Mystery box—to parts unknown

山东 孙启禄

主题语境：人与社会 篇幅：392 词 关键词：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 (网红地). 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.

➢语篇解码

本文是一篇说明文。给你一张不知道目的地的机票，你敢踏上这趟未知的旅程吗？近期，火爆市场的“旅行盲盒”给旅游行业注入了新的生机。

➢语言学习

Ⅰ. 语料荟萃

语篇单词重要短语especially adv. 尤其；特别 destination n. 目的地 departure n. 离开；出发eagerness n. 渴望 location n. 地点；位置 tourism n. 旅游业 reliable adj. 可靠的guarantee v. 保证 promotion n. 促销；推广mystery box 盲盒 choose from 从……之间选择 every two years 每两年 turn...into reality 把……变成现实 a couple of 两个；几个 follow suit 仿效；跟着做 gain a lot of attention 获得许多关注 due to 因为；由于 a lack of 缺少 a large number of 大量的 feel disappointed with 对……感到失望 sign contracts 签订合同

Ⅱ. 语句分析

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”. “我总是在工作间隙给自己一两个月的时间旅行，”这个年轻女士说，她喜欢去任何她想去的地方，无论何时，“像鸟一样自由”。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句。引号里面是直接引语，who 引导非限制性定语从句，wherever 和whenever 分别引导地点状语从句和时间状语从句。wherever 和whenever还可以引导让步状语从句。

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，仍有许多人对旅行盲盒感到失望，因为他们在购买盲盒后会遇到许多问题，如旅行时间不合适、航班突然取消，甚至退款困难。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句。because 引导原因状语从句，after purchasing...with refunds是介词短语作时间状语。

➢语言运用

Ⅰ. 例句仿写

1. 无论我走到哪里，我都会创造持久的记忆，并与不同背景的人建立联系。__________________________, I create lasting memories and forge connections with people from different backgrounds.

2. 在参加了一场传统文化表演后，我们被这个国家丰富的遗产震撼了。__________________________, we were amazed by the rich heritage of the country.

Ⅱ.写作实践

近来，“旅行盲盒”火爆旅游市场。假定你是李华，请你根据以下内容写一篇短文，刊登在学校英语网站上。

1. 简单介绍“旅行盲盒”；

2. 它的优点。

注意：

1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Travel mystery box