新西兰英语 34 Cell Phones

　　Do you think talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous? What about texting or reading text messages while driving? It is amazing that some people do that but it’s true. Last year, a driver who was texting killed two teenage sisters and this year a husband and wife were killed by another driver who was texting. Both drivers had also been drinking.
Now, the Minister of Transport Safety, Harry¹ Duynhoven, has suggested that it is time for Parliament² to make a law to ban hand-held cell phones while driving. Drivers can still use a speaker phone which means that their hands are free. Some people think even this is too dangerous because drivers might be talking instead of concentrating on their driving. At an intersection³, drivers need to take more care and not talk. Talking to passengers in the car is not so dangerous because they usually keep quiet when they can see that the driver is concentrating.
At least 45 other countries have banned the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers. The situation in New Zealand is more dangerous. Texting is more popular here because cell phone calls are more expensive than in most other countries. That means that not only are drivers talking on their phones but some are also texting. Police say that 26 people have died on the roads and 411 were injured as a result of cell-phone use since 2002.
Telecom and Vodafone also believe that it is dangerous to use a cell phone while driving. In March this year they said it was time for the government to ban this use.
Harry Duynhoven’s plan is for a $50 fine and 25 demerit points on your driver’s licence⁴ for driving while using a cell phone. If you get 100 demerit points in a 2-year period, you lose your licence for 3 months. The public will have a chance to talk about this plan to ban cell phones while driving, and then Parliament will need to pass a law. The ban would not become law until July next year.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

3 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

4 licence   

n.证书；许可证，执照；v.许可；批准

参考例句：

• The restaurant applied for a licence to sell wine.那家餐厅申请售酒许可证。
• He hadn't paid his television licence fee.他尚未缴纳电视机使用许可费。