2014年ESL之日常生活 09 Describing Distances

 

Describing Distances 

Sandra: Where will we be staying when we visit Trumanville? 

Roger: We’ll be staying in a neighborhood on the outskirts¹ of the town, but a stone’s throw from some of the major sites we’ll want to see. 

Sandra: I hope there’ll be a lot of taxis around. You know I hate to walk. 

Roger: Trumanville is a very walkable city and we’ll be within walking distance to everything. We’ll be able to go nearly everywhere on foot. 

Sandra: I told you. I hate to walk. At least we’ll be within close proximity² to the beach. 

Roger: Actually, the areas near the beach are too expensive, and we can’t afford it. And plus, the beach is in a remote part of town, and staying there would mean being in the boonies for our entire trip. 

Sandra: But we could take taxis. 

Roger: Taking taxis everywhere would be really expensive. 

Sandra: Tell me that we’ll at least be in the vicinity³ of good shopping areas. 

Roger: It might be a bit of a hike to the shops, but it won’t be too onerous⁴ to walk. 

Sandra: Read my lips. I don’t want to walk everywhere. Maybe we can rent a car or hire a driver. 

Roger: Are you out of your mind?! This is supposed to be a budget vacation, not a luxury trip. I’m not made of money, you know. 

Sandra: And I didn’t know you were such a cheapskate! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

3 vicinity   

n.邻近，附近地区

参考例句：

• He told us there was no hotel in the vicinity.他告诉我们说附近没有旅馆。
• There's a factory in the vicinity of the school.学校邻近有个工厂。

4 onerous   

adj.繁重的

参考例句：

• My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
• This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。