美国国家公共电台 NPR--These are the best and worst airports in the nation

These are the best and worst airports in the nation

Transcript¹

Dawn Gilbertson, a columnist² covering all things travel for the Wall Street Journal, talks about the best and worst airports in the U.S.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

About a million of us here in the U.S. will spend some time in an airport during this upcoming Thanksgiving. If all goes according to plan, you get to the airport, glide³ right through security check and take off on time. Or maybe you get the flip⁴ side - weather delays, an overbooked flight, and to top it all off, they lost your luggage. We've all been there, which is why Wall Street Journal columnist Dawn Gilbertson has a ranking of the best and worst airports in the U.S.

DAWN GILBERTSON: We look at 19 criteria⁵, from on-time arrivals to Uber costs to even the price of a bottle of water. And we broadly put them in three categories - reliability⁶, convenience and value.

MARTIN: So who was the best?

GILBERTSON: Well, No. 1 among the big airports might surprise some people. It's San Francisco International Airport. What vaulted⁷ San Francisco to the top is their on-time performance. I mean, it's north of 80%.

MARTIN: SFO, first in class, despite all that fog. For best midsize airport, you don't have to travel far. It's California for the win again.

GILBERTSON: Sacramento Airport, you know, which is not all that far from SFO. You know, it's a delightful⁸ little airport. I spoke⁹ with the airport director, and she was telling me that, you know, even the landscapers there help direct passengers.

MARTIN: OK. We all know there're some crowded, hard-to-navigate airports. You may be headed to one right now, but which one is considered the worst of the worst?

GILBERTSON: This probably will not surprise anybody who's ever traveled through the Northeast, but Newark takes the crown yet again. It's just really congested there.

MARTIN: Poor Newark. But what about the best airport for, say, a good snack while you wait?

GILBERTSON: When you come to Phoenix¹⁰ - and you can get, you know, the, you know world-famous guacamole from Barrio Cafe in Terminal 4.

MARTIN: Terminal 4, Phoenix - guac for Thanksgiving it is.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELLE AND SEBASTIAN SONG, "SEYMOUR STEIN")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

3 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

4 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

5 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

6 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

7 vaulted   

adj.拱状的

参考例句：

• She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
• The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。

8 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。