SECTION 4——场景背景介绍:

本节讲述的主题是旅馆的设施与服务。为了营造宾至如归的氛围,一些旅馆给客房配备了厨房,旅馆还为客人提供体贴入微的服务,比如提供小瓶的香波、小巧的香皂,甚至会在枕头上为客人放上巧克力。

本节必背词汇、词组
hospitality n. 殷勤的款待 dispense with 省却,免除
disorient v. 使迷失方向;使神智迷乱 maximize v. 使最大化
dispirit v. 使气馁,使沮丧 sleek adj. 雅致的;时髦的;豪华的
opulent adj. 富裕的;丰富的,丰饶的 underpin v. 加强……的基础;[喻]支持,巩固
contemporary adj. 当代的
external adj. 外面的 hotelier n. 旅馆老板
investigate v. 调查 predictability n. 可预测性
chic n. / adj. 漂亮(的);潇洒(的);时髦(的) indulge v. 使(自己)沉迷;使满足;纵容
pamper v. 纵容,娇养
boutique n. 精品店;镶嵌珠宝(或镀金)的日用品(或奢侈品) spoil v. 溺爱
treat v. 对待;款待n. 款待;难得的乐事
mansion n. 大厦
luxury n. 奢侈(品) miniscule adj. 很小的

词汇拓展

lease n. 租约 quilt n. 被子
furniture n. 家具 pillow n. 枕头
stereo n. 立体音响装置 sheet n. 床单
fridge n. 电冰箱 towel n. 毛巾
radiator n. 暖气 bed-linen n. 床单及枕套
microwave stove 微波炉 closet n. 壁橱

文本及疑难解析

l. Last week I looked at the economy end of the hotel business; this week I'm going to discuss the luxury end of the market.
上周我们讲了旅馆业的经济实惠,这周我们要讲这个市场奢侈的一面。本句中的难点在于“end”。在这里,它不是“结尾”的意思,而是“方面”的意思。

2. You wake up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel miles away from home, disoriented most probably from jet lag, when even the most expensive surroundings can seem empty and dispiriting.
午夜,当你在离家很远的陌生旅馆醒来的时候,极有可能因为时差反应而感到昏昏沉沉的,周围的环境即使很豪华也会看起来空洞、令人沮丧。该句中“disoriented most probably from jet lag”的逻辑主语是前面的“you”。“when”在这里不是“当……时”,而是表转折。

3. Do these findings, however, apply only to hotels situated in particular areas?
但是,这些发现只适合特殊地段的旅馆吗?“these findings”指上文提到的“顾客的基本需要”。

4. However, nothing stands still in the world.
但是,世界上没有什么是停滞不前的。“stand still”在这里不是指“站着不动”。

5. Those in the business industry maintain that these serviced apartments dispense with all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, while maximising the facilities they do want.
业内人士主张自助旅馆省去那些商务旅行的客人不想要的而且昂贵的服务,同时尽可能增加客人需要的设施。“maintain”在这里指的是“主张”,而不是“保持”。“maximising”的逻辑主语是“these serviced apartments”。“they”指“旅客”。

6. The attractions of such facilities are obvious and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market.
这些设施显然是非常吸引人的。这个公司是否会在世界范围内建立一种趋势,从而持续影响豪华住宿市场?我们将拭目以待。该句中“it”指后面的不定式词组“to see”及其宾语。“make”与前面的“establish”是并列关系。

7. Now, finally I want to consider the psychology underpinning the traditional holiday hotel industry.
最后,我想谈一下传统假日旅店产业的心理依据。“consider”在本句中指“谈论,讨论”,而不是“考虑”。

8. Secondly, there is something very powerful in our need to be pampered and looked after, it's almost as if we return to being a baby, when everything was done for us and we felt safe and secure.
第二,我们有一种需要非常强烈,那就是被纵容和照料,就好像回到了婴儿时代,所有的事情都为我们做好了,我们感觉到安全、放心。

题目解析

31~34题是选择题。考生要注意培养自己边听边读的能力。

31. 原文“You wake up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel miles away from home, disoriented most probably from jet lag, when even the most expensive surroundings can seem empty and dispiriting. ”中的“seem”与题干中的“might”意义相近。原文中的“dispiriting”与B选项中的“depressed”也是同义词。

32. 原文“...the research suggests that even the most opulent, luxurious hotels seem to have underestimated the most basic needs of their customers... the need to feel at home in surroundings which are both familiar and inviting. ”中的后半部分与B选项表述的意思相似。题干中的“need”出现在了原文中,这对定位答案很有帮助。

33. 原文“...the company's research covered a whole range of different hotel types, both independent hotels and those which are part of large chains. ”中的“research”与题干中的“research”重叠,比较容易定位。原文的“whole range of”与A选项“wide variety of”的同义词关系也很明显。

34. 原文“...and the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn't matter. ”中说“旅馆的外部并不重要”,所以本题选择C。

35~40题是提纲填空题。这个提纲中只有两个主题。

35. 原文“... all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, while maximising the facilities they do want. ”中的“service”与题干中的“cater”是同义词关系。另外,该题的难点在于如果用“traveller”定位的话,就会先听到答案,然后才会听到定位词,答案容易被忽略。

36. 原文“...for example, not only sleeping and living accommodation, but also a sleek modem kitchen”中的“sleek”没有直接出现在题干中,而是以同义词“stylish”的形式出现,增加了难度。

37. 原文“The attractions of such facilities are obvious and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market. ”中直接给出了答案。“all over”与题干中的“throughout”是同义词。答案“world”是大家比较熟悉的单词,所以很简单。另外要注意的是:35、36、37题在原文中位置接近,信息比较密集,需集中注意力进行听写。

38. 该题目比较难。原文“Firstly, hotels exploit people's need to escape the predictability of their everyday lives. ”与题干前后都不一样,如果不能迅速弄清句子结构,就难以马上找到答案。如果考生能预测到答案是动词,定位会相对简单一些。

39. 原文“...it's almost as if we return to being a baby”中的“as if”与题干中的“like”是同义词。该题不是很难。

40. 原文“...give little treats... like the miniscule bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, the chocolate on your pillow at night...”中“shampoo and tiny bars of soap”与题干中的“cosmetics”是同义词。该题目需要捕捉的是一个比较简单的并列信息,难度不大。