新视野大学英语 读写教程第三册 unit10-c

　　Section (C)
Easy Ride in a Taxi
Taxi travel can be safe anywhere in the world as long as visitors understand the rules, says travelexpert Stacey Ravel Abarbanel. In some cities, it is common for people to approach you and offer youa ride. Often they are locals trying to make extra money rather than licensed² taxi operators³ who havepassed safety training or a background check. "These people can be very aggressive," warns onetraveler, and you need to be too. In places like South America, where it is common to be surrounded bythem, he says, "I look straight ahead like a horse, walk to the taxi that I want, and ask, ‘Who owns thiscar?’"One way to avoid illegal taxis is to know the marks that indicate licensed taxis in the area you arevisiting, as well as to understand what different car and/or license¹ plate colors may mean. For instance⁴,Mexico City has a three-level system for identifying taxis. Orange and white taxis are four-door carsthat offer the most comfort, with metered rates. Green and white taxis are a step down the scale, butstill have meters. The lower class yellow and white taxis have no meters, so be sure to negotiate⁵ yourfare before you depart⁶.
Once you've found the right taxi, issues of fares, meters and other charges come into play. In somecountries, all taxis are metered, and the government regulates⁷ fares so you can expect few problems.
But in other places you may find drivers reluctant⁸ to use meters, even though the car should beequipped with one. The rule of thumb in such cases is to insist on their use, if you know meters areavailable.
While meters don't always show the true fare (dishonest drivers sometimes adjust them to advancefaster), it is seldom cheaper to rely on the driver to quote a fare. So if your driver insists he/shecannot use a meter, find another taxi.
But what about countries where there truly are no meters? There are two methods you can use.
One is to negotiate the fare before you get into the car. In Russia, this is the only way it is done.
"You call a taxi, and when the driver pulls over, you don't get in," an experienced⁹ traveler says. "Thedriver will lean over to the passenger-side window, you tell him where you want to go, then negotiate aprice."But another man takes a different approach on his trips to Latin¹⁰ America. His "never-ask-the-fare"policy works¹¹ like this. "While I'm in the airport, I ask three or four people to get an idea for how muchit will cost to get to my destination," he explains. "I never ask the driver how much it is, I just pay lessthan what the people said. If it's more, the driver will tell you."When a fare does turn out to be more than you expected, think about your options. Of course, a largedifference may leave you arguing with the driver. However, one traveler makes the point that thisdifference may amount to pennies when you consider exchange rates. "Choose your fights," she says.
"Is it worth 25 or 50 cents to argue with a taxi driver?"Often what you think is a dishonest fare is actually the sum of legal extra charges. For example,when you call for a taxi in France, the meter starts running from wherever the taxi was stationed, so itcan arrive with up to 10 dollars already on the meter. In Australia and Singapore, extra charges areimposed for phone-in requests. There is a post-midnight charge in London and Singapore, whichexplains why Singaporean taxis disappear after 11:30 PM and reappear at midnight. Luggage requiresan extra charge in some cities.
A general knowledge of a city's taxi-taking customs can also make you more comfortable during yourtravels. For instance, it is customary¹² for Germans, particularly male passengers, to sit in the front seatwith their taxi drivers, a common practice in Australia as well. And in Mexico, don't be surprised ifyour driver picks up another person while your ride is still in progress.
In Thailand, back-seat passengers are advised not to rest their feet on the seat in front of them,which drivers consider rude as feet are considered the lowest, dirtiest part of the body. Japanese taxishave automatic¹³ controls to open and close the doors. "Don't stand too close to a taxi door or you'll gethit," warns one Japanese man. Don't be alarmed by the bells ringing in Singaporean taxis, which aresimply a signal warning drivers they have exceeded¹⁴ the speed limit.
If you must travel to remote areas where taxis are few, or if you plan to make many stopsthroughout the day, you will probably find it easier and cheaper to hire a taxi for the day or half-day.
Taxis outside hotels are usually the safest, but also the most expensive for day hires. If you're in acountry where security¹⁵ is a concern, stick to hotel taxis, but in other places, it's likely that you'll be ableto strike a good deal with a driver on the street.
If you're going to spend a lot of time with a particular driver, plan ahead to ensure the day will gosmoothly. For instance, in Asian countries, have your destinations and directions written down in Asiancharacters.　　

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

3 operators   

n.（某企业的）经营者( operator的名词复数 )；（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员；投机取巧者

参考例句：

• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market. 大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。 来自辞典例句
• Green house operators have considerable opportunity for precise manipulation of nutrients. 温室管理员有很多机会来准确控制养分。 来自辞典例句

4 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

5 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• 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。

6 depart   

v.离开，启程

参考例句：

• The train will depart at 7:30 a.m.早七点半发车。
• Before you depart,let me give you a word of advice.在你走之前，我给你一句忠告。

7 regulates   

控制( regulate的第三人称单数 )； 管理； 调整； 调节

参考例句：

• "Now, this handle here regulates your speed. “看着，这个把手是控制速度的。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• This valve regulates the flow of water. 这个阀门控制着水的流量。

8 reluctant   

adj.不愿意的；迟迟不合作的；不同意的

参考例句：

• The workers are reluctant to be ordered around by the employers.工人们不愿被雇主们差来遣去地随便使唤。
• I am reluctant about asking him to do this.我极不愿意让他去干此事。

9 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

10 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 customary   

adj.习惯上的，惯常的，合乎习俗的

参考例句：

• He makes his customary visit every week.他每星期都按照惯例造访一次。
• It is customary with me to do so.这样做是我的习惯。

13 automatic   

adj.自动的；不经思考的，习惯性的；当然的

参考例句：

• Breathing is an automatic function of the body.呼吸是身体的一种无意识的功能。
• Modern trains have automatic doors.现代火车装有自动门。

14 exceeded   

过度的，非常的

参考例句：

• Their total grain output still exceeded that of the previous year. 他们的粮食总产量仍超过头一年。
• In the Olympic Games Americans exceeded in basketball. 在奥运会上，美国在篮球方面领先。

15 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。