VOA慢速英语2016 美国城市庆祝骑自行车上班日

AS IT IS 2016-05-21 US Cities Celebrate #BiketoWorkDay 美国城市庆祝骑自行车上班日

This is What’s Trending Today…

这里是今日热点节目。

In many cities across the United States, May 20 was Bike to Work Day. The day encourages people to try bicycling to work instead of driving or taking a bus or train.

在美国很多城市，5月20日是骑自行车上班日。这天鼓励人们骑自行车上班，而不是开车、乘坐公汽或火车。

Biking has not always been a popular kind of transportation in the United States. But, in some cities, using a bike to commute¹ is increasingly² normal. The League of American Bicyclists' website says that, from 2000 to 2013, the number of people who biked to work regularly in the U.S. grew by 62 percent.

自行车在美国并非一种常用交通工具。但是在一些城市，骑自行车上下班越来越常态化。美国骑车者联盟网站表示，从2000年到2013年，美国经常骑自行车上班的人数增长了62%。

This year, #biketoworkday2016 even trended on Twitter Friday in the United States.

今年在美国，#2016骑车上班日周五甚至成为了推特上的热点。

The League of American Bicyclists created National Bike Month in 1956. The month of May was chosen because it usually brings warmer weather. The month-long celebration aims to inspire cyclists and others to "share the road" and make biking more enjoyable and popular in America.

美国骑车者联盟在1956年设立了全国自行车月。选择五月是因为该月往往会带来温暖的天气。这一长达一个月的庆祝活动旨在鼓励骑车者和其他人共用车道，让骑车在美国更享受更受欢迎。

National Bike to Work Day helps new bikers try cycling as a way to commute. In big U.S. cities, local bicycle groups provide Bike to Work Day participants with food, drinks and support as they make their journeys.

全国骑自行车上班日可以帮助新骑手尝试骑车上下班。在美国大城市，当地自行车团体为骑自行车上班日参与者在骑车途中提供食物、饮水和其它支持。

The U.S. Census³ reported this year that around 1 million people regularly use a bicycle to get to work or school. But not everyone is interested in becoming a bike commuter⁴.

美国人口普查局今年报告称，大约有100万人经常骑自行车上班或上学。但是并非所有人都愿意成为骑车通勤者。

Studies often cite⁵ the dangers of biking, especially in large cities with many cars. A 2007 study by the Centers for Disease⁶ Control found that you are two times as likely to die on a bike than in a car.

研究经常引用骑车的危险性，尤其是在有很多汽车的大城市。美国疾病控制预防中心2007年发布的一份研究发现，骑自行车死亡的风险是开车的两倍。

And, many U.S. cities do not yet have many bicycle lanes⁷ or bicycle-friendly roads.

而且，很多美国城市尚不具备很多自行车道或适合骑自行车的道路。

Cycling, of course, does have many benefits. It is good for your heath. Research says that three hours of biking a week can reduce a person's risk of heart disease by 50 percent. Cycling is also environmentally friendly. And, it is cheaper than other forms of transportation. On social media Friday, people celebrated⁸ the benefits of biking.

当然骑车确实有很多好处，它对健康有益。研究称，每周骑车3个小时可以减少50%的心脏病风险。骑车也很环保，而且，它比其它交通方式更实惠。在周五的社交媒体上，人们赞美了骑车的好处。

Here in Washington, DC, Bike to Work Day is especially important this year. Starting in June, many lines and stations along the district's metro⁹ rail system will be closed for long-term repairs. Not being able to use the train has many people wondering how they will get around.

在华盛顿特区，骑自行车上班今年尤为重要。从6月份开始，该区地铁系统沿线的很多线路和站点都将长期关闭维修。不能坐地铁让很多人担心他们该如何解决。

One Twitter user¹⁰ joked that DC's metro system must just be a proud sponsor¹¹ -- or supporter -- of Bike to Work Day.

一位推特用户开玩笑说，华盛顿特区的地铁系统肯定是是骑自行车上班日的赞助商或支持者。

Words in This Story

commuter - n. someone who travels regularly to and from a place and especially between where you live and where you work?

sponsor - n. a person or organization that pays the cost of an activity or event (such as a radio or television program, sports event, concert, etc.) in return for the right to advertise during the activity or event?

1 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

2 increasingly   

adv.逐渐地，日益地，逐渐增加地

参考例句：

• Rivers are being increasingly made use of by man. 河流正在日益为人类所利用。
• I find it increasingly difficult to live within my income.我发现靠收入过日子越来越难了。

3 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

4 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

5 cite   

vt.引用，引证，举例

参考例句：

• It would be an endless task to cite such living examples.这样的实例举不胜举。
• I'll just cite some figures for comparison.我要引用一些数字作比较。

6 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

7 lanes   

n.小路( lane的名词复数 )；车道；航道；分道

参考例句：

• A headless rider haunts the country lanes. 一个无头骑士常出没于乡间的小路上。
• He made a kamikaze run across three lanes of traffic. 他不要命地冲过了三条车道。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

10 user   

n.用户，使用者

参考例句：

• The company is the biggest user of oil.该公司是最大的石油用户。
• The umbrella keeps the rains off the user.雨伞使撑伞人免受雨淋。

11 sponsor   

vt.发起，主办；资助；n.发起者，资助人

参考例句：

• Sponsor stated they have no idea where he is.赞助方表示他们不知道他在哪儿。
• The sponsor has permanent ad on the website commonly.赞助商一般在网站上有永久性广告。