VOA慢速英语2021--Pandemic Silences Thailand's Tuk Tuks

Hundreds of tour buses, boats and three-wheeled motorized "tuk tuks" sit unused across Thailand's capital, Bangkok. The coronavirus pandemic and a lack of foreign tourists have brought the transport industry to a halt¹.

Lunar New Year celebrations² begin on Friday. In normal years, the holiday would bring a rise in spending and travel among Thais. It also would bring visitors from China and other places in Asia. Tuk tuks, buses and boats would be in high demand.

But the pandemic has left many drivers and owners struggling economically. A recent study predicted³ Lunar New Year spending would suffer its sharpest fall in 13 years.

Kraisat Kulkiatprasert rents tuk tuks to drivers. Recently, he has been renting out no more than 10 vehicles⁴ a day. In the past, he would rent out more than 100 in a day.

"These tuk tuks have been parked for a year...you can see them all covered with dust," Kraisat said.

"I will monitor the situation for another year," he added⁵. "If it doesn't get better, I will have to shut down."

Campon Taikae is a 50-year-old tuk tuk driver. He said he had earned only 50 baht ($1.70) after driving for hours a day earlier. But he felt he had no chance of finding⁶ another job.

In another part of Bangkok, long lines of passenger tour buses sit empty.

"Before the COVID pandemic, I've never been short of work," said driver Tossaporn Rakratchakarn. He remembers busy days in the past when he would drop off one group of passengers and immediately pick up another.

"It's been a year now and there's been no movement at all," Tossaporn added.

Wasuchet Sophonsathien is president of the Thai Transportation⁷ Operators⁸ Association⁹. He said only about 10 percent of Thailand's 40,000 tour buses were still operating.

The story is the same for many tour boats. Mani Hogkhontod is a 54-year-old boat driver. In the past, passengers would fill his boat. But now, things are completely¹⁰ different.

"I have been thinking about finding a new job," he said. "But I am worried that I have to start from zero, because of my work experience and age."

Words in This Story

tour - n. an activity in which you go through a place (such as a building or city) in order to see and learn about the different parts of it

rent - v. to pay money in return for being able to use (something that belongs to someone else)

monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time

drop off - phrasal verb¹¹. to take (someone or something) to a place and then leave

1 halt   

n.停住，停止，暂停；v.(使)停住，(使)停止

参考例句：

• When the children's play got too noisy, their mother called a halt.当孩子们的游戏过于吵闹时，他们的母亲叫他们停下来。
• No one can halt the advance of history.没人能阻挡历史的前进。

2 celebrations   

n.庆祝( celebration的名词复数 )；庆祝会（仪式）

参考例句：

• The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations. 市长的光临为庆祝活动增辉。
• Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations 维多利亚女王登基50周年庆典

3 predicted   

预言，预测，预示( predict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise. 他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• She delivered exactly when the doctor predicted she would. 她恰好在医生所说的预产期分娩了。

4 vehicles   

n.运载工具；传播媒介；（为展露演员才华而）特意编写的一出戏（或电影等）；[画]展色剂；交通工具( vehicle的名词复数 )；车辆；传播媒介；手段

参考例句：

• There is not much clearance for vehicles passing under this bridge. 车辆在这座桥下通过时没有多少余隙。
• to carry out random spot checks on vehicles 对车辆进行抽检

5 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

6 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

7 transportation   

n.运输，运输系统，运输工具

参考例句：

• The transportation of goods by air costs a lot.航空运输货物花费很高。
• He finally solved the difficulty of transportation.他终于解决了运输的困难。

8 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

9 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

10 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

11 verb   

n.[语]动词

参考例句：

• The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
• These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。