美語情景對話 第636期:How Not To Get Lost 如何避免迷路

Todd: So, Greg, you are quite the world traveler I hear.

託德：格雷格，我聽說你幾乎遊遍了世界。

Greg: Um, yeah, I love traveling. I've been to probably around, I don't know, 20 different countries. I've lived in Thailand and South Korea and United Arab Emirates, and four different parts of Japan.

格雷格：嗯，對，我愛旅行。具體的我也說不清楚，我可能已經去過20個國家了。我在泰國、韓國、阿聯酋和日本的四個地區生活過一段時間。

Todd: Oh, that's a lot.

託德：哦，好多啊。

Greg: And of course several different places in the U.S.

格雷格：當然我也去過美國的許多地方。

Todd: Well, for somebody who's going to travel for for the first time, what type of advice would you give them, so you know, in case they never get lost.

託德：嗯，對那些第一次旅行的人，爲了防止迷路，你會給他們什麼建議？

Greg: Ah, getting lost. (Right) Yeah, that happens all the time. You have to prepare for that. Some of the, one of the first things I do whenever I get to an airport is I see if I can get a map from the information center. I go to a hotel. I ask if they have a map of the area. When I want to go somewhere, I ask then to write the destination in the local language, and also I practice my pronunciation with them, and sometimes I'll, almost always actually, I get a business card or a match book from the hotel to where I'll be returning (right, right) and then I go off on my merry way.

格雷格：啊，迷路。（對）嗯，迷路不可避免。你要做好準備。我到達機場以後，一般我會先去服務檯看看有沒有地圖。或者抵達酒店後詢問他們有沒有當地的地圖。如果我要去某個地方，我會請他們用當地的語言把我的目的地寫下來，然後我會請他們教我發音，通常我會從入住的酒店裏拿名片和電話簿，（好）然後就可以開始快樂的行程了。

Todd: OK, well, let's say that um, you're on business in a foreign country, and it's really busy and you forget to get the business card, you don't have the map, you're trying to find someplace and you're completely lost, what should you do?

託德：好，假設你去外國出差，你非常的忙，忘了拿酒店的名片，也沒有地圖，你要找到某個地方，可是你徹底迷路了，那你會怎麼辦？

Greg: Well, of course, you've got to ask people. (Right, right) and it's a good idea to ask a lot of different people because in some countries people don't want to say no, but they don't want to say I don't know, right. They give you some directions, or maybe they don't understand you, and they give you the wrong directions, so even if you think you got good directions the first time constantly check with other people along your way.

格雷格：那肯定是要問路了。（對，是的）向不同的人問路是一個好方法，因爲在有些國家人們不想拒絕你，也不想說他們不知道。他們會給你指很多方向，或者他們可能聽不懂你說的話，也可能會指錯路，所以即使你認爲自己方向感很好，第一次還是要在路上向不同的人覈實路線。

Todd: Well, so when you're going down the street, and say you are lost, is there a certain type of person you look for like let's say an old lady or children. Is there a certain person who is better at giving directions?

託德：假如你在路上迷路了，那你會選擇向哪類人問路？是老婦人還是孩子？哪類人更擅長指方向？

Greg: Um, well, if it's a child, and you want to get to a business section or something, probably they don't know. (Right) It's a good idea to ask somebody who looks as if they live in the area, and not just another, sorry, tourist passing through or something.

格雷格：嗯，如果你要去商業區之類的地方，那問孩子的話他們可能不知道。（沒錯）所以向那些看起來是在那個地區生活的人問路是個好方法，而不要問那些過路的遊客。

Todd: Right, right, right. So you're talking about people who work in shops and things like that?

託德：對，沒錯，沒錯。那你會問在商店裏的店員嗎？

Greg: Yes, and also though, delivery men are usually very good, cause they have to go all over the city, so they know it well.

格雷格：會，還有，向快遞員問路也是個不錯的選擇，因爲他們去過城市裏的各個地方，所以一般的地方他們都知道。

Todd: Right. So have you actually ever been lost?

託德：好。你有迷路過嗎？

Greg: Oh, I've been lost all the time. Once I got lost for a couple hours in Bangkok and it was terrible.

格雷格：哦，我經常會迷路。有一次我在曼谷迷路了幾個小時的時間，那太糟糕了。

Todd: Well, that's a pretty, that's a pretty intense city.

託德：嗯，曼谷是個很大的城市。

Greg: Yeah, so after that, it gave me the idea that I should always check for landmarks, you know landmarks are really tall buildings, or a river, something I could always know, I could see easily, and try to remember, "oh the river's on my right side. Ah, there's a hill over there." Keep looking for it. Remember it.

格雷格：對，那次經歷讓我意識到我應該隨時查看路標，就是那些高大的建築、河流或者是你知道的東西，或是顯眼的東西，要記住它們，比如這條河流在我右邊，那裏有座小山。然後就是尋找這些標誌。要記住它們。

Todd: Well, it sounds like good advice. Thanks Greg.

託德：這是個不錯的建議。謝謝你，格雷格。

Greg: You're welcome.

格雷格：不客氣。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. in case 以備；以防；免得；
例句：Write the telephone number down in case you forget.
把電話號碼寫下來以免忘了。
2. all the time 一直；始終；
例句：I get the two of them mixed up all the time, they're so similar.
我一直把他們倆弄混，他倆太像了。
3. prepare for 爲…做準備；籌備；
例句：I've had no time to prepare for this meeting, so I'll have to play it by ear.
我沒有時間準備這次會議，所以只好有什麼談什麼。
4. go off 離開；出發；
例句：They went off together and left me sitting there.
他們一同離開了，留下我獨自坐在那裏。
5. let's say 比如說；比方說；
例句：Another example, you want to be an artist, let's say a painter, but you can't seem to find time to lift a paintbrush.
再比如你想成爲藝術家，比方說畫家，但是你好像總是沒時間拿起畫筆。
6. even if 即使；儘管；縱然；
例句：Even if she is responsible for the mistake, she is not likely to own up to it.
即使是她犯的錯，她也不太可能會爽快承認的。
7. as if 好像；彷彿；
例句：He spends as if he were a millionaire.
他用起錢來像個百萬富翁似的。
8. all over 到處；遍及；
例句：The children rode their ponies all over the farm.
孩子們騎著小馬在農場上到處跑。