雙語(yǔ)朗讀美文：怎樣為自己選擇旅行伴侶

　　導(dǎo)語(yǔ)：人生中，沒(méi)什么決定比選擇一個(gè)合拍的出行拍檔更重要的了。

　　There is no more important decision or greater commitment in life than choosing the right traveling companion. Having a kid, getting married, rescuing a puppy, moving from Manhattan to Texarkana—these are all small potatoes compared to spending 10 days in Guadeloupe with a friend.

　　Most people have a lot of friends, maybe even several tiers of friends. The A list, the B list, the ones who can drive, the ones who can find the exact right pair of jeans, the ones who have a lot of specialist doctors, the ones who can set up a tray of hors d’oeuvres in the shape of a pinwheel—but none are who you’d want to take on a trip. That takes a whole different list of criteria and it is all about Travel Compatibility.

　　人生中，沒(méi)什么決定比選擇一個(gè)合拍的出行拍檔更重要的了。結(jié)婚生子，解救寵物，從曼哈頓搬到德克薩肯納——這些事情，比起和朋友去瓜德魯普島呆上10天而言，都只是小巫見(jiàn)大巫。

　　多數(shù)人都有一大幫朋友，甚至還分好幾類(lèi)。密友，普通朋友，會(huì)開(kāi)車(chē)的，找牛仔褲很拿手的，認(rèn)識(shí)很多專(zhuān)科醫(yī)生的，會(huì)將開(kāi)胃菜拼成紙風(fēng)車(chē)形狀的——但是他們都不是你想共同旅行的那個(gè)人。這類(lèi)朋友的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)與前面的截然不同，其實(shí)一切都只是關(guān)乎“旅途和睦指數(shù)”的問(wèn)題。

　　I‘ve compiled a simple checklist of scenarios for you and your potential travel mate to consider. If you have fewer than four out of six questions in common, you may want to rethink your choice.=

　　Financial Compatibility: This is not just about having similar incomes, but also about the way you spend money. Here’s the scenario: You’ve been walking around Belize all day and are exhausted and a little bit lost. You see a bus stop that might take you near your hotelandyou see a taxi that will cost big bucks but will certainly take you to your hotel. Are you going to splurge or save?

　　我列了一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的情景列表，供你與你的潛在驢友考慮。6個(gè)問(wèn)題中，如果你們答案相同數(shù)還不到4個(gè)，那奉勸你們還是重新考慮下自己的選擇吧。

　　財(cái)力相當(dāng)：這不僅指收入相當(dāng)，而是你們花錢(qián)的方式。假設(shè)以下場(chǎng)景：你已經(jīng)在伯利茲走了一整天，筋疲力盡，還有點(diǎn)迷路。這時(shí)，你看見(jiàn)一個(gè)公交車(chē)站，公交也許可以把你帶到附近的酒店。與此同時(shí)，還有一輛的士出現(xiàn)，打的燒錢(qián)，但肯定能把你帶到你所下榻的酒店。那么，你是要揮霍一把去打的還是省錢(qián)坐公交呢?

　　Fitness: If you’re the kind of person who panics when your gym is closed on Christmas, you’ll want to make sure you’re both on the same page about fitness options. Here’s the scenario: You are at the Statue of Liberty and you have a option of walking up to her nose or taking a helicopter around it. Are you taking the easy way out?

　　適合度：如果你是那種在圣誕節(jié)看見(jiàn)常去的健身房關(guān)門(mén)了都會(huì)恐慌的人，那么你會(huì)想要確保你的同伴和你在這題的選擇上是一致的。假設(shè)以下情景：你正站在自由女神像腳下，眼前擺著兩個(gè)選擇，一是靠自己往上走，一直走到神像鼻子的高度;二是搭乘直升飛機(jī)環(huán)繞神像。你會(huì)選擇省事的后者嗎?

　　Eating and Drinking: This is one of the most crucial points, in my opinion. I need to eat in a timely fashion, and my personality suffers if I don’t. Because this one is more important than anything else, be honest with your answers to the following true-or-false questions: your trip depends on it.

　　飲食問(wèn)題：這是最重要的問(wèn)題之一。就我而言，我要及時(shí)吃飯，否則我就會(huì)發(fā)飆。因?yàn)槌燥埵穷^等大事。下列對(duì)錯(cuò)題請(qǐng)如實(shí)作答：這可關(guān)系到你的旅行。

　　• I have frequently uttered the sentence, “I forgot to eat lunch!” True or False.

　　• 我是否經(jīng)常說(shuō)，“我忘記吃午飯了!” 對(duì)或錯(cuò)?

