第六篇TV Shows and Long Bus Trips 第六篇看电视与长途汽车旅行.docVIP

第六篇TV Shows and Long Bus Trips 　　Long bus rides are like televisions shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end---with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. 　They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. 不受你的意志左右，大约每过几分钟就会有一块广告牌从窗外闪过。Buy Super Clean Toothpaste. Drink Goodn Wet Root Beer. Fill up with Pacific Gas. 比如“买超洁净牙膏”“饮格威特露啤酒”“请用和平汽油”等等。Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of You Need It! Buy It Now! 就像看电视时，只有你关机才不会听到那些广告词，些时，你只有睡着了才不致受那些没完没了的“你需要它，现在就来买吧！”的吵闹。 　The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if youve traveled that way before. 　Usually some things have changed---new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. 通常会有不少变化，新的房室，新的高楼，有时甚至会有一段新的道路。 The bus driver has a style of driving and its fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. 司机有自己的开车方式，开始一、二小时计算车速挺有趣的。If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. 如果碰上一个特别粗心大意或胆大的司机，那乘车就会像读扣人心弦的故事一样让人兴奋。Will the driver pass the truck in time? 司机能及时超过那辆卡车吗？ Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? 司机开车进左手还是右手车道呢？After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. 当然，过了一会儿兴奋也就没了。 Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. 小睡片刻对过好途中几个小时是很有帮助的。 Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But youve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. 而食物则会让旅程更加有趣，不过吃食物的时候，千万别吃太多咸食，那样你会很口渴。 　The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and theres a kind of expectation and excitement in that. 知道自己快下车了，你满怀期望和兴奋。The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. 当然，随着时间一小时一小时过去，座位变得越来越硬， By now youve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests---even with your