College students, curious and energetic, love traveling; summer and winter vacations provide them with golden opportunities to travel. There are two major modes of travelling—traveling by oneself or traveling in a group organized by travel agencies.
Those two patterns offer different travel experiences, with respective advantages and disadvantages. For the solitary traveler, the greatest advantage is freedom. He is perfectly free to choose his itinerary and plan his schedules, thus he can visit whatever his curiosity leads him to and contemplate over a historical site or a cultural relic for as long as he desires. The trouble is he cannot share his perceptions and excitement with any partners. Moreover, it is time-consuming and difficult to buy train tickets and look for accommodations and in emergency situations an inpidual traveler is largely helpless. Those problems are non-existent for group travelers because travel agencies take care of everything. Within a group, people who used to be strangers soon become friends. However, the fixed itineraries and tight schedule prevent travelers from satiating their inpidual curiosities. In addition, tourists are often subjected to forced shopping by tour guides who are more concerned with securing commissions than providing services.
My solution to these two imperfect modes of traveling is to travel with friends or classmates. This pattern incorporates most of their advantages while avoiding all their disadvantages. I am convinced this is the best and most sensible form of traveling which everybody should adopt.
【参考译文】
大学生好奇且好动，无不酷爱旅游，而寒假与暑假正好为他们提供了旅游的黄金机会。旅游有两种主要模式：独自出游，或随旅行社组团出游。
此两种模式会带来不尽相同的旅行体验，不乏各自的优缺点。对于孤身一人的旅行者来说，最大的优点是自由。他完全可以随心所欲地选择旅行线路，规划行程安排；这样，其兴致所至，必心满意足；面对一处处历史古迹或文物，尽可发思古之幽， 而全无时间之羁绊。问题在于，其感受与兴奋之情，无可与人分享。此外，购买火车票和夜间投宿，既耗时亦费神。一旦突发意外，单枪匹马的旅行者很大程度上孤立无助。所有这些问题对于随团出游者来说均不存在，因为旅行社会安排好一切。在旅行团内部，原来的陌生人旋即就可成为朋友。然则，固定的旅游线路以及仓促的行程，往往会使旅行者无法满足每个人独特的好奇心。此外，旅客也常常被导游逼迫着去作强制性购物，这些导游花在赚取佣金上的心思，远超过如何来为游客提供服务。
对于这两种不甚完美的旅行模式，我的解决之道是与朋友或同学结伴而游。此类模式可兼具上述两类模式的大多数优点，而避免它们的全部的缺点。我深信，这是最佳、最明智的旅行方式，所有人都应采用。
【值得熟记的句式与短语】
1. provide sb. with sth.为某人提供某物
2. mode/pattern/form模式、形式
3. solitary孤身一人的
4. in emergency situations突发意外
5. look for accommodations投宿
6. largely helpless很大程度上孤立无助
7. itinerary/travel旅行
8. visit whatever his curiosity leads him to其兴致所至，必心满意足
9. contemplate沉思（www.yingyuzuowen.cn）
10. a historical site or a cultural relic历史古迹或文物
11. share his perceptions and excitement with sb.与某人分享感受和兴奋之情
12. it is time-consuming and difficult to do sth.做某事既耗时亦费神
13. inpidual traveler单枪匹马的旅行者
14. group traveler随团出游者
15. be non-existent for sb.对某人不存在的
16. satiate使充分满足
17. fixed itineraries and tight schedule固定的旅游线路以及仓促的行程
18. tourists are often subjected to forced shopping by tour guides旅客也常常被导游逼迫着去作强制性购物
19. secure commissions赚取佣金
20. This pattern incorporates most of their advantages while avoiding all their disadvantages.此类模式可兼具上述两类模式的大多数优点，而避免它们的全部的缺点。