美国掠影：不坐三人座椅中间座

One Times reader amplified passengers’ dread of middle seats in a letter to the editor. He wrote, "The chance of being physically squeezed, unwillingly drawn into neighboring cell-phone conversations, entering the ‘smell zone’ of foods eaten onboard, or being subjected to music via the earplugs of excessively loud iPods is just too great to risk."

一位读者在读到这篇文章后，给编辑写了一封信，进一步解释了为什么乘客如此害怕中间的座位。他说：“一旦坐到中间，就有极大的可能性身体会受到挤压，被迫听旁边人的电话交谈、被迫闻人们吃东西的味道，或者被迫听旁边iPod里的音乐，虽然他们戴着耳机，但声音太大了还是可以听到。”

And Americans’ aversion to close contact is even spreading to rail cars and buses with TWO-abreast seating. To keep the seat next to them open, some surly commuters lay down a backpack, purse, or lunch pail next to them; slouch across both seats; or glare menacingly at standing passengers, daring them to sit down.

美国人对近距离身体接触的厌恶甚至扩大到了两人座的地铁和公交车上。为了不让别人坐在自己身旁，一些不友善的乘客会在旁边的座位上放个大背包、手袋或者是午餐袋。有的一人大大咧咧地独占两个座位，还有的会用威胁的眼光盯着旁边站着的乘客，吓得他们不敢坐下来。

Of course, if these seat hogs would pick a train with three-abreast seating and grab a window or aisle seat, the seat next to them would almost surely stay empty the entire trip!

当然，如果这些独霸座位的人坐上有三人座的火车、而且抢到一个靠窗或者靠过道的座位时，他们通常就会从头至尾一人独享三人座椅了。