Online Class Notes (Mike)

MikeJerry J

Vocabulary

mediocre (adj.) nothing extraordinary
His math level is mediocre.

tedious (adj.) boring, monotonous

slingshot (n) 弹弓

sparrow (n) 麻雀

depart (v) 离开，出发
departure (n)
arrival (n) 到达

arduous (adj.) needing a lot of effort

break the journey: have a short and brief overnight stay in a place when you are on an arduous journey.

stand by (v) 旁观
Don’t stand by, do something to help put out the fire.
bystander (n) 旁观者

trek (v) 长途跋涉

Star Trek

beaten track: the usually way/the usually path/familiar road

intrepid (adj.) extremely brave, fearless, adventurous

long for (v) desire
longed-for (adj.) desirable

relieved (adj.) 放心的，宽慰的

epic (n/adj.) 史诗般的

grandeur (n) 宏伟，壮丽

peel (v) 削皮，剥皮

your budget doesn’t quite stretch to: can’t afford

Reading

I’d always had a thirst for adventure and often get itchy feet so I could hardly contain my excitement when I set off for South America for a year.

After a 12-hour flight to São Paulo, Brazil, had another long flight to Manaus in the Amazon.

Then I went by bus to a smaller town. It was a very arduous journey.

I should have broken the journey somewhere but I did it all in one go.

Next time, I’ll have a stopover‘ in São Paolo, have a bit of a rest and do the sights there before travelling on.

After two fantastic weeks in the Amazon I got a flight on a low-cost airline to Rio de Janeiro.

I then tried to get a flight to Peru but they were all full, so they put me on standby.

Luckily I got a seat on the flight I wanted. In Peru I went trekking in the Andes with a group.

The guide took us off the beaten track and I felt like an intrepid explorer from another century in some unexplored wilderness. There was a real sense of adventure.

One day we actually got hopelessly lost. It was getting dark and we were afraid they’d have to send out a search party to look for us.

But then we met some locals who were very friendly and helped us get back on to our path. It was a great trip.

Some longed-for sunny spells have boosted the spirits of three British women hoping to set a polar trekking record.

The women have faced severe weather conditions since setting off to walk to the North Pole 18 days ago.

However, the team’s base camp manager said she had spoken to them yesterday by satellite phone and they had been relieved to report the weather was sunny and their spirits were high.

Whilst this journey may not compare in terms of sheer epic grandeur to some of the great American train journeys, it does have a special charm all of its own.

It may not be cheap but if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find some surprisingly good deals.

If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to a sleeping compartment, you can always just curl up in your seat for the night.

Let the rhythmic motion and the dull rumbles of the train lull you to sleep. The first leg of the journey gives you very little indication of what lies ahead …