【一起听英语】边走路边玩手机（在线收听）

每年因为边走路边玩手机造成的事故日趋上升，尽管人们知道这样做是十分危险的，可是依旧有人冒这个险，手机的魅力就这么大吗？

Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 minute English. My name is Neil and with me today is

Rosie.

Rosie: Hi there.

Neil: Now Rosie, are you one of those people who walks down the road while trying

to send a text message?

Rosie: Of course! I do it all the time.

Neil: And have you ever had an accident because you haven't been looking where

you are going?

Rosie: Funnily enough, yes! This happened to me only the other day.

Neil: Well the reason I was asking is that one town in America thinks that walking

and texting has become such a problem that they have made it illegal!

Rosie: No way!

Neil: But before we get onto that, I have a quiz question about strange but true

laws which exist in the UK. Which one of these three is NOT a real law?

a) It's illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.

b) A pregnant woman can go to the toilet anywhere she wants.

c) It's illegal to speak French in front of a dog.

Rosie: Well they all sound completely ridiculous, but I am going to go for c).

Neil: We'll hear the answer at the end of the programme. Now, back to our story

about texting and walking. It's illegal to text and drive at the same time in

some countries, such as the UK and the USA, but this town in New Jersey is

the first to ban texting while walking.

Rosie: But it doesn't apply to people who are walking down a pavement, or

sidewalk as they say in America. It only applies to people who are walking

down a road. This is known as jaywalking.

Neil: So how much is the fine? Let's listen to the first part of the report by the

BBC's Leana Hosea. 

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BBC correspondent Leana Hosea:

A town in New Jersey in the United States has started issuing eighty-five dollar fines to

people they see texting whilst crossing the road. Thomas Ripoli is chief of the Fort Lee Police

Department and he says he hopes the new law will reduce the number of accidents.

Neil: So Rosie, how much is the fine for jaywalking and texting?

Rosie: It's 85 dollars, which is a really expensive text message! But the chief of

police is hopeful that the new law will reduce the number of accidents.

Neil: Well, let's face it, it is pretty dangerous to cross a road while texting as you're

not always looking at what's coming – it's easy to miss a car.

Rosie: Yes, and there are other dangerous things which can happen whilst texting.

Neil: For example you could trip over... or bump into someone… Listen to our next

clip to hear about a danger that is not quite so obvious. It involves an animal.

Can you hear which one it is? Here's the BBC's Leana Hosea.

BBC correspondent Leana Hosea:

There have been some eye-catching videos which have gone viral showing people distracted

while on a mobile phone. Recently in Los Angeles an 180-kilo black bear had wandered

down into a residential area from the nearby forest. Aerial footage shows a man, who was

apparently texting his boss to tell him he was running late for work and didn't notice the

bear lumbering down the street towards him until he was just a couple of metres away. He

looked up from his phone and immediately turned and ran away as fast as he could.

Rosie: Oh my word! So a man was texting and walking down the street. He was

texting his boss to tell him he was late for work…

Neil: But he didn't see a bear lumbering down the street towards him. Lumbering

means the bear was walking in a slow, heavy way.

Rosie: He finally saw the bear when it was just a few metres away and then he

immediately ran away as fast as he could! The bear had wandered into a

residential area - an area where people live.

Neil: He's not the only one to have suffered due to texting and walking. In this final

clip, we can hear about two other women who literally fell into something

because they weren't watching where they were going while texting. Can you

hear what? Here's Leana Hosea:

BBC correspondent Leana Hosea:

In China a teenage girl who was walking and talking on her mobile phone plunged six

metres down a sinkhole in the street, after failing to notice caution signs. Another video

shows a woman in a shopping mall who fell into a water fountain because she was distracted

from texting.

Neil: So, Rosie, where did they fall? 

6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012

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Rosie: A teenage girl in China plunged – or fell - six metres down a sinkhole. A

sinkhole is a large hole in the ground which a river flows into.

Neil: And the other one fell into a water fountain in a shopping mall! Well, the

more I hear about these accidents the less strange this new law in America

sounds. And talking about strange laws reminds me that it's time to answer

our quiz question. I asked which one of these three is NOT a real law?

a) It's illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.

b) A pregnant woman can go to the toilet anywhere she wants.

c) It's illegal to speak French in front of a dog.

Rosie: I said it was c).

Neil: And you were right. Time now for a quick recap of some of the words we've

heard today.

Rosie: sidewalk

jaywalking

lumbering

residential area

plunged

sinkhole

water fountain

Neil: Join us again for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English!

Rosie: Goodbye!