公路之战 War on the roads

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: we’ll be talking about a story in the news and learning some vocabulary along the way. I’m Alice and joining me today is Rob. Hi Rob.
大家好，欢迎来到BBC六分钟英语学习节目：我们会在新闻中一边讲故事，一边学单词。我是Alice，今天我的搭档是Rob.你好Rob。
Hi there Alice.
你好Alic。
Now, Rob are you a cyclist?
Rob,你骑单车吗？
Yes I ride a bicycle.
是的，我骑单车。
Even on the mean streets of London?
在伦敦的穷街僻巷也骑吗？
I do indeed – London streets are very dangerous for cyclists. Over 110 cyclists have been killed on the UK’s roads in 2012, 13 of them in London.
是的--伦敦的街道对自行车来说确实很危险。2012年全英国超过110名骑自行车的人死亡，其中13名在伦敦。
That’s quite a lot for one city. Although there are many cycle paths painted onto roads in London, bikes are rarely separated from the traffic.And many roads are very narrow. But some people think it’s the cyclists themselves who are to blame for accidents.A documentary called ‘The War on Britain’s Roads’ has been investigating the issue.Before we find out more, a question for you Rob.The website Bicycling.com has made a list of what it thinks are the best cities for cycling in in the world. Only one in the top five isn’t in Europe. Can you guess where it is. Is it :a. Beijing, China b. Tokyo, Japan c. Bogota, Colombia
这对一个城市来说已经很多了。尽管伦敦到路上画了很多自行车专用线路，但自行车却很少与机动车分开行驶。另外很多道路非常狭窄。但一些人认为应该是骑自行车者他们自己对这些事故负责。一部叫做“英国公路之战”的纪录片正在对此进行深入调查。在我们开始接下来的讨论之前，Rob，我有一个问题要问你。骑车网对世界五个最适合骑自行车的城市进行了排名。在前五名之中呢，只有一个城市不在欧洲，你知道是那里吗？a,中国北京 b,日本东京 还是c,哥伦比亚波哥大？
I haven’t a clue really. But at a guess I’d probably say Tokyo.
这个我还真不知道。我猜应该是东京吧。
As usual we won’t hear the answer till the end of the programme. Now more about this ‘battle’ between cyclists and motorists on Britain’s roads.
按照惯例，我们会在节目结束的时候揭晓答案。现在我们来看看在英国公路上这场自行车和机动车的“战争”吧。
Now come on Alice, is it really a ‘battle ’?
不会吧,Alice。应该不是真的“战争”吧？
Well some people think so. Here’s Jan Etherington a journalist and comedy writer who thinks cyclists in London behave like gladiators in lycra – that’s the stretchy material a lot of cyclists wear.
但有些人确实是这么想的。记者兼喜剧作家Jan Etherington认为在伦敦骑自行车的人就像穿着莱卡布料的角斗士，莱卡是指很多骑自行车的人所穿的一种有弹性的布料。
It’s not the mode of transport, it’s the people. I think there are motorists and there are cyclists, who wake up in the morning not thinking if I can help somebody as I go along my way, but finding their inner gladiator.They immediately, in the cyclists case, put on the helmet and lycra and go out to war.And it’s a minority, but it’s the noticeable aggressive minority that I think the cycling community should recognise and address.
这不是运输方式的问题，而是人的问题。我觉得有些机动车驾驶者和骑自行车的人，每天一大早醒来，想的不是在路上能帮助别人做些什么，而想着给自己找一个潜在的决斗对象。于是那些骑单车的人就马上带上头盔，穿上莱卡衣服，然后去外面准备角斗。当然这只是少数人，但正是这些激进的少数群体应该唤起自行车协会的广泛关注。
Journalist Jan Etherington who thinks that cyclists are to blame for dangerous cycling.She thinks that some cyclists put on their helmet and lycra and go out to war.
记者Jan Etherington认为骑单车的人应该为危险骑车行为负责。她认为一些骑单车的人带上头盔，穿上莱卡衣服，然后出去准备角斗。
Ah – but she did say that it’s a minority – so not all cyclists.
哈哈--但她也说那只是少数人--所以并不是所有骑单车的人都如此。
Yes she said it’s the aggressive minority – the small number of cyclists who cycle in an aggressive manner.
是的，他说是那些好斗的少数人--那些以激进方式骑车的少数人。
Aggressive; so that’s in a dangerous and challenging way.
好斗的，就是以一种危险、挑衅的方式。
Yes. Jan Etherington wants the cycling community to do something about aggressive cycling – she wants them to address the problem.
对。Jan Etherington想让单车协会对这种激进的骑车方式采取些措施，她希望他们能解决这一问题。
So how do cyclists defend themselves? Aren’t cyclists just protecting themselves from dangerous motorists?
那么骑单车的人又是怎么保护自己的呢？他们是不是应该远离那些危险的机动车？
Well cycling writer and former British racing cyclist Michael Hutchinson thinks so. He says only idiots would go to war on a bicycle.
