VOA标准英语2012--Smooth Transport Will Be Key to London Olympics

 

Smooth Transport Will Be Key to London Olympics

Central London is busy even on normal days. Major events like the Olympics can bring near grid¹ lock.

"It's going to obviously cause traffic," said Steve McCann, who has been driving a London taxi for seven years. "It's going to make you have to drive different routes that you wouldn't necessarily drive. It'll be a bit of a challenge. But it could be a nightmare². Nobody knows how bad it's going to be or how good it's going to be."

To make sure Olympics traffic gets through, the city will close some lanes and roads to regular traffic, making it even more difficult for taxis and other ordinary vehicles.

To help, there is an interactive³ website showing the worst areas day-by-day and hour-by-hour. There will be competitions, concerts and other Olympics events all over the city.

"Cities are not made to function ordinarily, plus having all of the Olympic and Paralympic traffic on top of that," said Jonathan Edwards, a member of the London Olympics organizing committee."So I think transport and the coordination⁴ of it to keep London working and to make the Games work is always going to be a challenge."

And it is not just the roads. Two-hour immigration lines at London's Heathrow Airport made travelers angry a few months ago. That is bad for tourism and business. Officials say they have addressed the problem, and there is a special terminal just for people participating in the Games.

Train stations will also be busy, particularly St. Pancras International, where trains run to and from the European continent.

The often-crowded Underground train system, The Tube, is planning for a 25 percent increase in passengers during the Olympics. The nearly 150-year-old system is prone⁵ to breakdowns⁶, so extra repair crews will be on standby, and extra station staff will be on hand to give directions.

And London just opened a new transport line - a cable car that goes between two Olympics venues⁷ and will remain as a tourist attraction.

In addition to the millions of journeys by Olympics visitors, all the transport lines will have to handle their regular traffic of commuters and visitors. That's why the Games will be held in late July and early August, a time that many Londoners are away on vacation.

Still, transport will be crowded and confusing. So it will probably be a good idea to stay close to someone if you can. 

1 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

2 nightmare   

n.恶梦，可怕的事物，无法摆脱的恐惧

参考例句：

• I was glad to awake from such a nightmare.我庆幸终于从噩梦中醒来了。
• I had a nightmare last nightand,lost sleep.昨夜我作了个恶梦，失眠了。

3 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

6 breakdowns   

n.分解( breakdown的名词复数 )；衰竭；（车辆或机器的）损坏；统计分析

参考例句：

• Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. 她的旧车老不听使唤，一路上总是出故障。 来自辞典例句
• How do we prevent these continual breakdowns? 我们如何防止这些一再出现的故障？ 来自辞典例句

7 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网