Introduce the story: Today we'll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of living
in the country.
Step 1: Intensive reading.
Try to answer the question below while you’re reading:
Question: What particular anxiety spoils the country dweller's visit to the theatre?
Vocabulary:
illusion n. 幻想，错觉
dubious adj. 可疑的；怀疑的
pastoral adj. 田园的
privilege n. 特权
breed (bred, bred) v. 培育
misery n. 苦难
rapture n. 欣喜
acquaintance n. 熟人
extol v. 赞美，颂扬
treat n. 难得的乐事，享受
superior adj. 优越的
dweller n. 居住者
cockcrow n. 鸡叫
stagger v. 摇晃；螨跚
twitter v. （鸟）吱吱叫，喊喊喳喳叫
exotic adj. 异乎寻常的，外来的
glint v. 闪烁
glow n. 白炽光
pasture n. 牧场
descend v. 下落，降临
idyllic adj. 田园诗的
tuck v. 缩进，隐藏
virtually adv. 几乎；差不多
obstinately adv. 固执地，顽固地
Passage:
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.
宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。我生在城市，长在城市，总认为乡村是透过
火车车窗看到的那个样子，或偶尔周末去游玩一下的景象。我的许多朋友都住在
城市，但他们只要一提起乡村，马上就会变得欣喜若狂。尽管他们都交口称赞宁
静的乡村生活的种种优点，但其中只有一人真去农村住过，而且不足 6 个月就回
来了。即使他也仍存有幻觉，好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。他滔滔不绝地
大谈友好的农民，洁净的空气，贴近大自然的环境和悠闲的生活节奏。他坚持认
为，凌晨雄鸡第一声啼叫，黎明时分小鸟吱喳欢叫，冉冉升起的朝阳染红树木、
牧场，此番美景无与伦比。但这种田园诗般的乡村风光仅仅是一个侧面。我的朋
友没有提到在电视机前度过的漫长寂寞的冬夜—— 电视是唯一的娱乐形式。他也
不说商店货物品种单调，以及那些每天不得不从乡下赶到城里工作的不幸的人们。
人们为什么情愿每天在路上奔波 4 个小时去换取值得怀疑的乡间的优点，我是无
法理解的。要是他们愿意住在本来属于他们的城市，则可以让他们省去诸多不便
与节约大量开支。
Notes:
1 city born and city bred, 城里生，城里长。这是由“名词+过去分词”构成的合成形
容词，此处作原因状语。
2 go into raptures, 变得欣喜若狂起来。at the mere mention of, 一提到。
3 be under an illusion, 作“有……的错觉”讲，that 引起的是同位语从句。
4 beyond me, 我所无法理解的。
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.
如果你愿舍弃乡下生活那一点点乐趣的话，那么你会发现城市可以为你提供生活
中最美好的东西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好几英里，因为他们都住在附近，你
随时可以同他们聊天或在晚上一起娱乐。我在乡村有一些熟人，他们每年进城来
看一回或几回戏，并把此看作一种特殊的享受。看戏在他们是件大事，需要精心
计划。当戏快演完时，他们又为是否能赶上末班火车回家而犯愁。这种焦虑，城
里人是从未体验过的。坐公共汽车几站路，就可看到最新的展览、电影、戏剧。
买东西也是一种乐趣。物品品种繁多，从来不必用二等品来凑合。乡里人进城采
购欣喜若狂，每次回家时都买足了外来商品，直到拿不动方才罢休，连走路都摇
摇晃晃的。城市也并非没有良辰美景。寒冷潮湿的冬夜里，广告灯箱发出的暖光，
会给人某种安慰。周末，当成千上万进城上班的人回到了他们的乡间寓所之后，
空旷的街市笼罩着一种宁静的气氛，没有什么能比此时的宁静更令人难忘了。城
里人对这一切心里很明白，却偏要执拗地装出他们喜欢住在乡村的样子，这对我
来说一直是个谜。
Notes:
5 do without…，没有……也行。
6 draw to a close，结束，告终。
7 you never have to make do with second best, 你从来不必用二等品来凑合。
make do with …, 凑合着用……。
41.2【阅读理解】Illusions of pastoral peace
Step 2: Comprehension questions.
1 Has the quiet life of the country ever appealed to the author? (No, it hasn't)
2 Why has he always regarded the country as something you look at through a train
window? (Because he was city born and city bred.)
3 Where do most of the author's friends live? (In the city.)
4 What do they do at the mere mention of the country? (They go into raptures.)
5 Do they think country life is a peaceful life? (Yes, they do.)
6 Does one friend still live under the illusion that country life is superior to town life?
(Yes, he does.)
7 Does he think the people are friendly? (Yes, he does.)
8 What does he think of the atmosphere? (It is clean.)
9 What does the author's friend fail to mention? (The long friendless evenings in front
of the TV.)
