英语访谈对话 436 Teen Driving

 　　Mark: Hey, Mike, what age do you have to be in Canada to drive?

　　Mike: Well, it used to be 16, but it recently got pushed up to 18, now again each province controls its driving and the age limits, but in my province in Ontario the age limit went from 16 to 18.

　　Mark: And how did you feel about that? Do you think that's a good thing that you have to be 18 instead of 16?

　　Mike: Yeah, I tend, I think, I think it should be 18 or even 20 before you're allowed to drive.

　　Mark: Really! What do you think about someone who is 17, and so they've been driving for one year and then the law changes and becomes 18 as the minimum¹ age, do you think that person who has been driving should lose their license² for one more year?

　　Mike: Well, no, and I think generally, well, that happened in Ontario, of course that situation would have arisen. What happens then is generally laws are made so that the people who have been driving are then put into a system where they can still drive but they're under a probation³ system until 18, which is still the case, but

　　Mark: I see. So why do you think you should wait until you are 18 or 20 to be able to drive?

　　Mike: Maturity⁴.

　　Mark: You don't think at 16 you're mature⁵ enough?

　　Mike: No. No. Because I think at 18 you're more adult, you're more responsible⁶, just like you're not tried in the legal⁷ system as an adult until you are 18 years old. I think that it should be the same for driving because I don't think you're fully⁸ mature.

　　Mark: Yeah, I don't know if I agree because I feel like, I drove⁹ when I was 16.

　　Mike: So did I.

　　Mark: Yeah, and I felt mature enough. In fact, I know my father, when he was young, he actually began driving at about 12. When he was about 12 years old, he lived in the countryside and it was OK for him to drive at 12.

　　Mike: Well, and I can understand that because way back when there was a lot less traffic and there was a lot less, there was a lot less people on the road. I think that today, because of that, because traffic was a lot a worse, its a better idea to have, you know, to make sure the drivers is prepared and mature and understands that, what to do in case something goes wrong.

　　Mark: OK, fair enough, but how do you know that, that someone at 18, who has never driven is any more prepared than someone who's 16?

　　Mike: Well, you don't, but generally if somebody's older and more mature then they're gonna be a little bit wiser. I mean, I think, you know. They're just gonna make better decisions. I think so. That's just my opinion, but.

　　Mark: OK. Sounds good.

1 minimum   

adj.最低的，最小的；n.最小量，最低限度

参考例句：

• What is the minimum price?最低价是多少？
• Today's minimum temperature is 10℃.今天的最低气温是10℃。

2 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

3 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

4 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

5 mature   

adj.成熟的，到期的，充分考虑的；vt.使成熟；vi.成熟，到期

参考例句：

• This is a dress shop for mature women.这是一家成年妇女服装店。
• It's a mature plan.这是个深思熟虑的计划。

6 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

7 legal   

adj.法律的，依照法律的，合法的，法定的，正当的

参考例句：

• He is my legal adviser.他是我的法律顾问。
• This is partly a political and partly a legal question.这个问题部分是政治问题，部分是法律问题。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。