英国新闻听力 骑自行车来中国

What's the furthest you have ever cycled?

Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends?

How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling solo from the UK to China, by bike?

For British cyclist Pete Jones, camping rough and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain¹ are second nature.

A veteran of expeditions through places such as the Tianshan mountains and the Tibetan plateau, Mr Jones is currently undertaking² a mammoth³ trip across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.

Having lived on and off in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China.

But he says many people there are puzzled by his passion for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car.

Indeed, while there are an estimated 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred form of transport, rapid economic growth has fuelled an explosive expansion in car ownership.

Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his aims was to "promote cycling as a safe, sustainable and environmentally benign⁴ means of getting about."

In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.

Politicians also see cycling as a way to boost their eco-credentials, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work under his own steam.

But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating⁵ Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.

你骑自行车到达的最远的地方是哪里呢？

或许你骑自行车去上学或去上班，或者最多与朋友一起骑自行车旅行？

如果你花费数月的时间独自骑自行车从英国去中国，你会有什么样的感觉呢？

对英国自行车手Pete Jones来说，野外露营和骑自行车穿越无人居住的地带是第二天性。

Pete Jones是经验丰富的探险家，曾经穿越天山和青藏高原。现在，他正在进行从英国到中国的贯穿欧亚大陆的浩大旅行。

他曾经断断续续地在新疆居住过三年时间，自1992年开始，多次访问中国。因此，中国对Pete Jones来说并不陌生。

但是他说，中国的许多人为他骑自行车的热情感到疑惑，问他明明可以开得起汽车，为什么却要骑自行车。

实际上，中国拥有大约4亿辆自行车。自行车一直是首选的交通方式。但是经济的快速增长使汽车拥有率出现爆发性的增长。

另外一名英国自行车手Edward Genochio已经完成了往返中国的长达41,000千米的旅程。他说，他的其中一个目标就是“宣传自行车作为一种安全，可持续环保的出行方式的观念。”

在英国，最近几年，选择自行车优于汽车的人数出现上涨。有人估计，在过去的五年，骑自行车去上班的人数翻倍。

政治家也将骑自行车作为促进他们的环保凭据的方式。例如，伦敦市长Boris Johnson等政治家经常靠自己的力量骑自行车去上班。

但是，要看到他效仿Pete Jones骑自行车来中国，估计还要等很长时间。

1 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

2 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

3 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

4 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

5 emulating   

v.与…竞争( emulate的现在分词 )；努力赶上；计算机程序等仿真；模仿

参考例句：

• The possibilities of producing something entirely new by emulating nature's very wide crosses are enticing. 用自然界的非常广泛的杂交方法创造出全新植物种的可能性是诱人的。 来自辞典例句
• The human emulating this archetypal patterning will be quite the accomplished businessperson. 这类原型模式者会是一个很成功的商人。 来自互联网