英国人排队10分42秒就抓狂

A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray.

The most loathed lines were in supermarkets, followed by the Post Office and airport check-in and security.

Older respondents over 55 became restless in a queue nearly three minutes before younger people but those aged under 35 were more likely to take their frustration out on those around them.

Two thirds of respondents said "faffing," or dawdling, by those in front of them was the thing they hated most.

Most Brits would rather avoid queues entirely, with eight in 10 adults instead choosing to pay their bills online, according to the survey by the Payments Council, the body for setting payment strategy in Britain.

The online poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines.

"Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically," said a council spokeswoman.

一项调查显示，向来以喜欢排队著称的英国人可能正在失去耐性：英国成人平均能忍受的排队时间仅为10分42秒，超过这个时间，他们的脾气就变得暴躁起来。

英国人最讨厌排队的地方是超市，其次是邮局和在机场办理登机手续及安检。

55岁以上的被调查者在排队时，比年轻一些的人要早三分钟失去耐性。但是35岁以下的人更容易把情绪发泄到周围的人身上。

三分之二的被调查者称他们最讨厌的事情就是前面的人磨蹭或拖拉。

根据英国付款委员会开展的这项调查，大多数英国人会尽量避免排队，80%的成人会选择在网上付费。该委员会负责英国付款政策的制定。

这项涵盖了2006名成年人的在线调查发现，五分之一的人在夜间购物，以避免排队。

该委员会的一位女发言人说，“我们的调查表明，我们当中越来越多的人正在意识到一个事实，也就是我们其实可以通过像网上购物、网上银行和电子支付等‘排队逃避策略’，避免排队，节省时间和金钱。”

Vocabulary:

fray: if somebody's nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get irritated or annoyed （使）烦躁，恼火

faff (about/around): to spend time doing things in a way that is not well organized and that does not achieve much（磨蹭）

dawdle: to take a long time to do something or go somewhere（拖延；磨蹭；游荡）

dodge: to avoid doing something, especially in a dishonest way （尤指不诚实地）逃避