Summer Travels 仲夏游记
Sometimes the best part of traveling isn't the sights one sees
有时旅游最精采的片刻不是沿途所见的美景
June 28
The warm summer sun beats down on the streets of Qufu, in the province of Shandong. My friend and I just got off a sweltering bus, jam-packed with summer travelers and old suitcases. My friend is an English teacher in Tianjin, and we are in the town of Qufu looking up a former student of his. This student's apartment is bare, the walls smell like old paint, and there is a mosquito net hanging over his bed. We tell him we are sad that we cannot meet his new bride as she is away in another province training for her job. The husband is a well-traveled man, and although his job keeps him in Qufu for the time being, he hopes to travel abroad in the future.
My friend took an opportunity earlier in our trip to show me around his old school in Tai'an. Tai'an is a beautiful old city nestled in the shadow of a high, jagged mountain, one revered by Buddhists as a holy place. We walked around the campus and ate some traditional Tai'an snacks (cooked oil-cakes with slivers of pork and cabbage), which my friend used to eat every day.

    炎夏艳阳照着山东省的曲阜街头。好友和我刚从一辆闷热的巴士走下，车上挤满了夏日游客和老旧的行李箱。我朋友在天津当英文老师，咱俩来曲阜市找一位他以前的学生。这学生住的公寓空荡荡的，墙壁有股旧油漆味，他床顶挂了一顶蚊帐。我们跟他说没能见到他的新婚妻子，实在遗憾，她在别的省份接受在职训练。这个丈夫是个游历甚广的旅人，虽然工作使他目前住在曲阜，他希望未来可以出国旅游。
    出发没多久，好友趁机带我去他先前在泰安任教的学校走走。泰安是美丽的古城，坐落在一座高耸崎岖山峰的蔽荫下，佛教徒十分崇敬这座山，视为圣地。我们在校园里闲逛，也享用了一些传统泰安小点（包了小片猪肉和高丽菜的煎饼），我朋友以前每天都吃这东西。

Word Bank
sweltering (adj)闷热不堪的
I stayed in the air-conditioned building to avoid the sweltering heat outside.
for the time being (idiom)目前
For the time being, I'm working to save money, but later I hope to study abroad in Australia.
jagged (adj)崎岖的；有锯齿的
The child ripped the paper, leaving it with jagged edges.
revere (v)崇敬
Many Americans revere Martin Luther King as a great man who led the civil rights movement.

Chat Room
abroad/overseas：国外
aboard：在船上，在飞机上，在火车上，或在任何一个大众交通运输工具上；也可表示在某一家公司或组织工作
Welcome aboard.：欢迎加入本公司。

sweltering (adj)闷热不堪的
1 Many students become dizzy in the sweltering classroom.
教室太闷热，很多学生感到头晕。
2 The sweltering heat drove people to the beach.
酷热的气候让大家都跑到海滩去。

for the time being (idiom)目前
暂时
1 All the hotels are packed, so we are staying in a motel for the time being.
所有的饭店都客满了，我们现在暂时住在汽车旅馆里。
2 We have too many big problems to solve by now. I guess we have to ignore this little one for the time being.
我们现在有太多重要的问题要解决，这个小问题暂时先搁着吧。

revere (v)崇敬
1 The general is revered and remembered for his bravery and self-sacrifice.
这位将军以他的勇敢和牺牲小我的精神受到尊崇及纪念。
2 This college is very much revered for its professional research.
这所大学因为它专业的研究而备受尊崇。

June 30
At one point I sit on the sidewalk and watch people walk by, marveling that I am on a curb in China. It still amazes me that I am living and working in this awesome country. I have the privilege of traveling to beautiful places and admiring the beauty of both God's and man's creation.
Later, my friend's student takes us to see the mansion of Confucius. We spend some time ambling around the outer walls, debating whether to go in or not. We finally decide to spend the rest of the afternoon drinking tea and having an amiable chat at a small cafe downtown. We laugh that we came all the way to Confucius' birthplace and never even went inside his home.
As our day winds to a close, we walk back to the train station. Bikes in large groups go from stoplight to stoplight, cars putter along, and people stroll in the summer air. Not all travel is about seeing famous sites. Many times, traveling is about the people you chance to meet. Although we did not see the famous sites, my friend and I were both very happy about the trip.

    有一刻我坐在人行道上，看着熙来攘往的行人，想到我竟坐在中国的一个人行道镶边石上，感到惊讶不已。我竟在这个壮丽的国家生活和工作，仍然让我惊喜，我有此殊荣能到处游历美景，欣赏上帝和人类的创作之美。
    接着我朋友的学生带我们去参观孔子故居。我们在外墙旁漫步了一会儿，讨论到底要不要进去，最後终於决定利用午後余下时光去喝茶，在市中心一家小餐馆愉快地闲谈。我们笑谈我们大老远赶来孔子的出生地，竟没有进去他的故居一探究竟。
    一天到了尾声，我们走回火车站。大批单车在红绿灯之间穿梭，汽车缓缓前进，人群在夏日空气中漫步。旅行的意义并非只在饱览观光胜景，乐趣常常在於你碰巧遇到的人。虽然这趟出游没有观赏名胜景点，但好友和我都乐在其中。

Word Bank
awesome (adj)令人敬畏的；极好的
The view from the top of the Grand Canyon was awesome.
amble (v)漫步
Many people ambled through the park on the sunny Sunday afternoon.
amiable (adj)亲切的；友善的
Her amiable personality makes it easy for others to get along with her.
putter (v)缓慢且悠闲地行动
The cars and bikes puttered down the narrow lane.

Chat Room
downtown：城内，市中心最热闹的区；有时也有南区的意思
uptown：北区；当作俚语，表示昂贵的
midtown：中城区

amble (v)漫步
不及物动词
1 They ambled along the river till sunset.
他们沿着河边漫步一直到日落。
2 She ambled down the street, stopping occasionally to talk her neighbors.
她沿着街漫步，偶尔停下来和邻居聊天。

amiable (adj)亲切的；友善的
1 The people in the village were amiable and easy to talk with.
这个镇上人很可亲，又很容易和他们聊天。
2 The amiable atmosphere in the office makes everyone love to come to work.
办公室里面和善的气氛让每个人都喜欢来上班。

putter (v)缓慢且悠闲地行动
不及物动词
1 We puttered down the main street of the town in our little car.
我们开着我们小车在镇上的主要街道闲逛。
2 We puttered around the garden and enjoyed the quiet moment.
我们在花园里闲逛，享受安静的时刻。