2019-08-05 Electric scooter safety 电动滑板车的安全

眼下最新的城市交通出行方式是骑电动滑板车。这种新型交通工具使人们从一地到另一地的出行过程变得既简单又便宜。不过至少在英国，法律对在哪里可以骑电动滑板车是有限制的。人们对在公路上使用滑板车的安全系数也有顾虑。本集 “随身英语” 介绍这个时髦的交通工具。

Vocabulary: transport 词汇：交通

If you look around the streets of London, you’ll see the many methods people use to move around. Whether it’s on a commute to work, a trip to the shops, or a sightseeing excursion, there are people on buses, the Tube, cars, motorbikes, bicycles and even roller skates. The roads are already congested; and now there’s a new addition: electric, or ‘e-scooters’.

This traditional children’s vehicle has become more sophisticated over the years. And now, with the addition of a small electric motor, it’s become a cheap and easy mode of transport. Scooting around town can be fun and doesn’t involve much effort, so it’s no wonder they’re becoming increasingly popular in cities around the world. But following what’s believed to be the first fatal accident involving an electric scooter in the UK, questions are being asked about their safety and whether traffic laws should be changed.

Some scooter riders have been seen on pavements; others on the road jumping red traffic lights, adding to the frustration of motorists stuck in jams. In the UK, the law states that riding one on the public highway or pavement is forbidden. Riders currently face a £300 fixed-penalty notice and six points on their driving licence for doing so. But, despite this, it seems the increasing popularity of e-scooters means they can be seen everywhere. And now users are calling on regulations to be changed.

The UK government is looking at how safely they can be used on the road and is ‘reviewing’ the law. But its transport minister, Michael Ellis, has told the BBC that: “Micromobility products are appearing in countries across the globe and are an exciting innovation for which we know there is demand. However, safety must always be our top priority when considering their use on public highways in this country.”

There’s no doubt there are dangers in riding a two-wheeled scooter. Despite the fact that some of them can exceed 30mph, they sometimes only have one brake and no lights. They also become unstable if the rider hits a pothole, and however confident the rider may be, larger vehicles on the road make them vulnerable. So it seems more work needs to be done to give e-scooters a safe and legal space to travel in.

词汇表

commute 上下班，通勤
sightseeing excursion 观光游览
the Tube 伦敦地铁
congested 拥堵的
electric motor 电机
scoot 滑动
traffic laws 交通法规
rider 骑车的人
pavement 人行道
jump red traffic lights 闯红灯
motorist 开车的人
jam 堵车，交通堵塞
public highway 公路
fixed-penalty notice 固定罚单
micromobility 微行动技术
two-wheeled 两轮的
brake 刹车
pothole 坑洼
vehicle 车辆

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is it that makes an e-scooter easy to ride?

2. How have some e-scooter riders in the UK broken the law?

3. True or false? The UK government is going to change the law about where e-scooters can be used.

4. How fast can some e-scooters travel?

5. Which word used in the article means ‘not allowed, especially by law’?

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Excuse me, I have to go now. I’m _______ to the shops before they shut.

scoot             scooting                 scooter                  scootering

2. The roads in the city have become so _______ that I find it quicker to walk than to drive.

jams              potholes                 congested             mode

3. Because of the accident on the motorway, we’ve been stuck in a _______ for hours and hours.

jam                jams                       jammed                 jammer

4. Now I’ve started using a bike for my daily _______, I arrive at work feeling fit and healthy.

commute       scoot                      micromobility         public highway

5. According to local _______, you mustn’t sound your car horn after 10 o’clock at night.

traffic lights    trafficking laws       traffic lores            traffic laws

答案

1.    阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is it that makes an e-scooter easy to ride?
A small electric motor makes it easy to ride.

2. How have some e-scooter riders in the UK broken the law?
Some scooter riders have been seen riding on pavements; others on the road jumping red traffic lights.

3. True or false? The UK government is going to change the law about where e-scooters can be used.
False. The UK government is ‘reviewing’ the law but not necessarily changing it.

4. How fast can some e-scooters travel?
Some of them can exceed – go faster than – 30mph.

5. Which word used in the article means ‘not allowed, especially by law’?
Forbidden. “In the UK, the law states that riding one on the public highway or pavement is forbidden.”

2.请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Excuse me, I have to go now. I’m scooting to the shops before they shut.

2. The roads in the city have become so congested that I find it quicker to walk than to drive.

3. Because of the accident on the motorway, we’ve been stuck in a jam for hours and hours.

4. Now I’ve started using a bike for my daily commute, I arrive at work feeling fit and healthy.

5. According to local traffic laws, you mustn’t sound your car horn after 10 o’clock at night.