1、大學英語 IIDesigned byWang XueminUnitUnit 10 10Ode to Public Ode to Public TransportTransportText AThe Importance of Public TransportationA US Congressman once proclaimed that, There can be no doubt that the transportation sector is the most critical sector of our claim v.宣布，宣告，聲明eg. I began

2、to proclaim my support publicly.我正式對外宣布了我的支持。sector n.部門，領域，行業eg. the public and private sectors of industry國有工業和私有工業一位美國國會議員曾經說過，“毋庸置疑，交通業是我們經濟中的支柱行業。”I know exactly what he means.我很清楚他的意思。In this day and age, access to transportation is considered a necessity.necessity n.必需的事物，必需品eg. Water is a ba

3、sic necessity of life.生命離不開水。在如今這個時代，交通出行已是生活中必不可少的部分。 Public transportation is defined as a service that is available for use by the general public.公共交通被定義為大眾所使用的一種服務。It is a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative.它是一種相對便宜并且對環境有利的出行方式。It is not a transportation service that you can arrang

4、e privately to suit your own personal convenience (although you may, to a certain extent, such as paying for a cabin or suite on a train or ship) since you have to consider other passengers who are riding and making similar arrangements with you.arrangement n.安排；籌備eg. This arrangement is quite satis

5、factory.這樣的安排很讓人滿意。公共交通不是那種根據個人需求而隨意安排的交通服務（雖然在某種程度上也可以這樣做，比如說你可以付錢包下火車或船上的一個包廂），因為你需要考慮那些和你一起并和你做相似安排的其他乘客們。 I have experienced first-hand how important public transportation is.公共交通有多重要，我親自經歷過，所以深有體會。 I live in Saipan, a US territory and the closest things we have to public transportation are tour

6、ist and school buses.territory n.領土；版圖；領地eg. The territory was carved up by the occupying powers.領土被侵占者瓜分。我住在美國塞班，在那里只有游客公交和學生公交這種公共交通工具。You have to have your own car or bike, rent a car, or pay upfront for a taxi to go from point A to point B.upfront ad.預付地；預交地你不得不擁有自己的私家車或者自行車，或者租一輛汽車，或者付費搭乘的士從一個地

7、方到另一個地方。Otherwise you end up basked in sweat and sunburn traveling to work every day.bask in曬太陽；取暖eg. Turtles like to bask in the sun.海龜喜歡暴露于陽光中。sunburn n.曬斑；曬傷否則你就只能每天走去工作，太陽當空，大汗淋漓。When I first came here, I walked.當我剛來這里的時候，去哪兒我都步行。I walked going to and from work.我步行上下班。I walked to the store and l

8、ugged my heavy groceries back to the house.groceries n.食品雜貨eg. She bought a box of groceries.她買了一箱食品雜貨。我步行去商店，然后徒步拖著大包小包的東西回家。I walked to church and I barely got to go to places farther than a twenty-mile radius from my house since I did not own a car then, and I considered renting a car and riding

9、a taxi such an expense for a starting single mother like I was at that time.radius n.半徑eg. The police searched all the fields and woods within a radius of two miles.警方搜查半徑兩英里范圍內所有的田野和森林。expense n.費用，價錢eg. The document was printed at the taxpayers expense.文件的印刷費用由納稅人承擔。我步行去教堂，由于沒有小汽車，而且租輛小車或者打的對于當時我這

10、樣一個年輕的單身媽媽來說是筆不小的開支，所以我很少去離家超過20英里遠的地方。 For me, public transportation is very important because of the following reasons:于我而言，公共交通非常重要，主要是因為以下幾個原因：1. It saves money.1. It saves money.1. 1. 節約開支節約開支 According to research done by the American Public Transportation Association, individuals can save up

11、to $9,515 annually by parking their cars at home and using public transportation instead.annually ad.一年一次地eg.Companies report to their shareholders annually.各公司每年向其股東匯報一次。根據美國公共交通協會的一項研究，如果把車停在家里而使用公共交通工具，每人每年可節省9515美元。In this economy, saving money has become a main concern in most households.househ

12、old n.一家人，家庭eg. I grew up as part of a large household.我生長在一個大家庭。在如今的經濟形勢下，如何攢錢已成為大部分家庭關注的主要問題。With the rising prices of fuel and other vehicle-related expenses, doing the public commute to work and school certainly saves mute n.上下班路程eg.Its a long commute from New York to Boston.從紐約通勤到波士頓路程很長。隨著油費的不

13、斷上漲和其他與車輛相關的開銷日益增大，使用公共交通上下班和去學校毫無疑問能節省很多錢。2. It helps the environment.2. It helps the environment.2.2.有利于環境有利于環境When you switch from driving your car to taking public transport, you are reducing your carbon footprint and making a great step forward in saving the environment.switch v.改變，轉變eg. My mot

14、hers interest had switched to my health.母親轉而關注起我的健康來。transport n.交通車輛，運輸工具，旅行方式eg. Have you got your own transport?你有自己的交通工具嗎？carbon n.碳當放棄開小車而改乘公共交通工具時，你正在減少二氧化碳的排放量并為拯救地球環境而貢獻自己的力量。The environmental cost of individuals using their cars every day has done massive damage to the environment and if th

