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.
音标:ɛl44-1: spiːd ænd ˈkʌmfət
ˈpiːpl ˈtrævlɪŋ lɒŋ ˈdɪstənsɪz ˈfriːkwəntli hæv tuː dɪˈsaɪd ˈwɛðə ðeɪ wʊd priˈfɜː tuː gəʊ baɪ lænd, siː, ɔːr eə. ˈhɑːdli ˈɛnɪwʌn kæn ˈpɒzətɪvli ɪnˈʤɔɪ ˈsɪtɪŋ ɪn ə treɪn fɔː mɔː ðæn ə fjuː ˈaʊəz. treɪn kəmˈpɑːtmənts suːn gɛt kræmpt ænd ˈstʌfi. ɪt ɪz ˈɔːlməʊst ɪmˈpɒsəbl tuː teɪk jɔː maɪnd ɒf ðə ˈʤɜːni. ˈriːdɪŋ ɪz ˈəʊnli ə ˈpɑːʃəl səˈluːʃən, fɔː ðə məˈnɒtnəs ˈrɪðəm ɒv ðə wiːlz ˈklɪkɪŋ ɒn ðə reɪlz suːn lʌlz juː tuː sliːp. ˈdjʊərɪŋ ðə deɪ, sliːp kʌmz ɪn ˈsnæʧɪz. æt naɪt, wɛn juː ˈrɪəli wɪʃ tuː gəʊ tuː sliːp, juː ˈreəli ˈmænɪʤ tuː duː səʊ. ɪf juː ɑː ˈlʌki ɪˈnʌf tuː gɛt ə ˈsliːpə, juː spɛnd hɑːf ðə naɪt ˈsteərɪŋ æt ðə smɔːl bluː laɪt ɪn ðə ˈsiːlɪŋ, ɔː ˈfʌmblɪŋ tuː faɪnd jɔː ˈtɪkɪt fɔːr ɪnˈspɛkʃən. ɪnˈɛvɪtəbli juː əˈraɪv æt jɔː ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃən ˈɔːlməʊst ɪgˈzɔːstɪd. lɒŋ kɑː ˈʤɜːniz ɑːr ˈiːvən lɛs ˈplɛznt, fɔːr ɪt ɪz kwaɪt ɪmˈpɒsəbl ˈiːvən tuː riːd. ɒn ˈməʊtəˌweɪz juː kæn,æt liːst, ˈtrævl ˈfeəli ˈseɪfli æt haɪ spiːdz, bʌt mɔːr ˈɒf(ə)n ðæn nɒt, ðə ˈgreɪtə pɑːt ɒv ðə ˈʤɜːni ɪz spɛnt ɒn rəʊdz wɪð fjuː ˈsɜːvɪs ˈsteɪʃənz ænd tuː mʌʧ ˈtræfɪk.
