经济学人:漫步伦敦 伦敦步行者打破全国性趋势

 　　Walking in London

　　漫步伦敦

　　Footfalls

　　足音

　　Urban pedestrians¹ buck² a national trend

　　伦敦步行者打破全国性趋势

　　LONDON is a city made for walking.Unlike, for instance, Los Angeles its centre is easily accessible on foot.Outer boroughs³ are no more than an hour or two away.Its curved streets, in contrast to the rigid⁴ grid⁵ of New York, welcome idle wanderers and busy commuters alike.But despite traffic queues and teeming⁶ underground carriages most prefer to drive or to squeeze on to the Tube to get around the city.This is starting to change.

　　伦敦是个适合步行的城市。不像洛杉矶这样的城市，伦敦市中心对步行者来说很方便。步行去外区也不会超过一两个小时。伦敦蜿蜒的街道和纽约方正平直的街道形成鲜明对比，迎接着悠闲的流浪汉和忙碌的上班族。尽管道路很堵、地铁很挤，但大部分人还是喜欢驾车或挤地铁在城市穿梭。这一切都将开始改变。

　　Between 2001 and 2011 the number of trips made daily on foot in London increased by 12%.Nearly a third of the Londoners sampled made a continuous walk of 30 minutes once a week between 2010 and 2011 to get from place to place, rather than for exercise.Each day 6.2m walks are made across the city.

　　2001年到2011年间，每天在伦敦步行的人数增长了12%。在此期间，被调查的伦敦人中有将近三分之一的人一个星期内至少有一次超过30分钟的步行体验，不是为了锻炼身体，而是单纯为了从一个地方到另一个地方。每天有620万人在城市步行。

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　　And both rich and poor walk a similar amount.In areas such as Kensington and Chelsea 11% walk for at least 30 minutes five times a week or more.In Tower Hamlets 12% of residents do.One of the largest changes in the city over the past decade is the number of pedestrians, says Michèle Dix of Transport for London (TfL), which runs the city's transport networks.On July 10th TfL launched the Roads Task Force, with plans to spruce up pavements.

　　在步行上，穷人和富人都差不多。在肯辛顿-切尔西区，11%的人一周内至少会有5次超过30分钟的步行体验。在陶尔哈姆莱茨区，有12%的居民也会这么做。伦敦交通局（负责伦敦交通网络的运营）的米歇尔·迪克斯说，过去十年这座城市最大的变化是行人的数量。7月10日，伦敦交通局发动道路工作组，有计划地修缮人行道。

　　Several reasons account for the walking boom.The number of Londoners increased by 12% from 7.3m in 2001 to 8.2m in 2011, and Tube trains are broiling⁸ and overcrowded.But other factors also encourage pedestrians.In 2004 Ken⁷ Livingstone, then mayor of London, vowed⁹ to make London a “walkable city”.Some of his plans were carried on by Boris Johnson, the current mayor.These include a scheme to create clearly-marked maps for use across the city.Of 33 boroughs in London 22 now have the distinctive¹⁰ yellow-branded signs on their streets.All TfL-owned property (such as Tube stations and bicycle-hire points) is covered by the scheme.This deters¹¹ tourists from popping on the Tube to travel one stop from Covent Garden to Leicester Square, a distance of 0.3m (0.5km) says Tony Armstrong of Living Streets, a charity for pedestrians.

　　行人的暴增有好几个原因。从2001年的730万到2011年的820万，伦敦人口增长了12%，地铁变得又热又挤。但是其他几个因素也在鼓励着人们步行。2004年，伦敦市长肯·利文斯通承诺把伦敦建成一座步行城市。他的一些计划被现任市长鲍里斯·约翰逊继续执行。伦敦33个区中的22个在街道上树立了独特的黄色标志牌。伦敦交通局所有的财产（比如地铁和租车点）都包含在计划之内。Living Streets（一个为行人设立的慈善机构）的托尼·阿姆斯特朗说，这打消了游客从科芬园到莱斯特广场这一站路（仅500米）也要乘坐地铁的念头。

　　Streets are also becoming more pedestrian-friendly.Exhibition Road in South Kensington was redeveloped in 2011.Pavement curbs¹² were removed and tarmac replaced by granite¹³ bricks.Fewer cars now go down the road, which stretches from Hyde Park to the museums and restaurants around the station, encouraging swarms¹⁴ of pedestrians.In June plans to develop a walkway by the Thames in Vauxhall were announced, turning a neglected part of London into something resembling the High Line in New York (which transformed a disused railway track into a lively public garden).