15、e majority or all individuals like you and me use public transport instead, think of what good we could do for the environment.majority n.大部分，大多數eg. The majority of my patients are from other towns.大多數來找我看病的患者都來自其他城鎮。開私家車出行對環境造成極大的破壞，如果大多數人都能像你我這樣使用公共交通工具的話，那么我們的環境就會好多了。3. It will 3. It will weanwea

16、n us out of energy us out of energy dependencedependence. .wean v.逐漸戒除惡習eg. Police weaned him away from drugs.警察讓他逐漸戒毒。dependence n.依靠，依賴，依存eg. This is a life style of self-dependence.這是一種自力更生的生活。3. 3. 逐步減少對能源的依賴逐步減少對能源的依賴 According to a paper made by Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue and Dr. Claude Comtois, t

17、ransportation accounts for approximately 25% of world energy demand and for more than 62% of all the oil used each year.account for占eg. These products, in total, account for about 80% of all our sales.這些產品總共約占我們全部銷售額的80%。approximatelly ad.大概，大約，約莫根據讓-保羅羅德里格和克勞斯格里姆博士所寫的一篇文章，交通所耗費的能源大概占世界能源需求的25%，每年的耗

18、油量超過62%。Ninety-five percent of transportation is almost completely reliant upon petroleum products with the exception of railways using electrical power.be reliant upon依賴，依靠eg. These people are not wholly reliant upon Western charity.這些人并非完全依賴西方慈善團體。petroleum n.石油，原油exception n.規則的例外，例外的事物eg. This i

19、s considered an exception to the rule.我們把這看作是該規則的例外。electrical a.電的，用電的，發電的eg. electrical engineering電機工程學除了鐵路使用電力外，95%的交通基本上完全依賴于石油。While the use of petroleum for other economic sectors, such as industrial and electricity generation, has remained relatively stable, the growth in oil demand is mainl

20、y attributed to the growth in transportation demand.economic a.經濟的；經濟上的；經濟學的eg. They had led the country into economic disaster.他們把國家帶入了經濟災難中。electricity n.電；電能eg. When did electricity come to the village?這村莊何時開始有電力供應？stable a.穩定的；穩固的；牢固的eg. The patients condition is stable.病人的情況穩定。be attributed to把

21、.歸因于；認為.是由于eg.The car accident was attributed to faulty brakes.這次車禍被認為是剎車失靈造成的。而其他使用石油的經濟領域，諸如工業和電力行業都保持相對穩定，石油的需求日益增加主要歸因于交通需求的增長。 When we strengthen our public transportation services, we are consequently lessening this oil demand and dependence.strengthen v.加強，增強，鞏固eg. Yoga can be used to strengt

22、hen the immune system.瑜伽能增強人體免疫系統。consequently ad.因此，所以lessen v.變小，變少，減弱減輕eg. Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.經常運動有助于減輕痛感。當我們加強公共交通服務時，相應地也在減少對石油的需求和依賴。It will also motivate us to consider alternative energy and fuel resources.resource n.資源，財力eg.Resources management is an important busi

23、ness skill.資源管理是一項重要的經營技能。這同時也激勵我們考慮可替代的能源和燃料資源。4. It provides 4. It provides easeease and and convenience.convenience. Having public transportation definitely eases some of the burdens of people who do not have cars or prefer not to own one.ease n.舒適，安逸，自在 v.減輕，放松，緩和eg.I never feel at ease in his c

24、ompany.跟他在一起我總是感到不自在。4. 4. 為人們提供舒適感和便利為人們提供舒適感和便利使用公共交通毫無疑問會減輕那些沒有車或者不打算買車的人們的壓力。They are provided with choices to use public transport.他們可以選擇使用公共交通工具。Public transportation also provides valuable services not just to local inhabitants in the area but to tourists as well.inhabitant n.居民，棲息動物公共交通不僅為當地

25、的居民而且也為游客提供有價值的服務。When a tourist visits a place,which does not have public transportation, their choices are limited and the experience they get is limited, too.limit a.有限的eg. He seems to have only a limited intelligence.他的智力似乎有限。當游客來訪一個沒有公共交通工具的地方，他們的選擇就會受限，他們的旅游經歷也會受到相應的限制。All in all, public trans

26、portation improves our way of life, strengthens the community, provides new jobs for the public and gives us a cleaner environment.總而言之，公共交通改善我們的生活，加強社區之間的聯系，為公眾提供新工作，并且還會給予我們一個更加清潔美好的環境。 公共交通是開車的更好的替代方式嗎？這取決于個人的喜好或者個人的情況。有些人更喜歡自駕出行，但是這并不意味著公共交通對于多數人來說不是一種更好的旅行方式。通常來講，公共交通的費用也許更低，搭乘公共交通時不需擔心汽車付款或者汽車保險費用，也不用承擔維修保養和加油的花費。從環境角度而言多數人搭乘公共交通會更加便捷，省時高效。 Improve peoples awareness of the importance of using public transportation. It is advisable to promote the