　　• When given a choice between a boat ride down the Ganges or a breakfast buffet, I’d choose the buffet. True or False.

　　• 如果有機(jī)會(huì)乘船渡恒河或吃自助早餐，我還是會(huì)選擇后者。對(duì)或錯(cuò)?

　　• Sometimes I need a glass of wine, and when I say a glass, I mean a bottle. True or False.

　　• 有時(shí)候我需要一杯酒，當(dāng)我說(shuō)一杯的時(shí)候，我其實(shí)是要一瓶酒。對(duì)或錯(cuò)?

　　• I understand that some people shouldn’t be spoken to before they’ve had coffee. True or False.

　　• 我理解有些人必須等到他們喝過(guò)咖啡，才能跟他們說(shuō)話(huà)。 對(duì)還是錯(cuò)?

　　The True Test of Friendship: How Do Relationships Withstand the Amazing Race

　　友誼的真正考驗(yàn)：看友誼如何頂住《極速前進(jìn)》這檔真人秀節(jié)目

　　How You View Art:I’ve often impressed people with the speed by which I can get through an exhibit. In fact, I frequently find myself waiting for upwards of an hour at the gift shop at the end of a show—which is not a bad thing. You can tell what pieces were the most important by what’s on the T-shirts and mugs. Okay, there’s not really a scenario here. Just say “Do you like to spend hours looking at one painting?” and take it from there.

　　如何看待藝術(shù)：我觀(guān)看展覽會(huì)的速度常常令人折服。事實(shí)上，我經(jīng)常在展會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)，在禮品店內(nèi)等上一個(gè)多小時(shí)——這并非什么壞事。因?yàn)槟憧梢詮腡恤和馬克杯的圖上看出哪些部分是最重要的。好吧，這根本算不上什么情景假設(shè)。就問(wèn)問(wèn)“你喜歡花數(shù)小時(shí)盯著一幅畫(huà)看嗎?”從這個(gè)問(wèn)題中你就可得到“如何看待藝術(shù)”這題的答案了。

　　Level of Comfort: This overlaps with many of the previous categories, but it is significant in its importance—or lack thereof. This is where you need to find out how your companion rates the things you consider non-negotiable in a hotel. Everyone’s list is different, but just to get you started, here’s mine:

　　舒適度：這一點(diǎn)和前面許多分類(lèi)有所重疊，但它意義重大——又或者其實(shí)沒(méi)什么意義。從這點(diǎn)中，你要找出你的同伴是如何評(píng)價(jià)那些你所認(rèn)為的酒店中的必備品。每個(gè)人的清單都不同，為了給你一點(diǎn)啟發(fā)，我來(lái)列列我的清單：

　　• Air-conditioning

　　• 空調(diào)

　　• WiFi

　　• 無(wú)線(xiàn)網(wǎng)絡(luò)

　　• Room service

　　• 客房服務(wù)

　　• A minimum of three stars, no wait, four

　　• 至少是三星級(jí)酒店，等等，至少四星……

　　• Bonus for a stocked minibar

　　• 如果有供應(yīng)充足的小酒吧就可加分

　　Flexibility and Temperament: This last one encompasses all the categories. Some things to think about: How nuts do you get if everything doesn’t work out? Is the goal of your trip to enjoy yourself? If you desperately wanted a water view and you’re facing the airport, will you cry or appreciate that you’re getting to see an awful lot of planes take off? Or do you have a checklist of sites that you’d be devastated to miss? (You and your friend should be in synch. You can’t have two people panicking that the Pyramids are closing.)

　　靈活度和性格匹配度：最后一條囊括了所有分類(lèi)。考慮下以下情況：如果事事不順，你會(huì)有多抓狂?旅行的目的是否是為了玩得盡興?如果你超想看水景，面對(duì)的卻是飛機(jī)場(chǎng)，你準(zhǔn)備大哭一場(chǎng)還是心懷感恩，因?yàn)樽约壕鸵吹皆S多飛機(jī)起飛的場(chǎng)景?又或者你是否列了一張景點(diǎn)清單，萬(wàn)一錯(cuò)過(guò)，會(huì)傷心欲絕。(你和驢友必須保持一致。萬(wàn)一你們倆都因?yàn)榻鹱炙P(guān)閉就驚慌失措，你會(huì)受不了的。)

　　In the end, my advice is to go with your gut. And at the very least, know that you don’t want to travel with me.

　　最后，我的建議就是：放膽去玩。然后至少還得明確一點(diǎn)，那就是你可不想和我一起出去旅行。