L44-1: Speed and comfort

People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic.

positively /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/    完全地、绝对地

compartment  /kəmˈpɑːrtmənt/ 铁路客车车厢分隔成的)隔间

cramp /kræmp/  adj.难懂的;受拘束的;狭窄的   n.抽筋;痛性痉

stuffy /ˈstʌfi/ 闷热的;闷人的;通风不畅的  ,  一本正经的;古板的;无聊的;

take your mind off the journey  摆脱旅途的困扰

take one's mind off  sth.   把某人的注意力从某事上移开

partial /ˈpɑːrʃl/  部分的，不完全的;偏向一方的，

monotonous /məˈnɑːtənəs/ 枯燥的，乏味的、单调的

rhythm  /ˈrɪðəm/ n. 节奏;韵律;律动;，有节奏的运动

click  发出咔哒声

lull /lʌl/   使放松;使镇静;， 催人欲睡

snatch /snætʃ/ 短时、片段    in snatches  断断续续地

sleeper  卧铺

fumble  /ˈfʌmbl/ 乱摸、摸索

inspection  /ɪnˈspekʃn/ 检查

inevitably /ɪnˈevɪtəbli/  必然地、不可避免地

destination /ˌdestɪˈneɪʃn/ 目的地

exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔːst/ 使精疲力尽、疲惫不堪、耗尽

motorway  /ˈmoʊtərweɪ/  快车道、高速公路

more often than not  经常

窗外，哒哒哒的机器轰鸣声搅得人心神不宁。虽然今天的课文不难，但是感觉读起来不走心。轰隆声完全不能让人凝神静气。