Travel—a chance to dip a toe into a new version of yourself

雷林苗

（陕西省安康市高新中学）

记得哪位名人说过，人生至少要有两次冲动：一场奋不顾身的爱情和一段说走就走的旅行。旅行的意义究竟是什么呢？是去看未曾见过的山水？是为了逃避某些人或事？还是单纯地随处走走？其实旅行的意义并不只是欣赏美丽的风景，还在于体验旅途中每一处、每一刻的感受。事实上，旅行的益处只有亲身体会了才知晓。

When I left my job as a psychologist and went on a round-the-world trip in search of adventures after a difficult time in my life,maybe I,too,was hoping to become a new person—or,like my father,a different version of myself.I was soon disappointed.It was nerve-racking to land in a strange place and know nobody.Away from the routines of life,the identity of my job and the security of my network of friends and family,I felt lonely and untethered（无依无靠的）.And,to my horror,despite visiting eye-wateringly（非常）beautiful places,I still felt miserable.Somehow,in the flurry of（一阵忙乱）packing for the trip,I’d forgotten that the thing you don’t choose to bring,but can’t leave behind,is yourself.I felt a very long way from home.I missed my friends.What was I thinking?

But as the weeks went on,something started to shift.It was during a stay on Ko Phi Phi island in Thailand,when a woman I’d met earlier on the beach approached me and asked if I was free that evening.She’d invited a few other women to meet for dinner.Would I like to join them? We were six women of different ages.At the meal she told us it was her 40th birthday and,as she was travelling alone,she’d decided to celebrate by gathering together a group of women she’d enjoyed meeting during the week.As the waves lapped on the beach,we sat together eating pad Thai and drinking Tiger beer,and for the next four hours we shared stories about our lives: hopes,dreams,sadness,loss and disappointment.I felt profoundly moved by the honesty of these strangers,and was surprised,too,by the ease with which I felt able to share things about myself.

At the end of the evening,we parted company.The birthday woman was leaving early in the morning.I was also leaving the next day.None of us saw each other again.I don’t remember their names,but I do remember the magic of that connection.For all of us,the anonymity was liberating;we had no shared past or future and,as a consequence,we could talk freely without judgment or repercussions.

In the months before I left home,I’d felt saddled by heartbreak and stuckness,and this experience had come to define me—and,in turn,my relationship with friends,family and colleagues.My home narrative read like a well-thumbed book.While the longevity（持续时间）of relationships can be a huge source of comfort,it can also be constraining when you want to write yourself a new and different story.

As I continued my travels,and took jobs along the way,I found these new and transient relationships liberating,and I was surprised by my growing resilience（恢复力）and independence as well as the rediscovery of parts of myself that were long buried.I extended my trip by another six months and when I got a job on a boat,I not only discovered the joy of scuba diving,but also managed to fall back in love with my life again.

【文章介绍】

本文是“人与社会”主题语境下的一个关于作者在旅途中体验社会、感悟人生的故事。该文曾刊登于英国知名杂志Economist（《经济学人》）。故事讲述的是作者在辞去工作之后开启了一段说走就走的旅行，想要寻求冒险或者遇见更好的自己。在经历了最初的离家的不适应之后，作者被邀请去参加一位陌生游客的生日聚会。在聚会中，一群不认识的人随心而谈，让作者受益匪浅。

全篇译文

当我辞去了心理学家的工作，在经历人生低谷之后开始环球旅行寻找冒险时，也许我也希望成为一个崭新的人——或者像我父亲一样，成为一个不同的自己。但很快我就失望了。在一个陌生的地方降落，不认识任何人，离开了常规的生活、工作的身份和家人朋友的支持网，我感到孤独、无依无靠。令我震惊的是，尽管到了令人叹为观止的美景之地，我仍然感到不开心。在准备旅行的忙碌中，我不知道的是，唯一无法带走又无法离开的是自己。我感到离家很远，我想念我的朋友。我在想什么？

然而，随着时间的推移，某些事情开始发生改变。在泰国的科皮皮岛逗留期间，一位我早些时候在海滩上遇到的女士走过来问我晚上是否有空。她邀请了其他几位女士一起共进晚餐。我想加入他们吗？我们是六位不同年龄的女性。在用餐时，她告诉我们今天是她的40 岁生日，她正在独自旅行，所以她决定邀请一群她在这一周中认识并喜欢的女性一起庆祝。海浪拍打着海滩，我们坐在一起，品尝着泰式炒河粉，喝着老虎啤酒，在接下来的四个小时里，我们分享了我们生活的故事：希望、梦想、悲伤、失落和失望。我被这些陌生人的坦诚深深感动，同时也惊讶于我能够轻松地分享自己的事情。

晚餐结束后，我们分别离开。生日女士早上要离开。我第二天也要离开。我们再也没有见过面。我不记得她们的名字，但我记得那种连接的魔力。对于我们所有人来说，匿名是解放的；我们没有共同的过去或未来，因此我们可以自由地交谈，没有判断或后果。

