Illusions of Pastoral peace

原文

The quiet life of the country ahs 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 occasional 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 hem 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 cit 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. 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 who city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.

译文

乡村的宁静生活从来不曾吸引我。我生于城市，长于城市，一向把乡村视为从火车窗外一瞥的景致，或者偶尔在周末去游览一番。我的大多数朋友都住在城市，然而一提到乡村，他们便欣喜若狂。尽管他们极力赞美那宁静生活的种种优点，但其中只有一人曾去乡村定居，不到六个月，他就回到了城里。甚至连他仍然沉迷于一种幻觉，认为乡村生活 somehow superior to town life。他总是在谈论那里友善的人民、清新的空气、亲近自然以及悠闲的节奏。他坚称，没有什么能比得上清晨的第一声鸡鸣、黎明鸟儿的呢喃、旭日初升时映射在树木和牧场上那闪耀的光辉。这种田园诗般的乡村景象，不过是画面的一部分而已。我那位朋友却没有提到那些漫长而寂寞的冬夜，人们只能坐在电视机前——那几乎是唯一的娱乐。他也没说起商店里货品选择的贫乏，或者那些不得不每天从乡村赶到城市上班的倒霉人。为什么人们甘愿每天忍受四小时的旅程，只为那可疑的特权去过乡村生活，这真是让我 baffling。如果他们选择住在本该属于他们的城市里，就能省却多少苦恼和开销啊。

如果你能舍弃乡村那寥寥几桩田园乐趣，你就会发现城市能为你提供生活中最好的东西。你不必跋涉数英里去见朋友。他们总是在附近，随时可以闲聊或共度一个愉快的夜晚。我在乡村的一些熟人，一年里难得进城一两次，只是为了去看场戏当作特别的享受。对他们来说，这简直是一项大工程，需要周密的计划。当戏曲即将结束时，他们就会担心是否赶得上那最后一班火车回家。城市居民从来不会遇到这种焦虑。新近的展览、电影或戏剧，只需短短的一段巴士车程就可到达。购物也总是件乐事。新近的展览、电影或戏剧，只需短短的一段巴士车程就可到达。购物也总是件乐事。那里的品种如此丰富，你从不需要将就次等货。乡村人一到城里购物就乐不可支，带着他们能带回的异国物品，摇摇晃晃地回家。城市也并非全无美好时刻。在寒冷潮湿的冬夜，广告牌发出的温暖光芒总让人感到慰藉。没有什么比周末城市街道空无一人时的宁静更令人印象深刻了——那些每天进城上班的成千上万的人，都蜷缩在乡村的家中。这一直是个谜：那些欣赏这一切的城市居民，为什么固执地假装更喜欢住在乡村。

词汇表

appealed

动词

英:/əˈpiːld/

美:/əˈpiːld/

定义

1. 吸引；使感兴趣 - To attract or interest someone.

例子: The idea of traveling abroad appealed to her greatly.

例子: That job offer appealed to him because of the high salary.

2. 呼吁；恳求 - To make a request for help or support.

例子: The charity appealed for donations to help the victims.

例子: He appealed to the court for a fair trial.

近义词

attracted: 强调自然引力，常用于情感或兴趣，而 'appealed' 更侧重于主动吸引。

enticed: 更具诱惑性，暗示某种奖励或诱因，与 'appealed' 的中性语气不同。

charmed: 带有积极情感色彩，强调愉悦感，而 'appealed' 更一般化。

反义词:

repelled, deterred, discouraged

用法

常用于描述某事物的吸引力，常搭配如 'appealed to me'，在非正式语境中表达个人偏好；文化上，常用于讨论生活方式或产品。

形式:

过去式: appealed, 现在分词: appealing, 名词形式: appeal

深入解析：关键句型 "regard something as something"

定义

这个句型是一种常见的表达方式，用于表示将某物视为或看作另一种事物，强调主观看法或评价。基本结构为：regard（视为）+ something（某物）+ as（作为）+ something（另一种事物）。例如，在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《Cambridge English Grammar》中，这个句型被定义为一种动词短语，用于描述认知或意见，核心含义是建立等同关系或分类。根据这些教材，regard 通常是及物动词，后跟宾语和 as 引导的补语，帮助表达抽象概念或比较。

用法

此句型主要用于正式或半正式的语境中，描述个人对事物的看法、评价或分类。例如，在文章中如 "I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window"，它表达了说话者对乡村的认知。在语法体系中，它属于动词 + 宾语 + 补语的结构，与其他表达意见的句型如 "see as" 或 "consider as" 相关联。作为一个表示态度的句型，它在英语中常用于议论文或描述性文本中。规则包括：regard 可以是现在时、过去时或完成时；as 后通常跟名词、代词或从句；它还可以扩展为 "regard something as something that..." 以添加更多细节。跨语法点联系：这个句型与宾语补足语相关，类似于 "make something into something"，帮助学生从简单动词句过渡到更复杂的表达，同时链接到形容词或名词的修饰作用，例如与比较级结合如 "regard as superior"。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：误用 as，例如直接说 "regard something something" 而省略 as，导致句子不完整；另一个常见偏误是将 regard 与其他动词混淆，如用 think 代替，但 think 不需 as。此外，学生可能忽略主语的一致性，例如在复数主语时仍用单数形式。纠正建议：练习在上下文中使用这个句型，确保 as 不可省略；多读示例句子以熟悉其正式语气；避免在口语中过度使用，以免显得生硬。还需注意文化差异，因为在英语中，这种表达常用于客观描述，而在其他语言中可能更主观。

练习

一个额外的例子："Many people regard success as the key to happiness." 通过这个例子，学生可以尝试替换成分，例如 "I regard exercise as a way to stay healthy." 这有助于学生在日常对话或写作中应用句型，练习如何用它表达个人观点，并扩展到更复杂的句子如 "She regards her job as more than just a paycheck."

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于拉丁语，反映了英语中罗马文化的影响，在现代英语中常用于哲学或文学讨论。对比分析：与法语的 "considérer comme" 类似，但英语版本更简洁。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生可以更好地理解类似结构如 "view as" 或 "treat as"，从而丰富表达方式，并将其与文章中的其他描述性语言结合，提升整体语言能力。