VOA慢速英语:新冠病毒导致全球自行车销量爆增和产品短缺

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, many Americans are fearful of using public transportation. They also are looking for ways to get exercise without having to go to a gym, as well as ways to enjoy the outdoors.
随着新冠病毒爆发的持续，许多美国人害怕乘坐公共交通工具。他们也在寻找无需去健身房就能锻炼身体的办法，以及享受户外运动的方法。
So, it may not be surprising that the pandemic has led to a major increase in bicycle sales.
因此，大流行导致自行车销量大幅增长可能也不足为奇。

In the United States, bicycles at big stores like Walmart have sold out. And small bicycle stores cannot keep up with demand for "family-style" bicycles: the low-cost, easy-to-ride models.
在美国，沃尔玛等大型商超的自行车已经售罄。而小型自行车店无法满足人们对家庭式自行车的需求，也就是便宜好骑的车型。

The bicycle industry is seeing its biggest sales increase since the oil crisis of the 1970s, said Jay Townley, an industry expert.
行业专家表示，自行车行业遇到了上世纪70年代石油危机以来最大的销量增长。

"People... have panicked," Townley said. He compared the sale of bicycles to the rush to buy products like toilet paper at the start of the pandemic.
汤利表示：“人们感到恐慌。”他将自行车销售比作了大流行初期抢购卫生纸等产品。

The rise in bicycle sales is not happening just in the United States.
自行车销量增长并不仅仅发生在美国。

Cities like Manila in the Philippines and Rome, Italy have created bicycle paths for the growing number of people who want to avoid public transportation. In London, city officials plan to bar cars from some central roads.
菲律宾的马尼拉和意大利的罗马等城市还为越来越多希望避免乘坐公共交通工具的人们新增了自行车道。在伦敦，城市官员计划禁止汽车在某些市中心道路上行驶。

Bike shop owners in Manila say demand is even stronger than what they see at Christmas time. In Italy, the government's economic support plan included a 500-euro payment to help with the cost of a bicycle.
马尼拉的自行车店老板表示，现在的需求甚至比圣诞节时还要大。在意大利，政府的经济援助计划包括补贴500欧元以帮助降低自行车的成本。

Of course, you can only buy a bicycle if you can find a bicycle. In the U.S., the shortages now mean it may take many months to get one.
当然，你只有先找到自行车，才能买到自行车。在美国，目前的自行车短缺意味着可能需要等几个月时间才能买到一辆自行车。

High demand is not the only reason for the shortage. The U.S. buys 90 percent of its bicycles from China. Bicycle factories there were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19.
高需求并非自行车短缺的唯一原因。美国从中国采购了90%的自行车。那里的自行车工厂被关闭以阻止新冠肺炎的传播。

The increase in bicycle demand began in March as countries began to close down. In April, the sale of bicycles for adults increased 200 percent in the United States. All bicycle sales, including those for children, are up 100 percent from the year before, says NPD Group. The research company follows the sales of bicycles.
自行车需求从3月份开始随着各国的封锁而增长。今年4月，美国成年人自行车的销量增长了200%。NPD集团表示，包括儿童自行车在内的各种自行车的销量均比前一年增长了100%。该研究公司追踪调查自行车销量。

Before the pandemic, bicycle sales in the United States were a $6 billion industry that was expecting lower sales in 2020. That expectation came in part because of a decision by the administration of President Donald Trump to place high tariffs on many Chinese imported goods.
在大流行前，美国自行车行业销售额为60亿美元，并且预计2020年的销售额会减少。部分原因是川普政府决定对许多中国进口商品征收高额关税。

In Bar Harbor, Maine, Brian Smith bought a new bicycle for one of his daughters. She is a competitive swimmer who could not get to the pool to practice. His family now goes for rides several times a day. Bicycling helps them all get exercise and enjoy the fresh air. But the biggest reason they go on rides?
在缅因州的巴港，布莱恩·史密斯给她的女儿购买了一辆新自行车。她是一名没法去泳池训练的竞技游泳选手。她的家人现在每天都要骑几次车。骑车可以帮助他们锻炼身体并呼吸新鲜空气。但是他们骑车的最大原因是什么呢？

"It's fun. Maybe that's the bottom line. It's really fun to ride bikes," Smith said.
史密斯表示：“很有意思，也许这就是底线。骑车真的很有趣。”

Joe Minutolo is the co-owner of Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop in Maine. He said he hopes the increased sales mean a change in the way people think about transportation.
乔·米努托罗是缅因州Bar Harbor自行车店的共同所有人。他说，他希望自行车销量增长意味着人们对交通方式看法的改变。

"People are having a chance to rethink things," he said. "Maybe we'll all learn something out of this, and something really good will happen," he said.
他说：“人们开始有机会重新思考。也许我们都能从中学到一些东西，并且某些真正有利的事情将会发生。”