在离家前的几个月，我感到被心碎和困境所拖累，这种经历已经开始定义我——反过来也定义了我与朋友、家人和同事的关系。我的家庭故事读起来像一本翻旧的书。虽然长期的关系可以带来巨大的安慰，但当你想为自己写一个新的、不同的故事时，它也可能是限制性的。

随着旅行的继续和沿途做的一些工作，我发现这些新的、短暂的关系是解放的，我惊讶于自己越来越有弹性和独立，以及重新发现了自己长期被埋藏的部分。我将旅行延长了六个月，当在一艘船上找到了工作，我不仅发现了潜水的乐趣，也重新爱上了我的生活。

人教版课标单词复现

psychologyn.心理学；心理；心理影响（选必三U2）psychologist n.心理学家

adventuren.冒险，奇遇（必修一U1）

versionn.版本；（从不同角度的）说法（选必三U5）

routinen.常规；正常顺序/常规的；日常的（选必一U2）

identity（必修二U3）n.身份；本体；个性

secureadj.安全的；安心的；可靠的；牢固的 v.获得；拴牢；保护（选必一U2）

security n.保护措施；安全工作

networkn.（互联）网络；网状系统；人际网（必修二U3）

despiteprep.即使；尽管（必修一U5）

miserableadj.痛苦的；令人难受的（选必三U4）

shiftn./v.改变；转换；轮班/转移；挪动；转向/转移；挪动；转向（选必二U1）

approachn.方法；途径；接近（必修二U4）

easev./n.（使）宽慰；减轻；缓解/（使）宽慰；减轻；缓解/容易；舒适；自在（选必二U5）

literaturen.文学；文学作品（必修一U1）literate adj.有读写能力的；有文化的

consequencen.结果；后果（选必一U1）

stuckadj.卡住；陷（入）；困（于）（必修二U3）

definev.给……下定义；界定；解释（必修二U3）

colleaguen.同事；同僚（必修三U2）

narratorn.（书、戏剧或电影中的）叙述者；讲述者；（电视节目中的）幕后解说员（必修三U5）narrate v.讲（故事）；叙述；给（纪录片或节目）作解说

narrative adj.叙述的；叙事体的；善于叙述的

sourcen.来源，出处（必修一U2）

buryv.将……埋在下面（必修一U4）

extentn.程度；限度；大小；范围（必修三U5）

extendv.延长；扩展；扩大（必修三U5）

词汇积累

nerve-rackingadj.令人神经紧张的；令人焦虑不安的

lapv.轻拍（-pped）n.（坐着时的）大腿部；（跑道等的）一圈；（行程或工作中的）一段，环节

profoundlyadv.极大地；深刻地

partv.分开，分离 n.部分，角色，作用

anonymityn.匿名（者）

repercussionn.影响，反响

well-thumbedadj.常常翻阅的，翻旧了的

constrainv.限制，约束

transientadj.短暂的

地道表达

◎dip a toe into

字面意思为“把脚趾先浸下去”，很生动的表达，引申为“开始一件新事物时试水的情形”。

如：I began dipping my toes into Asian cooking.我开始尝试做亚洲料理。

拓展知识：与身体部位相关的英语俚语

1.play by ear 表示“临时决定，见机行事”。这个俚语的典故是音乐家演奏乐器时，忘了带乐谱，只能根据记忆来演奏，所以play by ear 就有了“随机应变”的意思。

如：I haven’t had a chance to make any preparations,so all I can do is play it by ear.我今天没有机会做准备，所以只好见机行事了。

2.up to one’s neck (in sth.) 表示“深深陷入某事物”。可以指某件事情、某份工作，也可以指债务，甚至是罪恶。

如：I’m up to my neck in work/debt.我忙得不可开交/债务缠身。

3.button one’s lip/ zip one’s lip表示“用开关关上”或者“用拉链拉起一个人的嘴巴”，意为“保守秘密，保持缄默”。

4.motor mouth 表示“滔滔不绝，说话没完的人”。motor 是汽车马达，如果一个人的嘴像马达那样不停地说就可想而知了。

如：He’s such a motor mouth that people avoid talking to him.他老是一说话就没完没了，所以人们都避开他。

5.keep a straight face 表示“板着脸，努力强忍着笑”。其实这是很有趣的一种情况。

如：He looked funny and I could hardly keep a straight face.他看起来很滑稽，我几乎禁不住笑出声来。

6.jump down one’s throat 表示“突然对某人发飙”。跳进别人的嗓子里，一定会令他人很不舒适。

如：He jumped down my throat after I said a few words.我还没说几句话，他就突然对我发飙了。

7.jump on one’ back 表示“惹到某人”。

如：You’re jumping on my back.你惹到我了。

8.rub shoulders with sb/ rub elbows with sb 表示“与某人接触，交往（尤其指名人）”。

如：You can rub shoulders with the stars,take pictures with them.你可以结交明星朋友，与他们合照。

9.wear my heart on my sleeve 表示“善于表达真实感情”。把心都穿在袖子上了，表达得还不够淋漓尽致吗？

如：I’m not the type to wear my heart on my sleeve.我不是善于表达感情的人。

阅读小练

一、根据文章内容，选择最佳答案。

1.Why did the author go on a trip?

