CRI English Unit 56:Take a Greyhound 灰狗公车兜兜风

Part 1 About Greyhound 灰狗巴士简介 

    Founded in 1914, Greyhound Lines, Inc. is the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 3,100 destinations with 16,000 daily departures across North America. It has become an American icon, providing safe, enjoyable and affordable travel to 22 million passengers each year. The Greyhound running dog is one of the most-recognized brands in the world.

    While Greyhound is well known for its regularly scheduled passenger service, the company also provides a number of other services for its customers. Greyhound PackageXpress service offers value-priced same-day and early-next-day package delivery to thousands of destinations. And the company's Greyhound Travel Services unit offers charter and tour packages for businesses, conventions, schools and other groups at competitive rates.

    For travel within Canada, Greyhound Canada carries millions of passengers across the country's provinces and territories each year. The company also provides Greyhound Courier Express package delivery service to its various Canadian locations.

    For those within Mexico who wish to travel by Greyhound in the United States, Greyhound subsidiary Greyhound de Mexico can sell Greyhound tickets at one of more than 100 agencies located throughout Mexico. The agencies also sell tickets for several Mexican bus companies which connect to Greyhound service at the United States-Mexico border cities.

    搭乘巴士游览是一种很廉价的方式，同时也有很多路线选择，包括郊区的路线、城与城之间的路线以及两条全国性的主要路线。灰狗（Greyhound）是全美最主要大巴士公司之一，提供相当水准的服务，并在价格上很有竞争性。

    搭乘Greyhound巴士可到达北美绝大部分的地方，且能享受他们提供的无限制旅游折扣，分为7天、14天及30天三种旅游券(passes)。此券可延长有效期，只需每天外加10美金即可。

    灰狗所发行的“美国旅游券”(Greyhound Ameripass)以及旅途所发行的“老鹰旅游券”(Trailways Eaglepass)可互用。团体、老人、残疾以及小孩（12岁以下半价，5岁以下由大人陪同免费）另有折扣。灰狗公司也提供观光式以及全套式的服务。

Part 2 Greyhounding It 灰狗公车兜兜风

Dialogue Script 1  对话原文 1 

Peter: I think we should fly. It's the fastest option.
Tina: But if we fly, we'll miss out on the landscape.
Peter: Airplanes are out, then. We've already rented a car. How about hitchhiking?
Tina: That sounds dangerous. I'll pass.
Peter: The only other options are the train or a bus.
Tina: I'd like to see what an American bus is like.
Peter: They're not as nice as trains.
Tina: But Greyhound is famous. Let's take it.
Peter: OK. Let's go find a computer to buy e-tickets.
Tina: Wouldn't it be better to get a ticket at the station?
Peter: And wait in those lines? No thanks.
Tina: Wow, it's a sixteen-hour trip. That's long.
Peter: We should get an overnighter so we can sleep.
Tina: But I wan to see the countryside. Let's go during the day.
Peter: If we get seven-day advance tickets, they cost fifty-nine dollars instead of one hundred and six.
Tina: We could find something to do for seven days.
Peter: Done. We leave at six in the morning and arrive in Orlando at eleven at night.

讲解：

1. 对话中Peter和Tina在商量乘什么交通工具旅行的事情。Peter认为他们应该坐飞机去，这是最快的选择了。Tina不同意，因为如果他们坐飞机的话，就欣赏不到外面的风景了。miss out on sth，错过某事，我们在上节课也提到过。

2. 这样的话，飞机的选择就出局了。Airplanes are out, then. out在这里表示“被淘汰的，出局的，不可能的”，在口语中比较常用，比如说，Swimming in the sea is out until the weather gets wamp3er. 现在在海里游泳是不可能了，只能等天气暖和一点才行。

3. Peter他们已经租过车了，也许他们可以搭便车旅行，hitchhike，表示“免费搭乘别人的车”，比如说，They hitchhiked through France to Spain. 他们沿途搭便车经法国前往西班牙。如果你想搭便车，只要在路边竖起你的大拇指就行了，别人就会明白你的意思。

4. 但是Tina觉得搭便车旅行太危险了，也许会碰上坏人。她说，I'll pass. 意思就是“我放弃，我弃权”，比如说你在玩牌的时候，轮到你出牌的时候，你没有牌出或者不想出，就可以说I'll pass.既然坐飞机不行，搭便车也不行，那么其他的选择就剩下火车或者汽车了。

5. option这个词表示“选择权，选择自由，选择”，比如说，I don't have much option in the matter. 在这件事情上我别无选择。I have little option but to go. 我别无选择只好走掉。在对话中，option的意思是“可供选择的事物，选择”，我们可以说，There weren't many options open to him. 他没有什么选择的余地。还有一个关于option的习语，keep/leave one's options open，暂不做出决定，留有选择余地，举个例子，Don't take the job now-keep your options open until you leave university. 先别急着接受这份工——暂时保留选择权，到离开这所大学的时候再说。

6. Tina说她想看看美国的公交车的样子。Peter告诉她，公交车可没有火车舒服。不过Tina听说灰狗巴士很有名，很想试一试。Peter决定满足Tina的愿望，打算去网上订票。Tina说直接去车站买票不好吗？Peter可不想去车站排长队，又累又费时间。整个行程需要16个小时，真的是很长时间。

7. 所以Peter建议他们坐夜车这样还可以睡觉。overnighter就是指那种夜车，下午或者晚上出发，早上到的班次。但是Tina想在白天看路边的乡村风景，所以她还想坐白天的车。Peter在网上查到如果预定七天以后的票，价钱就可以便宜很多。所以他们就订了七天后的汽车票，早上六点出发，晚上十一点到达Orlando，奥兰多。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2

(Seven days later, six o'clock at the bus station)
Peter: OK, let's get on the bus.
ina: Peter, that's the wrong bus. It goes to Baton Rouge.
Peter: I guess I'm still half sleep.
Tina: Here's our bus. (boards the bus)
Peter: Hey, there are only two seats on either side.
Tina: I guess we won't be able to all sit together.
Peter: You sit next to Jack. I've had enough of his snoring.
Tina: You're in luck. The seat next to yours is empty.
Peter: Yeah, baby! I'm gonna kick back all the way to Orlando.

讲解：

1. 早上六点钟，Tina他们就来到了汽车站。Peter见了一辆巴士就要上，get on the bus表示“上公共汽车”，也可以用board这个词，也表示“上船，火车，飞机，公共汽车等…”，比如说，Please board the plane immediately. 请立刻上飞机。

2. Tina提醒Peter说，他上的车是开往巴顿路琪市的，Baton Rouge，是路易斯安那州的首府。Peter自我解嘲说，看来我还在半梦半醒之间呢，还没有完全睡醒。I'm still half sleep.Tina找到了他们要上的车。上了车后发现两边只有两个座位，看来他们是没有办法坐在一起了。

3. Peter让Tina坐在Jack的旁边，因为他实在受不了Jack打呼噜的声音了。have enough of sth 这个词组表示“已经受够…”的意思。Tina说Peter走运了，因为他旁边的位置是空的，没有人坐。be in luck 就跟lucky一样，表示“幸运的，有…运气的”。

4. Peter也很高兴，说 I'm gonna kick back all the way to Orlando. 我可以一路舒舒服服到奥兰多了。kick back 这个词组表示“放轻松”，是很口语化的。