【话匣子英语】去加拿大旅游

到加拿大旅游选择的最佳方式是什么呢，飞机太贵，开车太累....

Harp¹:              So today we’re going to do a Chatterbox episode² and that’s where we chat. We talk about cultural things, we interview people, and today we’re going to talk about something quite interesting and close to our hearts.

 

Andrew:         Today’s topic was a request from a listener, and she asked us to talk about travelling in Canada. She is planning to come to Canada for a visit, and she was just wondering what places she should check out, how she should travel around the country. And we thought that was a great topic for an episode so that’s what we’re gonna talk about today.

 

Harp:              Yup. So we’ll start with talking about ways to get around Canada. Different modes of transportation.

 

Andrew:         And then we’ll talk about places to stay.

 

Harp:              Yep. And then we’ll finish it off with some of our favourite places in Canada that we think you should go checkout³.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. They’ll be our recommendations⁴ for cool places to go visit.

 

Harp:              All right. So let’s get started.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. So first we’re gonna talk about ways to travel in Canada.

 

Harp:              Yes. So what’s your favourite way to travel around and see Canada?

 

Andrew:         Well Canada is a huge country and that means it’s difficult to travel in Canada, unfortunately. So, usually, I would say the most popular way and my favourite way is to fly.

 

Harp:              I agree with you one hundred percent. I often and usually fly places because it’s so far and you can’t drive there.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. Flying is great. It’s fast, it’s convenient, you can get anywhere in the country within a day.

 

Harp:              Yup. The problem though with flying in Canada compared to Europe or even the United States is that it’s very expensive.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. That’s the sad part. It’s super expensive. I know, like you said, in Europe they have budget airlines, Ryan Air, and that’s awesome⁵ ‘cause you can fly around for fairly cheap. But unfortunately in Canada we don’t really have a budget airline.

 

Harp:              Nope. And I guess it does make sense ‘cause usually you’re flying such far distances that I can understand why the flight is more expensive here. But still I wish there was more competition.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. It always makes me sad when I have to travel back to BC when I realize how far I have to go. If I was going in the other direction, east, I could go to Europe instead. It’s almost the same distance.

 

Harp:              And sometimes it’s even cheaper to go to Europe.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. That’s depressing too when you look at the seat sales and you see, oh, to go to London it’s $500, but to go to Vancouver it’s $800. It doesn’t really make sense to me.

 

Harp:              I agree with you completely.

 

Andrew:         Airline travel we can say is fast, it’s convenient, but on the downside. it’s expensive, so just keep that in mind.

 

Harp:              Yeah. Another way you can get around in Canada is, obviously, by driving.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. Driving is a really great way to see the countryside. To get to see all the small towns and really to interact⁶ with some of the other people that you wouldn’t get to meet if you were just flying from one city to the next.

 

Harp:              Yeah. Exactly. And I said before that you can’t drive everywhere in Canada, which is not true because you can still drive places. But, for example if you go up north some of the roads are frozen⁷ during the winter, so you can’t even get there.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. Absolutely. I think there’s a lot of remote towns and stuff that are not accessible by car.

 

Harp:              Yup. Some you have to take a canoe in or you have to fly in.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. And driving really depends I think on the season. In the summer it’s great to drive pretty much everywhere, but in the winter, it can be a bit dangerous, so you always want to keep that in mind.

 

Harp:              Yeah. Driving in the snow is not easy and something I don’t recommend for someone who’s not very comfortable driving.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. Super stressful to drive in the snow. Especially if you’re going through the mountains; if you’re in Alberta or British Columbia, it can get really dangerous.

 

Harp:              Yeah. I remember driving through big snowstorms, and it is scary. And the thing is when you’re driving in the snow, it’s different when you’re breaking and it gets slippery. I personally don’t like driving in the winter and wouldn’t do it.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. I would never do a cross country trip in the winter ever I don’t think.

 

Harp:              Yeah. I think you’d have to be crazy to wanna do that.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. OK. So another alternative maybe if you still want to be on the road, you want to see the small towns, you want to see Canada’s scenery from the road, but you don’t like driving, then maybe the bus is for you.

 

Harp:              It’s cheap and, you’re right, you get to see a lot of small towns.

 

Andrew:         But a lot of people hate riding on the bus. Especially for long distances because it’s kind of cramped⁸. They’re kind of smelly and stuffy⁹ inside.

 

Harp:              I agree. That’s definitely the images that people have of buses, and it’s kind of true.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. It’s a stereotype¹⁰ kind of, but it’s also true. Usually, sometimes when you’re riding on the bus you get to sit beside some people that you’re not exactly excited to sit beside. They’re kind of gross¹¹. I don’t know, I don’t like the bus.

 

Harp:              I used to take the bus a lot when I was younger. You know, I would go to Calgary or Vancouver on the but, and I didn’t mind it back then ‘cause it’s mainly students who take the bus. But now I don’t think I would ever take the bus.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. I try to avoid the bus at all costs. I think if it’s a short trip – maybe three or four hours – then I can ride the bus. For example, I had a friend that took the bus when he moved to Montreal from Victoria to Montreal all the way on the bus. And it was awesome in terms of the price ‘cause it cost him only a hundred and thirty dollars. But it also took five days.

 

Harp:              Five days! Wow. He probably literally¹² stopped at every small town on the way.

 

Andrew:         Yeah. If you don’t have a place to live for a week maybe it’s great ‘cause you can just stay on the bus, but otherwise I think I would definitely avoid taking the bus.

1 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

2 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

3 checkout   

n.（超市等）收银台，付款处

参考例句：

• Could you pay at the checkout.你能在结帐处付款吗。
• A man was wheeling his shopping trolley to the checkout.一个男人正推着购物车向付款台走去。

4 recommendations   

n.推荐( recommendation的名词复数 )；推荐信；正式建议；提议

参考例句：

• The board completely disregarded my recommendations. 董事会完全无视我的建议。
• Recommendations from two previous clients helped to establish her credibility. 两位以前的客户的推荐有助于确立她的诚信度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

6 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

7 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

8 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

9 stuffy   

adj.不透气的，闷热的

参考例句：

• It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。
• It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。

10 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

11 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

12 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。