英文読解
(1)How many times have you been on vacation only to find that what was in the glossy brochure didn't reflect the reality of the destination? What about all those tourist traps where everything is cheaply and expensive? The public attitude is spend, spend, spend—and it's a bit like eating too much chocolate: it feels good at the time, but leaves you feeling rather sickly afterward.
(2)We have this tendency to see the grass as being greener on the other side: whereas, it can really be quite green where we are. For example, I spent seven years in a coastal town, and it was only as I was preparing to move that I decided to take in a few more sights around the area. I had quite a shock to discover what I had been missing during those years, which made moving even harder. When we live in a nice place, we tend to take it for granted. Sometimes it is good to get away, far away, particularly if you live in a crowded city, but there is often this odd pressure on us to take vacations in distant and exotic places when great places to relax can be quite close to home.
(3)A vacation can be an expensive affair, costing hundreds of dollars a day on fuel, food, and accommodation. Those long trips also have an environmental impact such as greenhouse gases produced by the travel. A 1,000-mile round trip in a medium-sized car will produce around half a ton in carbon dioxide. A 2,500-mile return flight will result in over double the amount.
(4)Additionally, there can be the stresses of packing, scheduling, and then worrying about your home while you are away, combined with battling crowds of other tourists. It's not unusual for people to come back from vacation more stressed than when they left. Have you ever considered a “staycation”? A staycation is a holiday at or close to home, whether it's relaxing in the backyard or exploring the region that you live in more, with plenty of time to do so. Even the holiday-obsessed British are trying staycations, although due mainly to economic circumstances. In May 2008, a British paper organized a survey and found that a third of respondents were switching their plans from a holiday abroad to a holiday in Britain.
(5)What should you do on a staycation? The first point is not to do things you wouldn't do on vacation elsewhere, such as mowing the lawn or painting the house. Your staycation needs to be fun! Do all that stuff before you go, just as you would do in preparing for a traditional vacation. Become a tourist in your own town! Visit your local tourist information center, and you may be surprised at what you discover to see and do on your home patch. There are parks and museums you haven't visited, restaurants you haven't tried, and perhaps you could take in a local festival or two.
(6)You don't have to stay at home for it to be a staycation. There may be a small hotel on the outskirts of town you would enjoy, a nice camping spot, or even an organic farm nearby where you can grow your own food.
(7)Perhaps you could even invest the money you save on not taking an expensive vacation to make things a little more staycation friendly in your home, such as creating a private little slice of paradise in your own backyard. While your staycation isn't going to save the planet on its own, it will probably save you money and is one of the many small things we you can do that collectively will help reduce the impact on our environment.
【設問】文中の語の意味内容
・2段落this tendency
アto spend a lot of money イto think things are better elsewhere ウto feel regretful for what has been done エto realize everything is expensive at famous resorts
・3段落the amount
アthe cost of the fuel イthe distance by car ウthe volume of carbon dioxide エthe time to reach your destination
・4段落to do so
アto consider a staycation イto visit distant or exotic places ウto rest at home or discover your neighborhood エto worry about your home and fight crowds of tourists
自分はアウアを選んでみました。
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補足
なるほど。分かりやすかったです。ありがとうございました。