VOA标准英语2012--London's 'Tube' Plays Crucial Olympics Role

 

London's 'Tube' Plays Crucial Olympics Role

Massive overhaul¹

Head into the Tube and you never quite know what you might find. With 12 million passengers passing through every day - and three million more expected during the Olympics - the Tube is its own world. Trains run just minutes apart, sometimes at speeds approaching 100 kilometers per hour. The Tube even has its own cultural corners.

In recent years, The Tube has undergone a $10 billion renovation², upgrading stations and large segments of its 400 kilometers of tracks.

The official in charge of making sure it all runs smoothly³ during the Olympics, Mark Evers, says much of that work was focused on being ready for the Games.

"We've done everything that we possibly can do to ensure that we have a reliable system during the Games. But things can happen. But what we've done is to make sure that we have got staff on hand to deal with those incidents as quickly as possible," Evers explained. "If we did lose one of the lines serving the Olympic Park say, there are another 10 lines we can send people on. So we're confident that we will get people around."

Elaborate system

The Tube system is extensive, with 11 lines serving 270 stations, and it connects to dozens more lines of overground trains and inter-city services. It can be confusing, particularly for people who have never been here before and don't speak English, like many Olympics visitors.

Olympics organizing committee member Jonathan Edwards counsels planning, patience, and allowing extra time.

"Nobody thinks this is going to be easy. Nobody thinks there aren't going to be challenges. But we're working very hard to minimize those. And of course as always, we rely on the cooperation and the patience and good will of the public at large," he said.

The Olympic Park is at Stratford in East London, site of one of the Tube's most modern stations. It is a crossing point for five lines and these days it is adorned⁴ with signs pointing fans to the Games.

Tube officials have done what they can with signs, technology and staff training.

But the renovations and technology can't solve all the problems.

Minor⁵ delays are common, and there could well be a major breakdown⁶, or a flood or electrical failure as happened in recent months.

And all the preparation in the world won't guarantee that everyone to makes their connections. 

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

3 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

4 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

5 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

6 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。