第95课 乘坐出租车

　　A:Isn't it obvious to you that the car is going to be the death of the big cities?

　　A：你不觉得汽车的使用与发展最终将导致城市的瘫痪吗？

　　B:That's a bit of a quantum leap. The car may be causing some problems but it is the lifeblood of our society.

　　B：没有那么夸张吧？汽车的使用的确引起了一些问题，但汽车毕竞是我们社会正常运转的生命血液啊。

　　A:Life's "bloodsucker" would be closer to the truth. Not only are the exhaust fumes slowly killing us but,the cars themselves are lethal machines.

　　A：可你看看，汽车尾气在慢慢残害我们的生命，汽车本身也会导致致命的事故，所以应该说汽车是“吸血鬼”才更加贴切吧？

　　B:You sound like a "Luddite" from the 19th century. They hated all machines and used to stage protests to halt their introduction into factocies.

　　B：你简直就像个19世纪时那些憎恨机械，举行抗议，阻碍工业发展的“勒德分子”一样。

　　A:Maybe they were right! But,no! That's not what I am talking about. Modern society must have transport;it's just that I don't think the car is the best solution.

　　A：说不定他们当时的做法是对的。注意，我这么说，并不是否认汽车的作用。现代社会的确需要有交通工具，我只是觉得汽车并不是最好的解决办法。

　　B:Maybe you are right there. The car does cause a lot of problemsl;not forgetting the enormous expense involved with the road systems.

　　B：你这么说是有些道理。汽车的确引发了一些问题。还有道路交通设施建设方面的大笔投入。

　　A:There has to be a more efficient way of providing a convenient,and economic, transport system for the cities.

　　A：我们必须找到一种更加有效的方式来为城市提供经济、便捷的交通设施。

　　B:There is! What about all the public transport that is provided by the government,the trains,the buses, taxis and ferries?

　　B：现在有了啊。政府为我们提供的公共交通工具不就是吗？比如轨道交通、公共汽车、出租车、渡船等。

　　A:None of that has stopped the continuing increase in the number of cars on the road.

　　A：可是即使有了这些公共交通工具，路上行驶的小汽车数量仍然在持续增加。

　　B:Do you have any ideas?

　　B：那你有什么好办法吗？

　　A:Me! No, not really. I do know some of the things that have been tried. Singapore once banned all private vehicles from coming into the inner city. It worked for a while.

　　A：我？没有。不过我知道其他城市已对此做过一些尝试。比如新加坡就一度禁止所有的私家车进入市中心，确实有些效果。

　　B:That must have been a shock to the system? How did they work it?

　　B：这绝对是对交通系统的巨大冲击！他们是怎么运作的？

　　A:I am not too sure of the details but,they would have had to set up a very comprehensive, and convenient, public system to compenseite the car owners.

　　A：这其中的细节我不太了解。但我想新加坡一定是建立了综合配套、便捷的公共交通系统。以弥补由于私家车不能进城而给车主带来的不便。

　　B:If the city had a good bus and rail service, like the underground rail system in Seoul, and linked that with a cheap taxi service, it could work.

　　B：如果一个城市能够提供好的公交及轨道交通服务设施（比如像现在的首尔那样拥有发达的地铁交通系统），并且将这些公共交通与低价的出租车服务结合起来，那一定会解决交通问题。

　　A:Even if it meant subsidizing the taxis and public systems. It could,very well, be more economical than catering for the ever-increasing number of cars.

　　A：即使这意味着要对公共交通以及出租车进行补贴，那也比为了满足日益增长的汽车数量而去修建道路与配套设施要划算。

　　B:Let's face it the majority of cars that come into the cities are parked in the one place all day.

　　B：我们来面对现实吧，大多数进城来的车辆总是一整天就停在一处不动。

　　A:One of the problems would be finding a way to supply all the businesses with what they need every day.

　　A：那要解决的一个问题就是：要想办法为那些公司企业提供他们每天所需的机动车辆。

　　B:Maybe that could be handled at night, when there is less activity in the city?

　　B：也许晚上会好办些吧，那时候城里的车就少了。

　　A:Yes! If we look at these things as a challenge, there always seems to be a solution, just waiting to be found.

　　A：没错，只要我们正确面对困难与挑就总会找到对策的。