美語情景對話 第704期:River Rafting 漂流

Todd: So, Mark you said that you do crazy things when you travel. Can you give an example?

託德：馬克，你說過你在旅行時經常做瘋狂的事情。你能舉個例子嗎？

Mark: Yeah, one of the best things that I did was white water rafting in New Zealand. We actually rafted down the highest commercially rafted water fall in the world, I was told at that time.

馬克：好，我做的其中一件最棒的事情是在新西蘭玩白水漂流。當時他們告訴我們，我們會沿着世界上最高的商業性瀑布漂流。

Todd: What does that mean, the highest commercial waterfall?

託德：最高的商業性瀑布是什麼意思？

Mark: Well, I think it's the one that's can only be taken by tour groups because it's safe. If it's any higher than that one, then it's deemed unsafe and they wouldn't be able to take tour groups rafting. You'd have to be a professional rafter.

馬克：我想應該是指出於安全考慮，旅行團能玩的高度。如果要超過這個高度，就屬於不安全的範圍，旅行團不能進行漂流活動。只有職業漂流選手才能進行漂流活動。

Todd: So you go over the top?

託德：所以你們上到了最高處？

Mark: We went straight over the top, yeah. It was crazy. And I was sat right at the back of the raft and they called this the ejector seat.

馬克：我們直接去了最高點。那太瘋狂了。我坐在漂流艇的後面，他們稱之爲彈射座椅。

Todd: Right.

託德：好。

Mark: But actually, everybody was thrown out of the raft, but they give you some instructions before you can go and you are thrown down into the waterfall and the instructor's basically tell you curl up into a ball and if you curl up into a ball the waterfall actually spits you out, shoots you back out the top.

馬克：不過，其實所有人都被扔出了漂流艇，在漂流之前他們會進行一些指導，教練說在瀑布漂流時如果被甩出去要把身體縮成一團，這樣就能沿着瀑布漂流，然後回到漂流艇上。

Todd: Oh, cool.

託德：哦，真酷。

Mark: Yeah. So I did, and it worked. I was happy.

馬克：對，所以我照做了，而且很有效，所以我很高興。

Todd: So did you camp over night or was it just a one day event?

託德：你的漂流之旅是露營過夜，還是就是一天的行程？

Mark: No, this was just a one day, just to do that one waterfall. We wanted to do the highest one.

馬克：沒有過夜，就只有一天，就只去了那一個瀑布。我們想在最高的瀑布玩漂流。

Todd: Right.

託德：好。

Mark: But I would like to go on — I think in Europe, especially, if you go to a place like Turkiye, Spain, you can do like four and five day raft trips, where you camp as well at the side. I'd like to do that.

馬克：不過我很想繼續玩，如果要是在土耳其和西班牙這樣的地方，可以進行四五天的漂流之旅，在漂流地附近露營。我想這麼做。

Todd: Oh, that sounds nice.

託德：哦，聽起來不錯。

Mark: Yeah.

馬克：對。

Todd: Yeah, in the States it's quite popular along the Colorado River.

託德：在美國沿着科羅拉多河漂流很受歡迎。

Mark: Right.

馬克：對。

Todd: Don't you need like special training, or do you just hop in the boat and go?

託德：在漂流之前需不需要經過特殊訓練，還是直接上漂流艇就可以？

Mark: I think it depends on how difficult the river is, so I'm sure there's beginner rivers, where you don't need so much training. Maybe a few hours. For that one that I did, with the waterfall, the lecture they gave us was about 25 minutes before we started.

馬克：我覺得這取決於漂流河段的難易程度，對於初級漂流者來說不用進行太多訓練。可能幾個小時就足夠了。我參加的那個瀑布漂流，在開始前教練大概進行了25分鐘的指導。

Todd: What about your country? What about England?

託德：那你的祖國英國有什麼漂流聖地嗎？

Mark: Not so many places to go white water rafting, because I don't think the rivers are big enough, or wide enough. There's some good places for canoeing, or kayaking. I know we have the national kayak center in Nottingham, England, which is pretty good. Yeah, but not so much for rafting.

馬克：英國可以進行白水漂流的地方不太多，我想是因爲英國的河流不夠大或者說不夠寬。倒有是一些適合玩皮划艇的地方。據我所知，蘇格蘭諾丁漢郡的國家皮划艇中心是個好去處。不過沒有太多適合漂流的地方。

Todd: OK, thanks Mark.

託德：好，謝謝你，馬克。

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重點講解：
1. be able to 可以…的，能夠…的；
例句：Hewas able toget himself accepted by a top law school.
他可以使自己被一所一流法律學校所錄取。
2. curl up 蜷縮；
例句：In colder weather, your cat willcurl upinto a tight, heat-conserving ball.
天氣更冷時，貓會爲了保存熱量而緊緊地縮成一團。
3. would like to do sth. （表示願意）想要；
例句：Wewould like tohear what you have got to say.
我們想聽聽你的意見。
4. go on 繼續做；
例句：Go on, enjoy yourself, let yourself go.
繼續玩，盡情地玩個痛快吧。
5. depend on 取決（於）；有賴（於）；
例句：Wage ratesdepend onlevels of productivity.
工資水平取決於生產量的多寡。