环球英语 — 103: Local Transport
时间:2019-02-14 作者:英语课 分类:环球英语 Spotlight
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Rachel Hobson.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby 1 Jones. Welcome to Spotlight 2. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“Taxi!”
Voice 1
The car stops. A sign on top of it reads ‘Taxi’. A woman asks the driver how much it costs to go to the airport. He tells her and she agrees to the price. She gets in the car. And they leave. In many cities it is too costly 3 to own a car. So people use trains, buses and taxis.
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we look at local transport around the world. Travel is a necessary part of life. We all have places we need to go. But often our local customs 4 and needs decide what our transport looks like.
Voice 1
New York is famous for its yellow taxis. London is famous for its black taxis. But the Philippines has a very special form of transport - the jeepney. The first jeepneys were made from jeeps. These jeeps were US military 5 vehicles 7. The US army used them in World War Two. After the war, many jeeps remained in the Philippines. Jeeps were very strong. They were built to drive in difficult conditions. People could drive them on damaged roads, mountain roads, and forest roads. Jeeps were open-topped vehicles. Only a piece of cloth protected the people in the jeep from the weather.
Voice 2
Some local people decided 8 to use these old jeeps. They changed the jeeps into a kind of taxi. They wanted to carry as many passengers as possible. So they made the jeeps longer and removed any parts that were not needed. Then they added 9 a metal top. This protected the passengers from the sun and rain. The people called these vehicles ‘jeepneys’. The price to ride in a jeepney was very low.
Jeepney drivers do not always start a trip if the vehicle 6 is not full. Sometimes the first passenger waits for a long time for more passengers to come. However, a passenger could pay for the empty seats. Then the driver would leave immediately. People can also stand on the side of the road and wave at a passing jeepney. The driver stops for people if he has any space.
Voice 1
Over the years the owners of the jeepneys have changed the look of their vehicles. They have painted them bright colours. They have added small objects to the front of each jeepney - objects such as lights, mirrors, and models of horses. And drivers have put pictures and poems in the vehicles. Each jeepney looks different.
Voice 2
Today the jeepneys are also bigger. Local factories and businesses make jeepneys from Japanese truck parts and local materials. Now, many of them are almost as large as buses. Owners give the vehicles names like ‘Wonderful’, ‘Good Luck’, and ‘Lovely’. The Filipino government has made drivers set fixed 10 prices for rides. They must also put signs in the windows. These signs tell where they go. Jeepneys are very popular for short trips. Sometimes there are no empty seats. So people stand on the sides and the backs of the jeepneys. People even sit on top of them. Filipinos crowd together in their brightly coloured jeepneys.
Voice 1
In Thailand, the people crowd into tuk-tuks. Thousands of tuk-tuks are on the roads every day. They are three-wheeled vehicles - smaller than cars. They are perfect for the narrow roads in cities. During heavy traffic they can move people around quicker than cars can. People call these vehicles tuk-tuks because of the engine sound. There is enough space for three people to sit in them. But more passengers may try to fit in. The tuk-tuk’s open sides make it easy for passengers to get in and out. But the passengers have no protection 11 from breathing in the smoke and gases from surrounding cars.
Passengers must negotiate 12 a price with the driver before the tuk-tuk ride. Some people like to negotiate. They are happy if they get a good price. But visitors to Thailand often find negotiation 13 difficult. They may get a bad price. The tuk-tuk ride should cost about the same as a taxi ride.
For years tuk-tuks were very popular. But now local people have found other ways to travel around cities in Thailand. It is usually visitors from other countries that want to ride in the tuk-tuks.
Voice 1
One of the most costly taxis in the world is the water-taxi in Venice 14, Italy. Venice is built on many small islands. There are more than one hundred of these islands, and there are waterways everywhere. The streets are narrow and there are no cars. So people mostly walk or travel on boats. The water-taxis are the fastest and most enjoyable way to ride around the waterways. But most local people cannot pay the price for the ride. They use water-buses instead. The cost to ride on these boats is reasonable.
Vaporetti is the Italian word for the most common kind of water-bus in Venice. These boats take passengers to busy places in the city. They often stop to let passengers get on and off. This slow method of transport is perfect for this beautiful city. People are able to see Venice and be on the water at the same time.
Voice 1
In Kampala, Uganda speed is everything. One of the fastest taxis in the world is the boda-boda in Kampala. This kind of taxi provides a fun ride around the town. Passengers do not have to wait in traffic. Some boda-boda drivers even drive on the sides of the roads and between cars. Boda-bodas became popular in the nineteen-sixties [1960s]. At that time it was difficult to find transport across the border between Uganda and Kenya. People paid men to take them across the border on two-wheeled bicycles. This is how they got the name boda-boda - from border. Now, boda-bodas have engines. So these new boda-bodas are motorcycles 15.
However, criminals 16 have been attacking boda boda drivers and their passengers. The criminals want to steal the motorcycles. Sometimes boda boda drivers died in these attacks. For these reasons the Ugandan government banned boda-bodas from travelling after eleven o’clock at night. But some drivers still drive them illegally 17. They turn off their lights and continue to make trips. The government in Uganda is talking about banning boda-bodas completely 18. The drivers hope this does not happen. Boda-bodas are part of their way of life.
Voice 2
Jeepneys! Tuk-tuks! Vaporetti! Boda-Bodas! These forms of transport have been shaped by where they are. Maybe you have an example where you live? You can e-mail and tell us at ‘radio @ english . net’.
- She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
- On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。
- This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
- The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
- It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
- This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
- The customs officials turned the man over to the French police.海关官员把那个人移交给了法国警察。
- They are collecting customs.他们正在收缴关税。
- The area has been declared a closed military zone.这个地区已宣布为军事禁区。
- The king was just the tool of the military government.国王只是军政府的一个傀儡。
- Air is the vehicle of sound.空气是声音传播的媒介。
- The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel.这家电厂用废弃轮胎作燃料。
- There is not much clearance for vehicles passing under this bridge. 车辆在这座桥下通过时没有多少余隙。
- to carry out random spot checks on vehicles 对车辆进行抽检
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
- The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
- The protection of the country is the duty of everyone.保卫国家是每个人的责任。
- The young in our society need care and protection.我们社会的年轻人需要关怀和照顾。
- I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
- I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。
- They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判,他们的食糖生意成交了。
- The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。
- Venice is one of the great tourist attractions of the world.威尼斯是世界上令人向往的旅游胜地之一。
- Venice is celebrated for its beautiful buildings.威尼斯以美丽的建筑而闻名。
- Twelve guards on motorcycles preceded the president's car. 骑着摩托车上的12名侍卫行于总统车前。 来自辞典例句
- This scooter didn't have a foot pedal to accelerate like the military motorcycles back then. 这台速克达并不像当时的军用摩托车是用脚踏板来加速。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号
- He is not one of your garden-variety criminals. 他不是个普通的罪犯。
- All citizens should help the police in tracking the criminals down. 所有市民都应该帮助警察追捕罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- We were alleged to have brought goods into the country illegally. 我们被指控非法携带货物入境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The landlady found they had been illegally subletting the flat. 女房东发现他们一直在违法转租公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
- I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。