10 Does the friend say anything about the poor selection of goods in shops? (No, he
doesn't)
11 Which unfortunate people doesn't he mention? (The people who have to travel
from the country to the city every day to get to work.)
12 According to the author, can the city provide you with the best life can offer? (Yes,
it can.)
13 Do you have to travel miles to see your friends (if you live in the city)? (No, you
don't.)
14 How often do some of the author's friends come up to town? (Once or twice a
year.)
15 Why? (To visit the theatre.)
16 As the play draws to a close, what do they wonder? (Whether they will catch the
last train home.)
17 Why is shopping a pleasure for city dwellers? (Because there is so much variety
that you never have to make do with second best.)
18 What do country people do when they go shopping in the city? (They run wild and
stagger home loaded with as much as they can carry.)
41.3【拓展写作】Illusions of pastoral peace
Step 3: Composition
Write a composition in about 300 words on the following topic:
• Write an answer to the above passage pointing out the advantages of living in the
country and the disadvantages of living in the city.
Key to composition
A possible answer
Plan and ideas for composition
Tile: Give me the country!
Introduction: Never understood city-lovers— city a place to visit, to go shopping, to
see special exhibitions, etc. — not live in
Development:
Advantages — living in country quiet — more healthy — less traffic— fresh air —
fresh food from farms or village shops — people polite and friendly…
Disadvantages — living in city — noisy — dirty — stressful — people always in rush
— rude, unfriendly
Conclusion: Always a mystery why some country people say — like to live in city
Composition
I have never understood city-lovers. For me a city is a place to visit for a few
hours, to go shopping, to see special exhibitions, shows, plays and films. But it's not a
place to live in, even though thousands do. Usually they are tied to the city by their
jobs or perhaps even by family.
There are so many advantages to living in the country: It is quiet and more
healthy. There is far less traffic on the roads and the air is so much fresher. Instead of
buying everything in packets from a supermarket, in the country we can always buy
fresh food from farms or village shops every day: milk, fruit, fresh eggs, vegetables
and meat. And we don't have to look at “Use by ...” labels to see when we must use
something by: we know that everything is fresh. And the people in the country are
always so polite and friendly as long as you obey the unwritten rules of the
countryside.
On the other hand, there are so many disadvantages to living in a town or city.
The first thing most country people notice is the noise and dirt. It must be the traffic,
but many country people find it difficult to breathe in the city. And it is stressful, too:
people always seem to be in a rush, and they are so often rude and unfriendly.
There are so many advantages to living in the country that it is a mystery to me
why some country people say they would like to live in the city. In fact, I just cannot
understand how anyone can even consider living in the city.
课外练习：
1 What is the main difference between the Writer and most of his friends?
(a) They often visit the country but he has only spent one weekend there.
(b) Unlike them, being brought up in the city, he can appreciate its worth.
(c) In contrast to them, he finds city people friendlier than country
(d) He thinks them hypocritical to maintain a preference for country life.
2 What advantage has the city dweller over the country dweller in terms of
entertainment?
(a) He can entertain his country friends more often than they can him.
(b) His choice of entertainment is wide and within easy reach of him.
(c) As he travels by bus and not by train, he can see the latest plays.
(d) He does not need a major operation when planning a visit to the theatre.
3 When he speaks of the beauty to be found in the city, the writer ?
(a) alludes to the comparative cheerlessness of winter nights in the country
(b) means that if more people settled in the city they would find peace
(c) advertises the fact that the city is a warmer place than the country
(d) implies that the country is less peaceful than the city at weekends
4 I and bred in the city and have always regarded…
(a) being born
(b) had been born
(c) was born
(d) am born
5 He talking about the friendly people…
(a) never tires of
(b) is never tiring of
(c) is never tired
(d) is never tiring when
6 The latest exhibitions, films or plays are only .
(a) by bus a short distance away
(b)a short distance by bus away
(c) a short distance away by bus
(d) the distance of a short bus away
7 - and stagger home loaded with exotic items as they can carry.
(a) as many of the
(b) as many
(c) so many
(d) the most
8 I have always been mystified city dwellers, who…
(a) why
(b) by the fact that
(c) for what
(d) with
9 the only form of entertainment
(a) pretty well
(b) altogether
(c) certainly
(d) in particular
10 If you can without the few pastoral pleasures of the country ...
(a) make
(b) manage
(c) succeed
(d) pass
11 As the play …
(a) reaches its climax
(b) nears its end
(c) ends its run
(d) draws the curtain
12 Few things can have such an as the peace ...
(a) impact
(b) imposition
(c) imprint
(d) impression
答案：1d 2b 3a 4c 5a 6c 7b 8b 9a 10b 11b 12a