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VOA慢速英语2020--新冠疫情迫使哥伦比亚人骑自行车上班

时间:2020-09-12 23:47:56

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Pandemic Pushes Colombians to Get to Work by Bicycle

Luis Fernando Muete used to go to work on a crowded bus. But since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he has been using his bicycle instead.

The change saves him long waits at a bus station in a poor neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia. It is also less of a health risk for Muete.

"It's better to avoid crowded places," Muete said as he stopped at a traffic light on his way to the city center. "Using a bike is fast and cheaper," he added.

Cycling, or using a bicycle, has long been a popular sport in Colombia. The country is the home of Tour de France winner Egan Bernal. But the pandemic has pushed more Colombians to go to work by bicycle.

Only one city in the country has a subway system. Before the pandemic, most people got to work by bus or by car.

The capital, Bogotá, is a city of eight million people. More than 210,000 coronavirus infections have been reported there. People in the city are quickly turning to bicycles as a way of transportation. In fact, many stores there have run out of bikes. The stores are struggling to import more bicycles.

Bike House is Colombia's second largest bicycle importer. It said that its sales increased by 150 percent in July. The company imported 16,400 bikes in the first six months of 2020. That is 4,000 more than all of last year. It has already run out of some kinds of bikes and is waiting for new shipments1 from China.

Most bicycles in the world are made in China. But Chinese factories have struggled to keep up with growing demand from Europe and the United States.

"We are probably one of the last places on their list," said Martha Cecilia Sanchez. She is the general manager of Distrito Bike, a Bogota shop that mostly sells the Cannondale brand of bikes. "It used to take four months...to arrive. Now it takes eight months," she said.

The small store has been selling around 30 bikes each weekend during the pandemic. Before, it sold about 15 to 20 each weekend. Sanchez said that recent sales have been "better than the Christmas season."

Across the street, the Nissi bike store said it had experienced a similar increase. It sells road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids3 and even some very costly4 bikes for racing5. Before the pandemic, the store was selling about 15 bikes a day. Now it sells about 25 a day.

"People are buying them to go to work, but also for pleasure," said sales manager Juan Pablo Garces. He added that it "will help us get cars off the streets."

Local governments in Colombia are pushing for more bicycle use. Bogotá Mayor Claudia Lopez turned car lanes over to bicycles at the start of the pandemic. The government added 85 kilometers to the city's bike paths.

Bogotá was already a Latin American leader in bicycle use before the pandemic began. Last month, 13 percent of all trips in the city were taken on bicycles. That information comes from the municipal6 government. In February, it was only 10 percent.

It is a small increase, but officials expect bicycle use to increase as restrictions7 are lifted and more people return to work in offices.

But rising crime rates may make people fearful of buying or using a bike. Police say 1,022 bicycles were stolen in Bogotá in July, almost two times as many as during the same month last year.

Sometimes thieves push riders off their bicycles. The thieves then attack riders with knives and guns.

To make biking safer, the city has asked for everyone to register their bicycles. They have also improved lighting8 in dangerous areas and increased police presence at places where bicycle stealing has taken place.

Cristian Gutierrez is a salesman at Class Bikes. He said buyers know about the security situation. Most people, he said, are seeking bicycles that sell for $150 to $250. "People don't want to buy an expensive bike and have it stolen," Gutierrez said. "This city is still a bit dangerous."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

bicycle - n . a 2-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals9

pandemic - n. an occurrence10 in which a disease spreads very quickly around the world

manager - n. someone who is in charge

hybrid2 - n. something that is formed by combining two or more things

brand - n. products made by a particular company

pleasure - n. something that causes a feeling of happiness, enjoyment,...

lane - n. part of a road that is marked by painted lines

thief- n. a person who steals something

expensive - adj. costing a lot of money


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1 shipments 393cda3afe758ce1b79e9987ef35f78e     
船运,水运( shipment的名词复数 ); (从海路、陆路或空运的)一批货物
参考例句:
  • The shipments are being expedited as much as possible. 装货速度在尽量加快。
  • We received two shipments from Chicago. 我们收到从芝加哥运来的两船货物。
2 hybrid pcBzu     
n.(动,植)杂种,混合物
参考例句:
  • That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
  • The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。
3 hybrids a5030918be299fefcf603b9326766b39     
n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 );杂交植物(或动物);杂种;(不同事物的)混合物
参考例句:
  • All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
  • The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的,这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句
4 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
5 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
6 municipal vjAyD     
adj.市的,市政的;n.政府证券
参考例句:
  • The municipal authorities have kept the roads up well.市政当局把道路保养得不错。
  • The city is planning to build a municipal library.该市正计划建一座市立图书馆。
7 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
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
8 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
参考例句:
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
9 pedals ccb0f854b46e7ffb3e5daf8a6fb1c1c4     
n.(自行车或其他机器的)踏板( pedal的名词复数 );脚蹬子;(钢琴、风琴等的)踏板;踏瓣
参考例句:
  • I couldn't reach the pedals on her bike. 我骑她的车够不到脚蹬子。
  • The pedals of a cycle are attached to a crank. 自行车的踏板与曲柄相连。 来自辞典例句
10 occurrence M5OzP     
n.发生,出现,事件,发生的事件
参考例句:
  • Two things account for its occurrence.发生这件事的原因有两个。
  • For a military commander,winning or losing a battle is a common occurrence.胜败乃兵家常事。

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