Why is noise pollution worse in tourist cities than in other cities?
I think it stems from the fact that such cities tend to attract more tourists, and hence, more traffic. Also, throngs of tourists are often seen strolling noisily at the spots of interest in cities and this again brings more traffic onto the street, and of course, due to this, vendors dot sidewalks and spaces near the site selling their wares. All of these can generate at least twice the amount of noise of a non-tourist town. In fact, some cities attract such an enormous number of sightseers that certain streets are just the tourists and avoided by locals. Thus, I think it is tourists themselves that are the prime source of noise pollution in tourist towns.
throngs of 大量的
strolling 闲逛
spots of interest 景点
wares 商品
an enormous number of sightseers 海量游客
the prime source of 主要源头
Do most people like planned traveling?
I’m not sure…but I would guess half and half. Some people prefer to plan everything right down to the last detail whereas others get on a plane with nothing but a hotel room booked. It really depends on the individual’s habits and personality, I think. I remember a friend of mine showing me her crammed color-coded Excel sheet of her one-week trip to Thailand, on which she broke her daily agenda down to hourly destinations and activities. I thought it rather suffocating. Others, I think, as I said, prefer to just take each day as it comes and to have a general idea of what they want to do, perhaps with some must-see sites, but no specific plans except perhaps for having the hotel booked.
plan everything right down to the last detail 计划周详
crammed 拥挤的
color-coded 用颜色标记
suffocating 窒息的
take each day as it comes 随遇而安
Do you think tourists may come across bad things in other cities?
Sure, absolutely. When tourists are out and about, there’s always something out of one’s expectation that may happen or that one may see. I think a majority of the so-called ‘bad things’ are people-related, resulting in various degrees of disappointment. A typical example is that travelers might get overcharged in taxis, restaurants, or gift shops, paying a much higher price for everything they purchase. For instance, paying an astronomical bill at a seafood restaurant…such cases make the news every year.
out and about 出门在外
various degrees of 不同程度的
get overcharged 被宰
astronomical 天文数字的
Why do many people like to travel abroad?
Well, off the top of my head, I think it’s probably because they look for new scenery and experiences that the domestic market cannot offer. I think most people like to go to foreign places simply to see a way of life, a new environment, that one would not normally see in their own country. Quite literally, a change of scenery to break up the humdrum of living, and even traveling, in one’s own country. In a foreign place, there’s a new language, new faces, and so many other novel things that it can make people feel refreshed and make them feel that they truly had a holiday.
the domestic market 国内市场
a way of life 一种生活方式
quite literally 实实在在的
a change of scenery 风景不一样
novel 新奇的
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