【一起听英语】骑自行车的安全性（在线收听）

你骑自行车上班吗？是否安全，应该注意哪些问题？

Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. My

name is Jennifer and I’m joined in the studio by Neil.

Neil: Hello. In this programme, we look at a story in the news and teach you

some new vocabulary and expressions along the way.

Jennifer: In this episode, we’re going to be talking about cycling and how to keep

safe on the road. Do you cycle, Neil?

Neil: Yes I do. I use my bike to commute, or travel to work. It’s quite a long

journey, but it’s much cheaper than taking the Tube or the train. What

about you, Jen?

Jennifer: Well I’ve just bought a folding bike – that’s a bike that you can take

apart, fold up and carry if you don’t want to ride it. For me, it’s a good

way to get fit.

Neil: A folding bike is very handy. But they are very expensive.

Jennifer: You can hire bicycles for short journeys in London. It leads me on to

today’s question.

Neil: OK, what is it?

Jennifer: A record number of bikes were hired on one day during the London

Olympic Games in 2012. But how many times were bikes borrowed on this

day? Was it:

a) 15,000

b) 31,000

c) 47,000

Neil: Well, those are all very high numbers, but I'm going to guess c) 47,000.

Jennifer: We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. So, let’s go back

to our story about cycling. We’ve said that the advantages are that it is a

good way to get fit and a cheap way to travel. But, are there any

disadvantages?

Neil: I suppose that it can be a dangerous way to travel if you're cycling in a

city centre, especially in heavy traffic. Heavy traffic means lots of cars or

other vehicles on the road. 

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Jennifer: Many cyclists now wear helmet cameras – a device attached to their

cycling helmet – so that they can film people who drive dangerously.

Neil: Listen to this clip of London cyclist Ben Porter. Why did he start using a

helmet camera?

Ben Porter, cyclist

I first got the camera because I’d had trouble convincing friends and family of what

actually happened on the roads, and I’d thought that having a camera and footage

would be a good way of explaining what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road. I always saw

it as some form of insurance and it did feel like, as a cyclist, I didn’t have as much

behind me as, say, a car driver with an insurance company.

Jennifer: So, that was cyclist Ben Porter. He said he thought that having a camera

and footage would be a good way to explain what it’s like to be a cyclist

on the road.

Neil: Footage is what a video camera records. When the camera is attached to

your head, the footage shows the journey from your point of view.

Jennifer: Ben Porter gave another reason why he started to use the camera. Did

you hear what it was?

Neil: He said it was a form of insurance. That means it gives the cyclist a form

of protection.

Jennifer: Let’s hear that clip of Ben again. Listen this time for the words ‘footage’

and ‘insurance’.

Ben Porter, cyclist

I first got the camera because I’d had trouble convincing friends and family of what

actually happened on the roads, and I’d thought that having a camera and footage

would be a good way of explaining what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road. I always saw

it as some form of insurance and it did feel like, as a cyclist, I didn’t have as much

behind me as, say, a car driver with an insurance company.

Neil: So, Ben got the camera so that he could show what it’s like to be a cyclist

on the road, and also to protect himself from blame if there was an

accident.

Jennifer: Having a camera can give you peace of mind – it can make you feel safer

in terms of the law – but it can’t stop you from being hit by a car. How do

you think cyclists could be safer, Neil?

Neil: I think that both cyclists and drivers need to pay attention to The

Highway Code. The Highway Code is a list of rules that drivers and

cyclists must obey – or do. How do you think cyclists could be safer?

Jennifer: I think it’s important to be visible – for other road users to know you’re

there. Many people wear fluorescent clothing which is very bright and

reflective…

Neil: And don’t forget – a helmet could save your life! 

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Jennifer: Time now to get the answer to the quiz. I asked how many bicycles were

borrowed on one day in London during the 2012 Olympics. Was it:

a) 15,000

b) 31,000

c) 47,000

Neil: And I guessed c) 47,000.

Jennifer: And you were right!

Neil: Aha!

Jennifer: On that day alone, bikes were hired 47,105 times.

Neil: Well, that is a lot of cycling. There must have been lots of tired people in

London that day.

Jennifer: I’m sure! Do join us again for another edition of 6 Minute English from

BBC Learning English. Bye!

Neil: Bye!