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Lonely Planet: The Global Citizen 寂寞星球，地球公民

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Tony Wheeler brings new meaning to the phrase “global citizen.” So far, he has explored 117 countries, and turned his passion for travel into the world’s best-selling travel-guide series. Since its beginning in 1973, Lonely Planet has grown to include 650 titles, distributed in 118 countries, with annual sales of over six million guide books.

汤尼．惠勒重新诠释「地球公民」的意义。他至今已探索了117个国家，并将对旅游的热情，投入出版全世界最畅销的旅游系列丛书。从1973年出版第一本书，截至目前为止，寂寞星球已出版了650本书，在118个国家发行，年销售量超过六百万本。

In 1973, Tony, a British engineer, and his wife Maureen spent nine aimless months traveling Asia’s hippie trail. They wound up in Sydney, Australia, with just 27 cents to their name. Not discouraged by their bleak financial situation, they self-published Across Asia on the Cheap. It wasn’t like the other guidebooks out there – the ones that catered to the fat wallets and narrow minds of the jet set. It taught a generation of young travelers how to move about the world with confidence, live out of a single backpack, and do it cheaply!

1973年，英国工程师汤尼和他的妻子玛莲花了九个月的时间，漫无目的地踏上亚洲嬉皮之路。他们最后抵达澳洲雪梨，身上仅剩27分钱。窘困的财务状况并没有让这对夫妻感到沮丧，他们自行出版《亚洲省钱游》一书。这本书完全不像当时市面上的旅游书籍。当时的旅游书都针对那些荷包满满、视野狭窄，搭着喷射机环游世界的阔佬而出版。《亚洲省钱游》教导年轻一代的旅游者如何单靠一个背包，自信且便宜地世界走透透。

After spending another year in Asia in 1975, Tony and Maureen published South-East Asia on a Shoestring. From that point on, Lonely Planet was truly off and running. They not only included things such as which hotels to stay in and where to eat, but also offered their own editorials, and sometimes downright humorous anecdotes. Speaking to you in an intimate, conversational tone, the books had personality, rather than just dry facts and itineraries.

在亚洲又待了一年后，汤尼和玛莲于1975年出版了《东南亚省钱游》。从此，寂寞星球真正启动、运转！这系列旅游丛书除了有旅馆、饮食建议之外，同时也提供他们自己的看法，偶尔会出现许多妙语如珠的趣闻轶事。作者叙事口吻就象话家常般亲密。寂寞星球出版的书籍独具风格，而非枯燥的事实及行程。

Today, Tony and Maureen continue to look for new and exotic destinations to explore and write about. “It’s his obsession,” says Maureen about her husband, “He has to go farther than the tourists.”

今日，汤尼和玛莲夫妇继续探索新奇的旅游目的地，并一一详载。「他眼中只有旅游，」玛莲对丈夫有如此的看法，「他必须走得比游客更远。」

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

bleak [blik] adj. 凄凉的，阴暗的，无希望的

cater [ˋketɚ] to  为...服务; 迎合

editorial [͵ɛdəˋtɔrɪəl] n.（报刊的）社论

anecdote [ˋænɪk͵dot] n. 轶事，趣闻

exotic [ɛgˋzɑtɪk] adj. 异国情调的；奇特的

More Information

distribute [dɪˋstrɪbjʊt] v. 提供﹐配送

annual [ˋænjʊəl] adj. 每年的；全年的

hippie trail  嬉皮小径

wind up: 结束 to arrive in a place or situation after or because of a course of action

to one’s name: 属于自己所有 owned by one

fat wallet [ˋwɑlɪt]:厚厚的钱包(指有钱的)  having a lot of money

narrow-minded: [ˋnæroˋmaɪndɪd] adj. 胸襟狭窄的；有偏见的；气量小的  lacking tolerance, breadth of view, or sympathy; petty

jet set 乘喷气客机到处旅游的富豪

shoestring [ˋʃu͵strɪŋ] n.【口】小额资本

off and running: 启动、运转  started and doing well

downright [ˋdaʊn͵raɪt] adv. 十足地，彻底地

humorous [ˋhjumərəs] adj. 幽默的，诙谐的

intimate [ˋɪntəmɪt] adj. 亲密的，熟悉的

dry [draɪ] adj. 枯燥乏味的

itinerary [aɪˋtɪnə͵rɛrɪ] n. 旅行计划

obsession [əbˋsɛʃən] n. 摆脱不了的思想（或情感）

Reading Questions

1. Based on the article, who can be called a “global citizen”?

A. Someone who has email contacts all over the world.

B. Someone who is extremely well-read in geography.

C. Someone who has traveled to many countries.

D. Someone who is a citizen of at least two countries.

2. Which of the following statements about Lonely Planet guides is true?

A. They could provide basic information for traveling.

B. They are not only informative but also entertaining.

C. They are aimed at people who have great financial means.

D. They focus mostly on the East Asia region.

3. Based on the article, what can be inferred about the future of Lonely Planet?

A. It’s likely that the competition will soon overtake Lonely Planet.

B. To survive as a publication, Lonely Planet has to change its style.

C. Lonely Planet will publish an online version in the near future.

D. Given the successful formula, Lonely Planet will continue to prosper.

well-read: 博览群书的；博学的 knowledgeable through having read extensively

Answer