Mystery box—to parts unknown

山東 孫啟祿

主題語境：人與社會 篇幅：392 詞 關鍵詞：travel, blind box

1Travel is like a box of chocolate—you never know what you're going to get, especially when you're using a mystery box plane ticket.

2The specifics of each company's travel mystery box may be different, but the main idea is the same: After you buy a mystery box at a low price—usually 100 or 200 yuan—and select your departure airport, you will receive several destination options to choose from.Then you have a year to take your flight.

3But these options are usually less popular destinations, like the one Fan Zhihua got in the very first mystery box plane ticket she bought in March. The 29-year-old went to Zhangye in Northwest China's Gansu Province.

4“I move to a new city every two years.And I would always give myself a gap month or two in between jobs to do some traveling,”said the young woman, who enjoys going wherever she wants, whenever she wants,“free as a bird”.

5Liao Liangyu, 16, has turned his eagerness to go on a mystery box trip into reality.He took a mystery box trip with a couple of friends months ago. It started when one of them got a mystery box ticket to Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province.

6Surprisingly, Liao followed suit and got Changsha too. Right before their departure, a friend told Liao that Changsha was a super hyped-up Internet sensation (網紅地). But he still decided to go and see it for himself. “My biggest discovery is that in Changsha you can see skyscrapers and old houses in rundown alleys in the same view.”

7Since the destination options include many less popular cities, travel mystery boxes also bring vigor and economic benefits to these destinations. For example, Dehong City is a beautiful city in Yunnan Province yet has few visitors due to a lack of promotion. Following its inclusion as a mystery box travel destination, however, it has gained a lot of attention and is now thought of as a solid location for tourism.

8But even so, a large number of people feel disappointed with travel mystery boxes because they can encounter many problems after purchasing one, such as inappropriate travel times, sudden flight cancellations, or even challenges with refunds(退款). Experts suggested that visitors should choose reliable platforms and sign contracts to guarantee their interests.

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1. What is the purpose of Fan Zhihua's gap months between jobs?

A. To travel and visit new places.

B. To buy blind boxes in different cities.

C. To visit hyped-up Internet sensations.

D. To explore popular travel destinations.

2. What does Liao think of Changsha?

A. A city full of contrasts.

B. A city developing rapidly.

C. A city with ancient architecture.

D. A city with most beautiful scenery.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A. The ways to choose reliable platforms and sign contracts with them.

B. The problems with travel mystery boxes and suggestions to avoid them.

C. The disappointment with travel mystery boxes due to various problems.

D. The benefits of the inclusion of cities as mystery box travel destinations.

?語篇解碼

本文是一篇說明文。給你一張不知道目的地的機票，你敢踏上這趟未知的旅程嗎？近期，火爆市場的“旅行盲盒”給旅游行業注入了新的生機。

?語言學習

Ⅰ. 語料薈萃

語篇單詞重要短語especially adv. 尤其；特別 destination n. 目的地 departure n. 離開；出發eagerness n. 渴望 location n. 地點；位置 tourism n. 旅游業 reliable adj. 可靠的guarantee v. 保證 promotion n. 促銷；推廣mystery box 盲盒 choose from 從……之間選擇 every two years 每兩年 turn...into reality 把……變成現實 a couple of 兩個；幾個 follow suit 仿效；跟著做 gain a lot of attention 獲得許多關注 due to 因為；由于 a lack of 缺少 a large number of 大量的 feel disappointed with 對……感到失望 sign contracts 簽訂合同

Ⅱ. 語句分析

1. “And I would always give myself a gap month or two in between jobs to do some traveling,” said the young woman, who enjoys going wherever she wants, whenever she wants, “free as a bird”. “我總是在工作間隙給自己一兩個月的時間旅行，”這個年輕女士說，她喜歡去任何她想去的地方，無論何時，“像鳥一樣自由”。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。引號里面是直接引語，who 引導非限制性定語從句，wherever 和whenever 分別引導地點狀語從句和時間狀語從句。wherever 和whenever還可以引導讓步狀語從句。

2. But even so, a large number of people feel disappointed with travel mystery boxes because they can encounter many problems after purchasing one, such as inappropriate travel times, sudden flight cancellations, or even challenges with refunds. 但即便如此，仍有許多人對旅行盲盒感到失望，因為他們在購買盲盒后會遇到許多問題，如旅行時間不合適、航班突然取消，甚至退款困難。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。because 引導原因狀語從句，after purchasing...with refunds是介詞短語作時間狀語。

?語言運用

Ⅰ. 例句仿寫

1. 無論我走到哪里，我都會創造持久的記憶，并與不同背景的人建立聯系。__________________________, I create lasting memories and forge connections with people from different backgrounds.

2. 在參加了一場傳統文化表演后，我們被這個國家豐富的遺產震撼了。__________________________, we were amazed by the rich heritage of the country.

Ⅱ.寫作實踐

近來，“旅行盲盒”火爆旅游市場。假定你是李華，請你根據以下內容寫一篇短文，刊登在學校英語網站上。

1. 簡單介紹“旅行盲盒”；

2. 它的優點。

注意：

1. 詞數80左右；

2. 可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Travel mystery box