Ancestry travel 尋根遊

“你為什麼不回到故鄉去看看呢?”——這是 “尋根遊” 背後的理念。這一最新旅遊趨勢是基於越來越多的人希望通過研究他們的DNA來瞭解自己的過去，追尋祖先的足跡。許多人選擇追景溯源，以追尋傢族史為目的，訪問他們的祖先曾經生活過的地方。“隨身英語” 介紹 “尋根遊”。

Vocabulary: family trees & holidays 詞匯：傢譜和假期

Everyone loves a holiday! A little time off for some much-needed R & R can be exactly the thing to rejuvenate and refresh. That said, if you’re struggling to think of your next destination then look no further. Don’t waste time debating, let your blood decide.

Everybody has a lineage. Recently, finding out more about our family origins has become popular. By the start of 2019, 26 million people had taken an ancestry DNA test at home, according to a report by MIT Technology Review. They believe by 2021 this number will have risen to 100 million.

This trend has been noticed by opportunistic travel operators. Some are looking to provide a service that both allows people to trace their heritage – by literally going back to their roots – and travel to the destinations where their ancestors originated from.

Airbnb, an online lodging marketplace, recently partnered with 23andMe, a DNA testing and analysis company, to offer recommendations that encourage travellers to walk in the footsteps of their forefathers. And they aren’t the only ones.

The Shelbourne hotel in Dublin has its own ‘genealogy butler’. Hellen Kelly offers consultations to help guests trace their Irish line of descent using official records. This allows them to ‘fill in the blanks of their Irish ancestry’, she told Good Morning America.

The Conte Club, a luxury travel company, offers custom itineraries based on DNA tests. ‘These experiences are about delving deeper into who we really are,’ says Conte Club CEO Rebecca Fielding in an article in the Condé Nast Traveller. ‘It might be the most meaningful trip we can take.’

So next time you think of going on vacation, why not take a DNA test first? Once you know how far your family has come, take the time to holiday back.

詞匯表

time off 休息，休假
R & R 休息放松（rest and relaxation 的縮寫）
rejuvenate 使人恢復精神、活力
refresh 使人恢復，消除疲勞
destination 目的地
blood 血液
lineage 血統，世系
ancestry 祖先
travel operator 旅行社
heritage 遺產
roots 根
originate 始於，來自
walk in the footsteps 追隨……腳步
forefathers 祖先
genealogy 傢譜學，傢系
trace 查明……源頭，追溯
line of descent 同一血統的後代
fill in the blanks 填補空白
itinerary 旅程，旅行計劃
delve 探索

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. How many people are expected to have home-tested their DNA by 2021?

2. What kind of service are opportunistic travel operators looking to provide?

3. What is Hellen Kelly’s official title at the Shelbourne hotel?

4. What does a consultation with Hellen Kelly allow guests to do?

5. What does Rebecca Fielding say about the importance of this kind of trip?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. The last 3 weeks finishing this project were intense! I think I need some _______.

time of R & R blood trip

2. “Let’s go! We have a very full _______ and we can’t be late,” said the tour guide.

destination heritage itinerary trip

3. Latin is part of many European languages’ common _______.

blood heritage trace blanks

4. I wonder how many families can _______ their family line back 1000 years.

rejuvenate refresh originate trace

5. He was born in England, but his _______ comes from Latin America.

blood roots forefathers descent

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. How many people are expected to have home-tested their DNA by 2021?
MIT Technology review believe it will be 100 million people.

2. What kind of service are opportunistic travel operators looking to provide?
A service that allows people to trace their heritage and travel to the destinations their ancestors originated from.

3. What is Hellen Kelly’s official title at the Shelbourne hotel?
Hellen Kelly is a ‘genealogy butler’.

4. What does a consultation with Hellen Kelly allow guests to do?
It allows them to trace their Irish line of descent and fill in the blanks of their Irish ancestry.

5. What does Rebecca Fielding say about the importance of this kind of trip?
She says ‘it might be the most meaningful trip we can take.’

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. The last 3 weeks finishing this project were intense! I think I need some R & R.

2. “Let’s go! We have a very full itinerary and we can’t be late,” said the tour guide.

3. Latin is part of many European languages’ common heritage.

4. I wonder how many families can trace their family line back 1000 years.

5. He was born in England, but his blood comes from Latin America.