一、【Text】课文
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 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 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.
二、【New words and expressions】生词和短语
●illusion n. 幻想，错觉
●pastoral adj. 田园的
●breed v. 培育
●rapture n. 欣喜
●extol v. 赞美，颂扬
●superior adj. 优越的
●cockcrow n. 鸡叫
●twitter v. （鸟）吱吱叫，喊喊喳喳叫
●glint v. 闪烁
●pasture n. 牧场
●idyllic adj. 田园诗的
●virtually adv. 几乎；差不多
●dubious adj. 可疑的，怀疑的
●privilege n. 特权
●misery n. 苦难
●acquaintance n. 熟人
●treat n. 难得的乐事，享受
●dweller n. 居住者
●stagger v. 摇晃；蹒跚
●exotic adj. 寻乎寻常的，外来的
●glow n. 白炽光
●descend v. 下落，降临
●tuck v. 缩进，隐藏
●obstinately adv. 固执地，顽固地
◆illusion n. 幻想，错觉
under illusion that / under the impression that
I am under the impression that you are honest.
We live under the illusion.
I am under the impression that he will help me every day.
under no illusion that
We live under no illusion that country life is beautiful.
have illusion about / have no illusion about