Unit 1 TRAVEL

Lesson 01 The Backpackers

Target Vocabulary

1 abroad [??br?:d] adv. 到国外

2 scour [?ska??(r)] v. 搜索

3 bargain [?bɑ:g?n] n. 特价商品；便宜货

4 book [b?k] v. 预订

5 embark on [im?bɑ:k ?n] phr. 从事；着手

6 tuck [t?k] v. 塞进；折叠；收拢

7 emerge [??m?:d?] v. 出现；浮现

8 hosteller [h?stl:?] n. 投宿者(尤指住在青年旅舍的人)

The Backpacking Trip in London

Eurail pass1? Check. Travel partner and best friend? Check. Enough clothes andsupplies to last two months abroad1? I sure hope so.

After scouring2 the Web for bargains3, we book4 our flight to London. We've been studying maps, youth hostel websites, and train routes since January. Now with our last semester of high school behind us, we embark5 a new adventure: the classicsummer backpacking trip.

Upon arriving at the airport, we take the Tube and head toward our youth hostel in the city center. With our money belts tucked6 inside our jeans, we emerge7 from the Underground 2, and I begin to study the map I printed from the Internet. Within a few minutes, my face wrinkles into a look of confusion. Luckily, a friendly Londoner notices we need help and points us in the right direction. The receptionist at the hostel's front desk tells us where to leave our things, so we lock up our backpacks and set out. Following a proper meal of fish and chips, we spend the afternoon photographing Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus.

Back at the youth hostel that evening, we chat with our roommates. They are from California, and London is their last stop before heading back

home. Later, we join some Canadian backpackers in the lobby, and we all go out to a pub for dinner. So far, all the hostellers8 we've met have been friendly and full of travel tips and suggestions. If this is a taste of what the next two months will be like, I could really get used to the life of a backpacker!

1

Eurail pass(欧洲铁路通票)是一种供非欧洲籍旅客使用的火车票，旅客可在特定的期限内，持票于欧洲各国自由旅游。

2 伦敦市区的地下交通系统，称为the Tube或the Underground。

After You Read

A. Reading Skill: 推论

通常作者会在文中省略一些信息，除了认为没有必要描述所有细节外，也相信读者会利用故事里的线索和自身的经验找到那些“遗漏”的内容。当你想到那些省略的信息时，你便完成了一次“推论”(Making Inference)。“推论”代表依照自身的经验、专业知识等，做出有一定依据的猜测。虽然你不能保障，但至少可以根据故事情节做出合理的推测。

1. Use the chart to help you think about how to make an inference.

2. Why do you suppose the backpackers scour the Internet for bargains before

booking their flight to London?

3. Why do the backpackers tuck their money belts into their jeans?

4. When the narrator writes, "I could really get used to the life of a backpacker,"what can you infer she means by this exclamation?

B. Word Study: 指“人”的词尾

指“人”的词尾：-er, -ist, -ian, -tor, -ive, -ee

在本篇文章中，我们看到“backpacker”这个词，“-er”这类词尾多具有“人”或“物”的含意，进而形成另一个意义不同的名词。了解这些词尾的变化，对于词汇量的扩充有很大的帮助。

要注意的是，并非以“-er”结尾的单词都是用来形容人的，它也能用来表示形容词。

在本篇文章里，以“-er”作词尾的单词皆不指“人”，如: proper, semester, summer,center和dinner。

C. Exercise

1 Reading Comprehension

1. Based on the story, we can assume that backpackers prefer to stay at hostels rather than hotels because .

a. hostels offer more activities

b. hostels make it easier to meet people

c. hotels are too formal

d. hotels are too expensive

2. The main purpose of the story is to .

a. suggest that readers should travel with a partner

b. encourage readers to try backpacking

c. present an introduction to the backpacking experience

d. present a backpacking example to follow

3. Which of the following statements about the backpackers is true?

a. They book their flights through a travel agent.

b. They take care to keep their money safe.

c. Their fellow backpackers are rude and unhelpful.

d. They take a group tour around the city.

4. Upon exiting the Tube, the backpackers encounter a problem. Which of the following details best supports this statement?

a. The narrator is looking at a map.

b. The backpackers are wearing their large backpacks.

c. The narrator looks confused.

d. The backpackers ask for directions.

5. What does the word "taste" mean in the last sentence of the story?

a. figure out the flavor of something

b. individual preference

c. small amount

d. sample experience

2 Target Vocabulary

From the list of target vocabulary, choose the word that best completes the sentence. Two of the words will be used twice.

abroad scoured bargain book embark on tuck emerge hosteller

1. If we don't a table at the restaurant, we may have to wait outside until one becomes available.

2. There is one in our room who plans to stay in London for two weeks.

3. I found a flight from New York to London for half price. What a !

4. My cousin took a job in Europe, and now she lives and works .

5. The backpackers newspaper advertisements in search of cheap flights to Europe.

6. During their university studies, some students choose to study .

7. One way to find a on expensive items is to shop on the Internet.

8. You can enter the Chunnel, an underwater tunnel, in England and

at the other side in France.

9. As soon as I graduate from high school, I will my university studies.

10. To keep from getting robbed, I my wallet into a hidden pocket in my coat.

3 Critical Thinking

1. Although the backpackers in the story have started their journey with some positive experiences, what do you think might be some of the challenges they will deal with along the way?

2. If you were to meet travelers wearing giant backpacks in your city or hometown, what kinds of things can you assume about them?

3. What advice would you give a backpacker traveling through your city or hometown?

4. Do you think you would like the life of a backpacker? Why or why not?