　　步行也变得越来越方便。南肯辛顿的会展路于2011年重新开发。路边石被移除，柏油路也被花岗石路面代替。车站附近这条从海德公园延生到博物馆和餐馆的路上车子更少了，这也有利于人们步行。六月，一系列将位于泰晤士河边沃克斯豪尔工厂内的一条走道建成类似于纽约高线公园（一个充满生气的公园，由一条废弃的铁路改造而成）的计划正式宣布。

　　Londoners may also be more aware of the advantages of walking.Health campaigns like the NHS's “Live Well” emphasise¹⁵ that walking is the easiest form of exercise.Rubber wristband pedometers, such as “FitBit” and “FuelBand”, are also increasingly popular.

　　伦敦人也可能更清楚走路的好处。像NHS（英国国家医疗服务体系）“Live Well”这样的健康宣传活动都在强调走路是最简单的一种锻炼方式。“FitBit”和“FuelBand”这些品牌的橡胶腕带计步器也越来越受欢迎。

　　But the capital is bucking¹⁶ the national trend.Although in 2011 walking was up across the country, it has seen an overall decline of 27% in Britain since 1995.This is partly caused by fewer children walking to school.And while rural rambles¹⁷ are still popular, fewer people are walking to their weekly grocery shop.Many more are shopping online.Local authorities want to change this.Pedestrians spend an average of ￡373 ($571) a month, compared with ￡226 for drivers, according to data from TfL.Ailing¹⁸ high streets and town centres need to win back walkers.Learning from London's incentives¹⁹ would be a start.

　　但是，发生在首都的这一切与全国趋势不符。虽然2011年全国步行的人数有所上涨，但总体来说却比1995年减少了27%。部分原因可能是走路去上学的孩子更少了。在农村走路仍然很常见，但每周走路去杂货店买东西的人却变少了。更多的人选择网上购物。地方政府想要改变这种状况。伦敦交通局的数据表明，步行者平均每月花费373英镑（571美元），而驾车者每月只花226英镑。状况不佳的商业大街和城镇中心应该赢回这些步行者。学习来自伦敦的激励机制将是个开端。

　　1.prefer to 较喜欢，宁愿

　　例句:Some mothers prefer to nourish their babies with milk.

　　有些母亲宁愿用牛奶哺育婴儿。

　　2.rather than 与其…倒不如

　　例句:The zoo needed better management rather than more money.

　　这座动物园需要更好的管理，而不是更多的资金。

　　3.at least 无论如何，反正

　　例句:What they wanted most from the president was a leader who at least would try to educate the country.

　　他们对总统最大的期待是，至少他应尽力教诲国民。

　　4.carry on 继续进行

　　例句:Even though you may feel you 're glowing like Rudolph' s nose, “ just breathe and carry on.

　　即使你感觉自己的脸色像驯鹿鲁道夫的红鼻子一样又红又亮，“也没有关系，深吸一口气，然后继续演讲。

1 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

3 boroughs   

（尤指大伦敦的）行政区( borough的名词复数 )； 议会中有代表的市镇

参考例句：

• London is made up of 32 boroughs. 伦敦由三十二个行政区组成。
• Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City. 布鲁克林区是纽约市的五个行政区之一。

4 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 broiling   

adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙）

参考例句：

• They lay broiling in the sun. 他们躺在太阳底下几乎要晒熟了。
• I'm broiling in this hot sun. 在太阳底下，我感到热极了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

10 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

11 deters   

v.阻止，制止( deter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The filth here deters all but the invited guest. 这里污秽不堪，除非有事，外人是裹足不前的。 来自辞典例句
• Many people believe that capital punishment deters crime. 很多人相信极刑能阻止犯罪。 来自互联网

12 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句

13 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

14 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

15 emphasise   

vt.加强...的语气，强调，着重

参考例句：

• What special feature do you think I should emphasise? 你认为我该强调什么呢？
• The exercises heavily emphasise the required readings.练习非常强调必须的阅读。

16 bucking   

v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• a bucking bronco in the rodeo 牛仔竞技表演中一匹弓背跳跃的野马
• That means we'll be bucking grain bags, bustin's gut. 那就是说咱们要背这一袋袋的谷子，得把五脏都累坏。 来自辞典例句

17 rambles   

（无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论

参考例句：

• He rambles in his talk. 他谈话时漫无中心。
• You will have such nice rambles on the moors. 你可以在旷野里好好地溜达溜达。

18 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

19 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法