CCTV9英语新闻：天津汽车牌照限购

Tianjin authorities announced tough new restrictions¹ on driving, and on new car buyers in the hope of easing the city’s air pollution. The city has abruptly² stopped issuing licence plates until January and said that in March most cars will not be allowed on the road one day a week. The new orders were announced on Sunday evening, leading local car buyers to swarm³ dealerships in the hope of beating the midnight deadline.

Midnight on Sunday... not your usual time to shop for a car. This was the scene at dealerships throughout the city just hours after the city announced it would -- on Monday -- stop issuing licence plates until mid⁵ January, when it’s expected to come with new regulations that will restrict the number of new car license⁶ plates issued each month. Some dealers⁴ sold more cars in an hour than they normally sell in a week... with buyers paying in full.

Tianjin authorities haven’t announce how many license plates they plan to issue each month after the total ban on new plates is lifted in mid- January.

Tianjin also said that beginning in March motorists will be restricted from driving in the city one workday linking the last number of their licence plate with the day they are not allowed to drive. Most motorists seemed to understand that the restrictions are necessary.

Used car dealers were also swamped by thousands of sellers and buyers hoping to complete a deal before midnight. Employees of the city’s vehicle registration⁷ centers worked throughout the night to complete the massive pile of of applications received on Sunday.

While the new restrictions were imposed with only a few hours notice they weren’t unexpected. Tainjin is a late comer to the list of cities that limit the number of licence plates issued each month -- Shanghai holds a monthly auction⁸ and Beijing has a lottery⁹ for new car plates and restricts motorists from driving one day a week.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

3 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

4 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

5 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

6 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。

7 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

8 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

9 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。