A.Because she had just left her job.

B.Because she suffered a difficult time in her life.

C.Because she wanted to be like her father.

D.Because she wanted to make a change.

2.How did the author feel about the birthday party?

A.Uneasy and unhappy.

B.Sad and disappointing.

C.Touching and relaxing.

D.Surprising and strange.

3.What happened after the party?

A.They became life long good friends.

B.They returned to their own lives with great memory.

C.They kept in touch with each other.

D.They kept each other’s phone numbers.

4.What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A.The author’s new life back at home.

B.The author’s new job in the trip.

C.The author’s feedback of the trip.

D.The author’s trip and feelings afterwards.

二、用所给单词的适当形式填空。

1.They must be able to help to some _______________________________(extent).

2.It was hard ____________________(approach)the painting as there were so many people around.

3.At age 50,she found herself out of work and____________________(stick) at home with only her computer to keep her company.

4.These smart homes will keep us ______________________________(security),save us energy,and provide a more comfortable environment to live in.

三、将括号中的汉语部分译成英语。

1.In addition,______________________(不同的教和学的方法) may come as a shock to many students

2.People’s lives have been changed by online communities and ___________________________(社交网络).

3.__________________________(结果),he had to flee Germany.

4.China is widely known for its ancient civilization which has continued all the way through into modern times,___________________________(尽管有很多起起落落) in its history.

5.All controls will respond to voice commands,so___________________________(如果你想要改变你的日常),you just say aloud what you want and the home system will obey.

6.Artemisinin has become ____________________________________________(重要的一部分) of the treatment for malaria,and is thought to save 100 000 lives a year in Africa alone.

7.There are also differences in how we touch each other,how close we stand to someone we are talking to,and how we act _______________________________________(在我们相见或分别时).

8.As I ______________________(参加夏令营)about personal life choices,I started to analyse my choices,especially what I did to relax and how it was affecting my whole life.

答案和解析

一、1.D。细节理解题。根据第一段第一句“When I left my job as a psychologist and went on a round-the-world trip in search of adventures after a difficult time in my life,maybe I,too,was hoping to become a new person—or,like my father,a different version of myself.”可知，当“我”辞去了作为心理学家的工作，在经历人生低谷之后开始了环球旅行寻找冒险时，也许“我”也希望成为一个崭新的人——或者像“我”父亲一样，成为一个不同的自己。由此可知，作者是为了做出改变才开始这段旅行的。故选D。

2.C。细节理解题。根据第二段最后两句“ As the waves lapped on the beach,we sat together eating pad Thai and drinking Tiger beer,and for the next four hours we shared stories about our lives: hopes,dreams,sadness,loss and disappointment.I felt profoundly moved by the honesty of these strangers,and was surprised,too,by the ease with which I felt able to share things about myself.”可知，海浪拍打着海滩，“我们”坐在一起，品尝着泰式炒河粉，喝着老虎啤酒。在接下来的四个小时里，“我们”分享了“我们”的生活故事：希望、梦想、悲伤、失落和失望。“我”被这些陌生人的坦诚所深深感动，同时也惊讶于“我”能够轻松地分享自己的事情。由此可知，作者觉得这个生日聚会令人感动且放松。

3.B。推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，晚餐结束后，“我们”分别离开。生日女士早上要离开。“我”第二天也要离开。“我们”再也没有见过面。“我”不记得她们的名字，但“我”记得那种连接的魔力。对于“我们”所有人来说，匿名是解放的；“我们”没有共同的过去或未来，因此“我们”可以自由地交谈，没有判断或后果。由此可推知，她们在聚会之后都回到了各自的生活中。

4.D。推理判断题。根据最后一段内容可知，随着旅行的继续和沿途做的一些工作，“我”发现这些新的、短暂的关系是解放的，“我”惊讶于自己越来越有弹性和独立，以及重新发现了自己长期被埋藏的部分。“我”将旅行延长了六个月，在一艘船上找到了工作，不仅发现了潜水的乐趣，也重新爱上了“我”的生活。由此可知，作者在那之后又进行了六个月的旅行，且在之后的旅行中也有新的感受和认知。由此可推断出，接下来作者会写到之后的旅途中的经历和感受。

二、1.extent 2.to approach

3.stuck 4.secure

三、1.different approaches to teaching and learning

2.social networks

3.As a consequence

4.despite the many ups and downs

5.if you want to change your routine

6.a vital part

7.when we meet or part

8.took part in the summer camp