英语名篇诵读 游历记述（在线收听）

Account of My Travels

游历记述

Washington Irving(华盛顿·欧文)

I was always fond of visiting new scenes, and observing strange characters and manners.

Even when a mere child I began my travels, and made many tours of discovery into foreign parts

and unknown regions of my native city, to the frequent alarm of my parents... As I grew into

boyhood, I extended the range of my observations. My holiday afternoons were spent in rambles

注 about the surrounding country. I made myself familiar with all its places famous in history or

fable. I knew every spot where a murder or robbery had been committed, or a ghost seen. I visited

the neighboring villages, and added greatly to my stock of knowledge, by noting their habits and

customs, and conversing with their sages and great men. I even journeyed one long summer's day

to the summit of the most distant hill, whence I stretched my eye over many a mile of terra

incognita , and was astonished to find how vast a globe I inhabited.

This rambling propensity strengthened with my years. Books of voyages and travels

became my passion, and in devouring their contents, I neglected the regular exercises of the

school. How wistfully would I wander about the pierheads in fine weather, and watch the

parting ships, bound to distant climes!With what longing eyes would I gaze after their lessening

sails, and waft myself in imagination to the ends of the earth!

I visited various parts of my own country — the mighty lakes, like oceans of liquid silver; the

mountains, with their bright aerial tints; the valleys, teeming with wild fertility ; the

tremendous cataracts , thundering in their solitudes; the boundless plains, waving with

spontaneous verdure ; the broad deep rivers, rolling in solemn silence to the ocean; the trackless

forests, where vegetation puts forth all its magnificence; the skies, kindling with the magic of

summer clouds and glorious sunshine. Never need an American look beyond his own country for

the sublime and beautiful of natural scenery.

我一向酷爱游历新的景观，观察陌生的人物和行为。自童年时期，我就喜欢四处漫

游，许多次踏上发现之旅，深入到故乡城市中陌生的地方和未知的区域，时常引起我父母

的惊慌……待我年岁渐长，便扩大了我观察的范围。假日的下午，都花在了在邻近乡间的

漫游上。我熟悉了历史上和传说中所有有名的地方，知道了每一个谋杀案、抢劫案或闹鬼

的地点；我游历了四邻的村庄，留心观察他们的习惯和风俗，同村中贤达之士交流，极大

地丰富了我的知识。在一个漫长的夏日，我甚至走了一整天，来到一座很远的小山顶上，

从那里，我极目远眺数英里尚未探明的地区，吃惊地发现我们居住的地球是那么浩瀚无

边。

随着年龄的增长，这种漫游的癖好越发炽烈。有关航海和旅游的书籍成了我的最爱，

我沉醉其中，以致荒疏了学业。在晴朗的天气里，我多么留恋地在码头上徜徉，注目那些

出港的船，驶往遥远的地方。我以怎样渴望的目光，凝视着它们渐行渐远的风帆，想象着

自己随风飘荡到天涯海角！

我游历了祖国的各种地方——那浩渺的湖，犹如波光粼粼的海洋；那高耸的群山，彩

云萦绕如梦如幻；那深深的峡谷，里面植物繁茂；那巨大的瀑布，在偏僻荒凉处声若雷

鸣；那一望无际的平原，草木青葱，随风起伏；那又深又宽的江河，庄严地汹涌着奔向大

海；那人迹罕至的森林，植物遮天蔽日，壮美无比；那万里长空，阳光灿烂，夏日的彩云

五彩缤纷。一个美国人无需出国，就能够欣赏到宏伟壮丽的自然风光。