Notes on the text课文注释
1 city, born and city bred, 城里生，城里长。
这是由“名词+过去分词”构成的合成形容词，此处作原因状语。
2 go into raptures, 变得欣喜若狂起来。
at the mere mention of, 一提到。
3 be under an illusion, 作“有……的错觉”讲，that引起的是同位语从句。
4 beyond me, 我所无法理解的。
5 do without…，没有……也行。
6 draw to a close，结束，告终。
7 you never have to make do with second best, 你从来不必用二等品来凑合。
make do with…, 凑合着用……。
参考译文
宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。我生在城市，长在城市，总认为乡村是透过火车车窗看到的那个样子，或偶尔周末去游玩一下的景象。我的许多朋友都住在城市，但他们只要一提起乡村，马上就会变得欣喜若狂。尽管他们都交口称赞宁静的乡村生活的种种优点，但其中只有一人真去农村住过，而且不足6个月就回来了。即使他也仍存有幻觉，好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。他滔滔不绝地大谈友好的农民，洁净的空气，贴近大自然的环境和悠闲的生活节奏。他坚持认为，凌晨雄鸡第一声啼叫，黎明时分小鸟吱喳欢叫，冉冉升起的朝阳染红树木、牧场，此番美景无与伦比。但这种田园诗般的乡村风光仅仅是一个侧面。我的朋友没有提到在电视机前度过的漫长寂寞的冬夜——电视是唯一的娱乐形式。他也不说商店货物品种单调，以及那些每天不得不从乡下赶到城里工作的不幸的人们。人们为什么情愿每天在路上奔波4个小时去换取值得怀疑的乡间的优点，我是无法理解的。要是他们愿意住在本来属于他们的城市，则可以让他们省去诸多不便与节约大量开支。
如果你愿舍弃乡下生活那一点点乐趣的话，那么你会发现城市可以为你提供生活中最美好的东西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好几英里，因为他们都住在附近，你随时可以同他们聊天或在晚上一起娱乐。我在乡村有一些熟人，他们每年进城来看一回或几回戏，并把此看作一种特殊的享受。看戏在他们是件大事，需要精心计划。当戏快演完时，他们又为是否能赶上末班火车回家而犯愁。这种焦虑，城里人是从未体验过的。坐公共汽车几站路，就可看到最新的展览、电影、戏剧。买东西也是一种乐趣。物品品种繁多，从来不必用二等品来凑合。乡里人进城采购欣喜若狂，每次回家时都买足了外来商品，直到拿不动方才罢休，连走路都摇摇晃晃的。城市也并非没有良辰美景。寒冷潮湿的冬夜里，广告灯箱发出的暖光，会给人某种安慰。周末，当成千上万进城上班的人回到了他们的乡间寓所之后，空旷的街市笼罩着一种宁静的气氛，没有什么能比此时的宁静更令人难忘了。城里人对这一切心里很明白，却偏要执拗地装出他们喜欢住在乡村的样子，这对我来说一直是个谜。
Multiple choice questions多项选择题
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension理解
1 What is the main difference between the writer and most of his friends?
a．They often visit the country but he has only spent one weekend there.
b．Unlike them, being brought up in the city, he can appreciate its worth.
c．In contrast to them, he finds city people friendlier than country people.
d．He thinks them hypocritical to maintain a preference for country life.
2 What advantage has the city dweller over the country dweller in terms of entertainment?
a．He can entertain his country friends more often than they can him.
b．His choice of entertainment is wide and within easy reach of him.
c．As he travels by bus and not by train, he can see the latest plays.
d．He does not need a major operation when planning a visit to the theatre.
3 When he speaks of the beauty to be found in the city, the writer ______ .
a．alludes to the comparative cheerlessness of winter nights in the country
b．means that if more people settled in the city they would find peace
c．advertises the fact that the city is a warmer place than the country
d．implies that the country is less peaceful than the city at weekends