第二步：精读重点段落

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

第07段
Heading out of Bucharest, I hopped through Transylvania in search of Dracula. Sadly, there wasn’t much about him to be found. You’d think the Romanians would capitalize on the whole Dracula thing, but there’s hardly any vampire kitsch around. I was hoping for a lot of cheesy and tacky tourist traps that I could humor myself with. But there were none. I was so disappointed. I would have loved an “I survived Dracula’s castle and all I got was this t-shirt” t-shirt! With True Blood, Twilight, and the “vampires are amazing” fad sweeping the world, the Romanians might try to play up their Dracula-inspired past and draw in some tourists. (Bucharest did have a Dracula restaurant, but it was closed for renovations.) Sure, it would be totally cheesy, but it would be fun — and travel doesn’t always have to be serious. Sometimes it can just be tacky and fun. (For example, Disney World.)

• Capitalize on 利用  
• Hope for 期待
• With vampire fad sweeping the world 风靡世界的吸血鬼热
• Play up 调皮／强调
• Draw in 引诱／进站／紧缩开支

第10段
Getting out of Brasov, I fell in love with Sibiu and Sighisoara, tiny medieval towns filled with cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and little alleys to get lost in. These were the only two places where I felt overwhelmed by tourists, and I think it has more to do with the large number of people squeezed into a tiny area than the fact that the cities are “on the map.” Compared to other places in Romania, these towns were a lot smaller. Both reminded me of Bruges a lot in the way they looked, the number of older tourists there, and the lack of things to do after 10pm, which was sort of typical of the medieval towns I visited in Romania.

• Feel overwhelmed by 不知所措
• Compared to 比较
• Remind sb. of sth. 使想起

第11段
The country is about half the price of Western European destinations. And you basically get the country all to yourself. Romania doesn’t probably jump into the minds of most people when they think “European vacation,” and I think that’s why it’s avoided the crowds. People probably go, “Romania? What the heck’s in Romania? Let’s go to Italy.”

• All to yourself 独占
• Jump into one’s mind/ the minds of 想到
• What the heck 搞什么鬼

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

Finding more than Dracula in Romania

[1] As I wandered around Sighisoara searching for coffins, bats, vampires, and human blood, I realized Romania wasn’t going to give me what I wanted: lots of cheesy Dracula tourism. I’d been to Bran, Transylvania, and Bucharest, and so far had encountered nothing about vampires. It was odd. The Romanians just haven’t decided to get in on the vampire trend that’s spreading throughout the world.

• Coffin 棺材
• Vampire 吸血鬼
• Cheesy 下等的／漂亮的
• Encounter 遭遇

[2] I admitted defeat. I simply wasn’t going to get what I’d hoped for.

[3] I’d have to settle for the fact Romania had turned out to be an amazing place that far exceeded all my expectations. It was as good a consolation prize as any traveler could get. There may not have been vampire teeth in every shop, but the country had a lot to offer.

• Consolation 安慰

[4] After Bulgaria, I had mixed feelings about going to Romania. Bulgaria was kind of mediocre. It was better than I’d expected, but I didn’t really love it. In my head, I viewed Romania to be a bit like Bulgaria: a former communist, agrarian country with crumbling and bland Soviet-era buildings. There would be some nice medieval towns in the countryside, but overall, I didn’t have high expectations for Romania.

• Mediocre 平凡的
• Communist 共产党员
• Agrarian 土地的
• Crumbling 破碎的
• Bland 乏味的
• Medieval 中世纪的

[5] Yet for the three weeks I was in Romania, I was constantly blown away by the country. It was marvelous. It was way more developed than I thought, the towns were historic and beautiful, the people were friendly, the food (though heavy on meat) was delicious, and the country exhibited a frenzied, “we’re on our way up” energy.

• Marvelous 了不起的
• Frenzied 狂乱的

[6] I started in Bucharest, which was a far more westernized city than I thought it would be. Instead of an old Soviet-era city, I found a city flush with energy, cafés, nice cars, beautiful parks, delicious international food, and lively nightlife. I also enjoyed a wide range of architecture, from art deco to late 19th century Paris to, yes, those big, dull, grey communist buildings. The historic center had tons of great restaurants and cafés, too (though they were a bit expensive). There’s a certain sophistication and energy to Bucharest that I enjoyed. This place used to be called the Paris of the East, and it’s easy to see why. (The Romanians have this weird admiration for the French that I never expected. They seemed to try to copy a lot from France.)

• Flush 激动
• Deco 装饰派艺术
• Dull 无趣的／迟钝的
• Sophistication 复杂／老于世故
• Wired 极其兴奋的

[7] Heading out of Bucharest, I hopped through Transylvania in search of Dracula. Sadly, there wasn’t much about him to be found. You’d think the Romanians would capitalize on the whole Dracula thing, but there’s hardly any vampire kitsch around. I was hoping for a lot of cheesy and tacky tourist traps that I could humor myself with. But there were none. I was so disappointed. I would have loved an “I survived Dracula’s castle and all I got was this t-shirt” t-shirt! With True Blood, Twilight, and the “vampires are amazing” fad sweeping the world, the Romanians might try to play up their Dracula-inspired past and draw in some tourists. (Bucharest did have a Dracula restaurant, but it was closed for renovations.) Sure, it would be totally cheesy, but it would be fun — and travel doesn’t always have to be serious. Sometimes it can just be tacky and fun. (For example, Disney World.)

• Kitsch 粗劣作品
• Tacky 俗气的
• Fad 一时流行的狂热

[8] The main center of tourism in Transylvania (and what seemed to be all of Romania) was the city of Brasov. It was there that there were the most people, sites, day trips, and tours. Brasov is an ancient city that used to be on an important trading route between the East and the West. This was my favorite spot in Romania.
[9] The biggest day trip from Brasov is to Bran, where people head to the “fake Dracula castle.” The castle in Bran is this beautiful medieval residence that was used over the years as a fort, then an administrative center, then a palace for the queen before the communists took over. At best, it might have been a place Dracula stopped while fighting the Turks. I don’t know why it’s associated with him (they do have one room dedicated to his legend), but it’s a castle worth seeing regardless. It’s beautifully preserved, and there are a lot of good descriptions on the walls about its history.

• Fort 堡垒
• Turk 土耳其人
• Preserve 保存／保护

[10] Getting out of Brasov, I fell in love with Sibiu and Sighisoara, tiny medieval towns filled with cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and little alleys to get lost in. These were the only two places where I felt overwhelmed by tourists, and I think it has more to do with the large number of people squeezed into a tiny area than the fact that the cities are “on the map.” Compared to other places in Romania, these towns were a lot smaller. Both reminded me of Bruges a lot in the way they looked, the number of older tourists there, and the lack of things to do after 10pm, which was sort of typical of the medieval towns I visited in Romania.

• Cobblestone 鹅卵石
• Squeeze 压榨

[11] The country is about half the price of Western European destinations. And you basically get the country all to yourself. Romania doesn’t probably jump into the minds of most people when they think “European vacation,” and I think that’s why it’s avoided the crowds. People probably go, “Romania? What the heck’s in Romania? Let’s go to Italy.”

• Heck 真见鬼

[12] To me, Romania was one of the best and most beautiful countries I’ve visited in years. It defied my expectations. The food was delicious, I enjoyed the medieval towns and beautiful countryside, and most people were very friendly. I think Romania is one of the best countries no one seems to visit. I suggest you head there on your next trip to Europe. It’ll be worth it.

• Defy 挑衅／公然反抗／藐视