论文部分内容阅读
The 2010 Ford F-150 pickup is a typical American vehicle. It affords its passengers a seat above everything on the road. All of its features， including blue-tooth stereo， seem perfect – except for gas mileage. At the end of 2011， I drove one from Miami to Orlando. I had never expected to drive such a vehicle， but it was the only available car to rent.
From August 2011 through July 2012， I served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University， and one of the perks of the job was short semesters and long holidays. So， I made two long-distance trips with my friends.
My first trip started in December 2011， when we drove from Miami to Orlando， passing through Saint Augustine to Interstate 10， and then New Orleans， Houston， and finally Dallas.
My second trip began in June 2012， when we set off from San Diego to Los Angeles， Yosemite， and finally San Francisco. Then we drove north from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park， and moved southward to the Arches National Park.
The first trip crossed almost half of the United States from east to west， and the second traversed it north to south. I was deeply impressed.
One arena in which the United States excels is its traffic conditions. The roads might not be as wide as those in China， but fewer vehicles afford easier access to everywhere. It was amazing to speed along highways in the South with music serenading the splendid views along the way.
Another boon for the country is the national park system. In the West， we visited five national parks： Yosemite， the Grand Canyon， Yellowstone， the Grand Tetons， and the Arches， which all feature breathtaking scenery. The most impressive characteristics are their administrative systems. Admission is very affordable： less than 20 dollars for a week – far lower than many scenic spots in China. Another thing is that everything is well-kept， including the camping sites， waste facilities， and even supporting facilities within the parks， such as restaurants. We could never forget our“feast” in a restaurant in Yellowstone， which didn’t cost much more than outside meals.
The United States has long enjoyed fame as a “melting pot.”Its vast territory with abundant resources is flavored by a wide variety of customs and folklores. Boston， for instance， in the northeast， developed from New England Puritan culture. Florida in the southeast features bright and beautiful weather as well as bold and unrestrained people. New Orleans in the Deep South is a mecca for jazz as well as French delicacies. Coastal California in the West features premiums in both natural scenery and cultural environment. The San Francisco Bay Area is heaven for innova- tion. Utah is strongly flavored by the Mormon culture， a totally fresh experience for us.
Finally， it didn’t cost much to travel in the United States. The entire way， we primarily chose 40 or 50-dollar-a-night motels. When arriving in big cities， we selected hotels using Priceline bidding. We stayed in a Westin in New Orleans at 50 dollars： Too good to be true！ The price is higher in hotels around Yellowstone and Yosemite – about 200 dollars a night. Food along the way was affordable： For about 10 to 20 dollars per person you got a pretty good meal. Oddly enough， we found the most authentic Sichuan food on the outskirts of Salt Lake City.
My road trips in the United States remain unforgettable pages of my memory – nice views， delicious food， and exotic local culture. I hope I get another chance to go there and cross the country through the North and East.
From August 2011 through July 2012， I served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University， and one of the perks of the job was short semesters and long holidays. So， I made two long-distance trips with my friends.
My first trip started in December 2011， when we drove from Miami to Orlando， passing through Saint Augustine to Interstate 10， and then New Orleans， Houston， and finally Dallas.
My second trip began in June 2012， when we set off from San Diego to Los Angeles， Yosemite， and finally San Francisco. Then we drove north from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park， and moved southward to the Arches National Park.
The first trip crossed almost half of the United States from east to west， and the second traversed it north to south. I was deeply impressed.
One arena in which the United States excels is its traffic conditions. The roads might not be as wide as those in China， but fewer vehicles afford easier access to everywhere. It was amazing to speed along highways in the South with music serenading the splendid views along the way.
Another boon for the country is the national park system. In the West， we visited five national parks： Yosemite， the Grand Canyon， Yellowstone， the Grand Tetons， and the Arches， which all feature breathtaking scenery. The most impressive characteristics are their administrative systems. Admission is very affordable： less than 20 dollars for a week – far lower than many scenic spots in China. Another thing is that everything is well-kept， including the camping sites， waste facilities， and even supporting facilities within the parks， such as restaurants. We could never forget our“feast” in a restaurant in Yellowstone， which didn’t cost much more than outside meals.
The United States has long enjoyed fame as a “melting pot.”Its vast territory with abundant resources is flavored by a wide variety of customs and folklores. Boston， for instance， in the northeast， developed from New England Puritan culture. Florida in the southeast features bright and beautiful weather as well as bold and unrestrained people. New Orleans in the Deep South is a mecca for jazz as well as French delicacies. Coastal California in the West features premiums in both natural scenery and cultural environment. The San Francisco Bay Area is heaven for innova- tion. Utah is strongly flavored by the Mormon culture， a totally fresh experience for us.
Finally， it didn’t cost much to travel in the United States. The entire way， we primarily chose 40 or 50-dollar-a-night motels. When arriving in big cities， we selected hotels using Priceline bidding. We stayed in a Westin in New Orleans at 50 dollars： Too good to be true！ The price is higher in hotels around Yellowstone and Yosemite – about 200 dollars a night. Food along the way was affordable： For about 10 to 20 dollars per person you got a pretty good meal. Oddly enough， we found the most authentic Sichuan food on the outskirts of Salt Lake City.
My road trips in the United States remain unforgettable pages of my memory – nice views， delicious food， and exotic local culture. I hope I get another chance to go there and cross the country through the North and East.