuals always go into raptures at the mere mention of shopping.

3、Yet, with shopping, plastic bags are used in quantities are considered to be the major source of "white pollution".

4、Since June 1st, 2008, the law of limiting plastics began to carry out, have been changing people's habits. A growing mumber of people can not make use of free plastic bags. They prefer to take their own bags during their shopping, in a great extent, which inhibits the growth of wast and reduces pollution.

5、The people's consciousness of environmental conservation increasingly strengthen. And nothing can be compared with this.

经过丹丹改正过的仿写：

1、Shopping is a sort of joy.

2、Individuals always go into raptures at the mere mention of shopping.

3、Yet, with shopping, plastic bags are used in quantities are considered to be the major source of "white pollution".

4、Since June 1st, 2008, the law of limiting plastics began to carry out[has began to be carried out或者have been carried out，since要搭配完成时态，另carry out要用被动哦～], have been changing people's habits. A growing mumber[number笔误哦] of people can not make use of free plastic bags. They prefer to take their own bags during their shopping, in a great extent, which inhibits the growth of wast[waste又一笔误！] and reduces pollution.

5、The people's consciousness of environmental conservation [is] increasingly strengthen[strengthened]. And nothing can be compared with this.

批改我楼上40号的童鞋仿写：

It's a pleasrue to go shopping.People go to raptures at the mention of shopping.Yet,the plastic bags largely (are 被动哦~~) used in shopping,are concerned as the scorce of the 'white pollution'.From May (June 题目是“六月”，注意审题~~) ,1st in 2008 ,the ban in using plastic bags are carried out. People's habits are changing. Increasingly people are prefer binging (prefer bringing 是笔误吗？) the (their) own bags to using the free platic bags, it (which) will reduce the pollution and curb (这个词不错。我学习啦~~) the waste.Nothing can be compared with people's sense are rising.

豆子大人的仿写：

Shopping is a sort of fun. People go into raptures at the mere mention of Shopping. However, the excessively used shopping plastic bags are regarded as the major source of "white pollution". The " Plastic restrcition Law" carried out from 1st June, 2008 has already transformed people's habits-a increasing number of human beings would rather bring their own bags than use the free plastic ones, which will, in turn, greatly curb the waste and reduce pollution. Nothing can be compared with the rising sense of environmental protection.

Cathy的仿写

Shopping is always a pleasure. People go into raptures at the mere mention of it. However, the plastic bags largely used in shopping are regarded as the main source of “white pollution”. The ban for free plastic bags which came into effect on June 1 has been changing people’s habbit effectively: now an increasing number of people can do without free plastic bags and they prefer to carry their own bags when shopping, which will significantly curb waste and reduce pollution. Nothing can be compared with the rising sense of environmental protection.

学习总结：
1、be regarded as …… 被认为…… （比我老套的"be considered "好）
2、come into effect 实施
3、effectively 有效地
4、an increasing number of 越来越多的
5、significantly 在相当大的程度上
6、curb 抑制（以后我也不用stop了。我太土了= =）
7、the rising sense of 意识日益增强