英语读写教程:中级:Intermediate

　　《英语读写教程（中级）》：　　And， above all， it is here that your overwalker fails of comprehension. His heart risesagainst those who drink their curacao in liqueur glasses， when he himself can swill it in abrown John. He will not believe that the flavour is more delicate in the smaller dose. He willnot believe that to walk this unconscionable distance is merely to stupefy and brutalisehimself， and come to his inn， at night， with a sort of frost on his five wits， and a starlessnight of darkness in his spirit. Not for him the mild luminous evening of the temperatewalker! He has nothing left of man but a physical need for bedtime and a double nightcap；and even his pipe， if he be a smoker， will be savourless and disenchanted. It is the fate ofsuch an one to take twice as much trouble as is needed to obtain happiness， and miss the happiness in the end； he is the man of the proverb， in short， who goes further and fares worse.　　Now， to be properly enjoyed， a walking tour should be gone upon alone. If you go in a company， or even in pairs， it is no longer a walking tour in anything but name， it is something else and more in the nature of a picnic. A walking tour should be gone upon alone， because freedom is of the essence； because you should be able to stop and go on，and follow this way or that， as the freak takes you； and because you must have your own pace， and neither trot alongside a champion walker， nor mince in time with a girl.　　And then you must be open to allimpressions and let your thoughts take colour from what you see. You should be as a pipe for any wind to play upon. “I cannot see the wit，”says Hazlitt‘， “of walking and talking at the same time. When I am in the country I wish tovegetate like the country”-which is the gist of all that can be said upon the matter. Thereshould be no cackle ofvoices at your elbow， to jar on the meditative silence ofthe morning.And so long as a man is reasoning he cannot surrender himself to that fine intoxication thatcomes of much motion in the open air， that begins in a sort of dazzle and sluggishness ofthe brain， and ends in a peace that passes comprehension.　　During the first day or so of any tour there are moments of bittemess， when thetraveller feels more than coldly towards his knapsack， when he is halfin a mind to throw itbodily over the hedge and， like Christian on a similar occasion， “give three leaps and go onsinging.” And yet it soon acquires a property of easiness.It becomes magnetic； the spirit of the journey enters into it. And no sooner have youpassed the straps over your shoulder than the lees of sleep are cleared from you， you puuyourself together with a shake， and fall at once into your stride. And surely， of all possiblemoods， this， in which a man takes the road， is the best. Of course， if he will keep thinking ofhis anxieties， if he will open the merchant Abudah’s chest and walk amrin-arm with the hag-why， wherever he is， and whether he walk fast or slow， the chances are that he will not be happy. And so much the more shame to himself! There are perhaps thirty men settingforth at that same hour， and I would lay a large wager there is not another dull face among the thirty. It would be a fine thing to follow， in a coat of darkness， one after another ofthese wayfarers， some summer morning， for the first few miles upon the road. This one， who walks fast， with a keen look in his eyes， is all concentrated in his own mind； he is up at his loom，weaving and weaving， to set the landscape to words. This one peers about， as he goes，among the grasses； he waits by the canal to watch the dragon-flies； he leans on the gate of the pasture， and cannot look enough upon the complacent kine. And here comes another，talking， laughing， and gesticulating to himself. His face changes from time to time， as indignation flashes from his eyes or anger clouds his forehead. He is composing articles，delivering orations， and conducting the most impassioned interviews， by the way.　　……