男人宁走冤枉路也不愿问路 50年多走1400多公里

 　　Men are so reluctant to ask for directions that they will clock up an unnecessary 900 miles – the distance from Land's End to John O'Groats – over a lifetime, researchers say.

　　研究人员指出，男人因为不愿问路，一辈子会走足足900英里(约合1448.41公里)的冤枉路，相当于从英国南端的兰兹角到北端的约翰欧格罗茨的距离。

　　On realising they are lost, only 6 per cent check a map or ask for help to avoid extra mileage¹, a survey showed.

　　一项调查显示，当发现自己迷路时，只有6%的男人会去查地图或者向他人问路，以免走冤枉路。

　　And 14 per cent are so stubborn that they soldier on until they find an alternative route, rather than admit they are wrong.

　　14%的男人很固执，他们宁可硬撑着走下去，直到找到另一条路线，也不愿承认自己走错路了。

　　Wrong turns and a lack of common sense means that the average British man will needlessly travel an extra 1.5 miles per month before correcting his mistake, clocking up an extra 18 miles per year.

　　因为转错弯和缺乏常识，英国男性在迷途知返以前平均每月要多走1.5英里，每年则会累计多走18英里。

　　男人宁走冤枉路也不愿问路 50年多走1400多公里

　　Over 50 years, that adds up to 13,500 minutes, or 225 hours, wasted needlessly pounding the pavement.

　　这样白费力气的四处奔走50年下来会累计浪费13500分钟，合225个小时。

　　Of the nearly 1,000 respondents, 94 per cent said women were generally better at navigation even though men are often reluctant to admit it.

　　将近1000名调查对象中，94%的人认为一般说来女性的方向感更好，尽管男人常常不愿承认这一点。

　　One in three said they react angrily to a partner's bad sense of direction which 'typically leads to an argument'.

　　三分之一的人称，自己的伴侣如果方向感很糟糕的话，他们会很生气，经常会因此“引起争执”。

　　After getting lost, 14 per cent said they refuse to stop on the basis that 'all roads eventually lead to the same place' with over half of the men surveyed guessing their poor sense of direction adds up to 20 extra minutes to their journey.

　　一旦迷路，14%的人拒绝停下来，理由是“所有的路最后总会到达同一地点”，超半数的男性被调查者猜测自己那不靠谱的方向感会导致他们的行程多花20分钟的时间。

　　TrekAce, makers² of a navigational aid for walkers, which carried out the poll, found the average British man will needlessly travel an additional 900 miles over 50 years.

　　这项调查由步行者导航设备制造商TrekAce公司开展，调查发现平均每个英国男性在50年的时间里本来不必走而多走的路程达900英里。

　　A spokesman for the firm said: 'It's incredible to think that we waste so much of our precious time getting lost.

　　该公司的发言人说：“我们居然因为迷路浪费了这么多的宝贵时间，真是难以置信。”

　　'The results of this survey reinforce what many have believed for years that men are not the best navigators.

　　“调查结果进一步证实了许多人多年以来的认识，那就是男人并不是最好的带路人。”

　　'But it also shows the extreme lengths that men are going to avoid asking for directions, or going the right way in the first place.

　　“不过调查结果还显示，男人们无论如何都不愿去问路或是第一时间走对路。”

　　'It is clear we still need a bit of a helping³ hand when it comes to tacking⁴ unfamiliar⁵ and even familiar territory.'

　　“显然，在不熟悉的地方，即便是熟悉的地方，准备换个方向走的时候，我们还是需要那么一点别人的帮助的。”

　　Vocabulary

　　clock up：(某一数量) 达到

　　soldier on：坚持着做

　　tack：改变航向

1 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 tacking   

（帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉

参考例句：

• He was tacking about on this daily though perilous voyage. 他在进行这种日常的、惊险的航行。
• He spent the afternoon tacking the pictures. 他花了一个下午的时间用图钉固定那些图片。

5 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。