VOA慢速英语2019-滑板车在美国越来越流行

Scooters Becoming Popular in America

Electric scooters are everywhere in cities across the United States. They are one of the most popular forms of shared transportation. And they often anger people who must share the roads and sidewalks with them.

The scooters have become even more popular than station-based bicycles, bicycles that must be left at specific locations.

A new report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials notes that in 2018, Americans took around 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters. In comparison, riders only took 36.5 million trips on shared, station-based bicycles.

Micromobility revolution

More Americans, with the help of their smart phones, are exploring alternatives to car ownership. They are using other devices, such as shared scooters and bikes, to get around. This is known as the micromobility revolution, leading many companies to compete for the business.

?Bird is a California scooter company that began in late 2017. It has raised $418 million and had more than 10 million rides in its first year.

Lime, which offers both shared bikes and scooters, had more than 12 million rides and $467 million in investment in its first 15 months.

Even automobile³ companies are getting involved in the micromobility business.

The car-sharing service Uber bought Jump Bikes, an electric bike and scooter company. Last year, it invested $30 million in Lime.

Ford⁴, a car manufacturer, bought scooter company Spin in November.

Sunny Madra is vice² president of Ford’s mobility¹ businesses. In an interview with the Associated Press, he noted⁵ that working on micromobility services could have benefits for the company in the future.

“… this is a great way for us to make sure that we’re part of the transformation⁶ of mobility," he said.

Problems surrounding micromobility devices

If it seems like electric scooters appeared overnight in America, that is because they did. Several companies distributed them throughout cities without permission or permits.

However, U.S. cities are now requiring scooter companies to share their location data. This data shows where the scooters are and which routes they take. That information can be valuable to plan bike routes and docking stations or to understand traffic patterns. But the data also raises questions about user privacy.

Regina Clewlow is the head of Populus, a company that works with cities on data and privacy issues. She notes that some people are concerned about privacy because “if you take enough GPS data points and begin attaching other data sets, it [the information] can be used to identify specific individuals."

Another concern of growing electric scooter use is head injuries.

Dr. Vishal Bansal is with the Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He noticed many riders were getting on scooters after a night of drinking alcohol, without wearing a helmet.

Christopher Ziebell of Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas said that people who go fast on scooters without helmets are in particular danger.

“If your head hits concrete at 20 miles (32 kilometers) an hour, you are not going to get up," he said.

Ziebell noted that the scooters "have little tiny wheels on them, so it doesn’t take much for a rider to go flying off.”

How long will the scooter fad⁷ last?

Some industry watchers wonder how long the demand for electric scooters will last. Automobile industry analyst⁸ Maryann Keller says she thinks some of the scooter companies are not as valuable as they are reported to be.

“These little fads⁹ come and go,” Keller said.

For those wishing for the scooter fad to go, they might have to wait a little longer.

I'm Jill Robbins.

And I'm Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

alternative – n. something that can be chosen instead of something else or a choice or option

autonomous¹⁰ – adj. existing or acting¹¹ separately from other things or people

dock – v. to bring a ship or boat into a dock; to connect a device (such as a computer or a digital camera) to another device

fad – n. something (such as an interest or fashion) that is very popular for a short time

1 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 fads   

n.一时的流行，一时的风尚( fad的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It was one of the many fads that sweep through mathematics regularly. 它是常见的贯穿在数学中的许多流行一时的风尚之一。 来自辞典例句
• Lady Busshe is nothing without her flights, fads, and fancies. 除浮躁、时髦和幻想外，巴歇夫人一无所有。 来自辞典例句

10 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。