自行车作家，前英国自行车赛车手Michael Hutchinson认为确实如此。他说只有傻瓜才会在骑自行车的时候打架。
You do feel quite vulnerable as a cyclist. Somebody drives past inches away, the first thing it is, is frightening. I certainly don’t go to war, because frankly I’m not going to win. I’m wearing maybe lycra or maybe on my to work in t - shirt and a pair of jeans, I’m not goingto win a battle with a forty ton truck. So only an idiot’s going to go to war with a bicycle.
当你骑自行车的时候，你会觉得很容易受到攻击。有人在距你几英尺的地方开车，你的第一感觉就是恐惧。我当然不会去和机动车开战，因为坦白说，我也赢不了。我可能穿着莱卡的衣服，或者穿着T恤和牛仔裤准备上班，我才不会和一辆40吨重的卡车较量呢。所以只有傻瓜才会在骑自行车的时候和机动车过不去。
Cyclist Michael Hutchinson who says cyclists feel vulnerable; in danger. It can be frightening when a big truck drives very close to you.
赛车手Michael Hutchinson说骑单车的人会感到易受攻击、处境危险。当有卡车在他们周围近距离行驶时，他们就会感到恐惧。
I agree. A forty ton truck driving very close to you, while you’re trying to cycle on a narrow street, can be very frightening.
这一点我同意。当你在一条狭窄的道路上行驶，而有一辆重达四吨的卡车在离你很近的距离行驶，你会感到非常的恐惧。
Jan Etherington though, still says that cyclists need to change their behaviour. She thinks that since the London Olympics, the problem has got worse where she lives, because more and more people are cycling on the roads.And she uses more battle language. Battalions; we usually hear this word when we’re talking about soldiers. And cyclists taking up the road, two or three abreast, in droves, like soldiers marching.
Jan Etherington还说骑单车的人需要改变一下他们的举止行为。她觉得自从伦敦奥运会之后，她所生活的地方就变得越来越糟糕，因为越来越多的人开始在公路上骑自行车。并且她还用了更多的军事用语，比如“军营”，我们在说到士兵的时候会用到这样的词汇。骑单车的三两成群，并排在马路上行驶，就像士兵在行军打仗一般。
I live in the middle of the Olympic cycling route, now from dawn to dusk at the weekend the cyclists come not as single spokes but in batallions. There are two or three abreast of them, and they come in droves. They’re not stopping for anyone. A cyclist on a bike at 30mph is a dangerous machine.
我住在欧林匹克自行车赛路线的中心，每周末从早到晚，骑单车的人就会成群结队的出来，并排行进。他们三两成群的并排驾驶，并成群结队的出现。不给任何人让路，一辆自行车如果行以每小时30公里的速度行驶，就会变成一个危险的机器了。
Journalist Jan Etherington who says cyclists on London’s roads are not stopping for anyone.
Journalist Jan Etherington说伦敦路上的自行车不给任何人让路。
So Rob – whose side are you on?
那么Rob你的立场是什么呢？
Well I’m a cyclist and a motorist – and a pedestrian – so I can see the problem from all sides.
我呢，既是一个骑单车的人，也是一个机动车驾驶者，同时还是一名行人，所以我会从各个方面全面的看待这个问题。
And have you had a chance to think about the question I asked at the beginning of the programme.Bicycling.com made a list of the cities it thinks are best for cycling in. Only one in the top five wasn’t in Europe.
那现在你有没有想好在节目开始时我问你的问题呢？骑车网列出了一个最适宜骑单车的城市排名，在前五名中只有一个不再欧洲，是哪一个呢？
I guessed Tokyo, Japan. Come on I’ve got to be right?
我猜是日本东京，快告诉我吧，我肯定是对的，是吧？
Well, actually it’s Bogota, Colombia. The top five cycle cities according to that website are: Amsterdam ( the Netherlands), Copenhagen, Denmark, Bogota in Colombia, Barcelona, Spain and Berlin, Germany. Have you cycled in any of those cities Rob?
其实呢，应该是哥伦比亚波哥大。网站上所列出的前五名城市分别是：荷兰的阿姆斯特丹，丹麦的哥本哈根，哥伦比亚的波哥大，西班牙的巴塞罗那还有德国的柏林。Rob你有没有在这些城市中骑过单车？
No, I haven’t. But I’d love to.
还没有过，不过我倒很想去体验一下。
I love to cycle in any city that’s quite flat. Beijing or Berlin would be my favourites. Well, thanks so much, Rob .And before we go, would you read us some of today’s words and phrases:
我喜欢在地势平坦的城市里骑单车，我最喜欢北京或柏林。谢谢Rob来参加今天的节目。在节目结束之前，可不可以给大家读一下今天的单词和短语。
Of course. We heard: gladiators, aggressive minority, to address the problem, vulnerable, battalions, in droves
当然，我们听到了：gladiators，aggressive minority，to address the problem，vulnerable，battalions，in droves
Thanks Rob. And please join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now.
谢谢Rob,请大家登陆bbclearningenglish.com，赶快加入六分钟英语吧。我们下周见。
Bye.
再见。