美語情景對話 第900期:Road Regulations 道路規則

Julia: OK, Nathan. So we're talking about driving and are there any rules or regulations that you'd like to change?

朱莉婭：內森，我們來談談駕駛，有沒有哪些交通規則是你希望能改變的？

Nathan: You know what, Jules, that an interesting question. I'm not sure that I want to change rules but I'd like the police to be stricter on the rules. Like if people jump the traffic lights, I don't know why there isn't a camera at every set of traffic lights just to stop people from doing that, you know. Or like speeding. It's very, very easy to put speed cameras in places but people seem to think that it's OK like the speed limit is the minimum speed.

內森：這是一個有趣的問題。我不確定我是不是想改變規則，不過我希望警察能更嚴格執法。有人會闖紅燈，可是我不知道爲什麼不在每個交通燈裝一個攝像頭，阻止人們闖紅燈，或者阻止人們超速。安裝超速監控攝像機是件非常簡單的事情，可是看起來人們認爲這沒什麼問題，因爲車速限制是最低車速。

Julia: Maybe the car manufacturers should have some responsibility then in maybe limiting their engine. What's the point in producing an engine that's big enough and powerful enough that you can go like two hundred kilometres an hour when the speed limits are you ever driven in Germany where they don't have speed limits?

朱莉婭：也許汽車製造商應該在引擎限制方面應該承擔部分責任。爲什麼要製造車速可達到200公里每小時的強力引擎，而限速只有……德國沒有限速，你有在德國開過車嗎？

Nathan: I've been to Germany and been a passenger in a car but not driven, no.

內森：我去過德國，也在德國坐過車，不過我沒有在德國開過車。

Julia: I've been a passenger on the autobahns. I really enjoyed it actually.

朱莉婭：我坐車上過高速公路。我非常享受那種感覺。

Nathan: Yeah. Is that because you're a speed demon — adrenaline freak?

內森：嗯。是因爲你是速度狂人嗎，你喜歡那種興奮的快感？

Julia: I like the freedom.

朱莉婭：我喜歡那種自由。

Nathan: Right.

內森：好。

Julia: And I think it takes away a lot of the road rage element.

朱莉婭：我認爲這可以減少路怒。

Nathan: Right.

內森：對。

Julia: I think people do drive responsibly. Often people break laws simply because the laws are there, you know. If the law isn't there, people drive within their ability range so the autobahns they're, as far as I know, I think they have a high safety rate.

朱莉婭：我認爲人們在開車時是負責任的。因爲有規則的存在所以纔會有違反規則的事情出現。如果沒有規則，人們在能力範圍內駕駛，據我所知，高速公路的安全程度是很高的。

Nathan: Oh really?

內森：哦，真的嗎？

Julia: Yeah, they have less accidents because when you've got speed limits this creates situations that actually present dangers on the road.

朱莉婭：對，高速公路很少發生事故，因爲限速反而使道路上的危險情況增加。

Nathan: Do those people then maybe I guess in Germany they maybe have better education about self responsibility when driving maybe?

內森：德國人是不是在駕駛責任上受到了更好的教育？

Julia: Possibly. They also have very good cars, very safe cars.

朱莉婭：可能吧。他們的車也更好，更安全。

Nathan: Right.

內森：對。

Julia: And you know if you've got like a Porsche or something that can go at that speed then it's so nice to be able to do that.

朱莉婭：你知道，如果開像保時捷這樣能達到高速的車，那是很棒的。

Nathan: Use it properly?

內森：駕駛得當？

Julia: Yeah, and safely because you know there's not going to be somebody in that outside lane obeying the speed limit to the letter who's going to present a danger to you. You're free, you can go at the speed you want. If there's people that want to drive slow, they have a lane that they can drive more slowly in.

朱莉婭：對，安全駕駛，因爲不會有嚴格遵守限速規則的人在外車道對你造成危險。你很自由，你可以想開多快開多快。如果有人想開慢點，可以設置一條慢速駕駛車道。

Nathan: Yeah.

內森：好。

Julia: So it kind of balances out. I think it's the restrictions that create the danger sometimes, based on the autobahns.

朱莉婭：這樣就可以做到平衡。我認爲從高速公路的情況來看，有時製造危險的就是那些限制條件。

Nathan: OK.

內森：好。

Julia: Obviously driving through a residential area or where there's a school you've got to have, but I think those things we have in the UK, those speed policemen.

朱莉婭：當然在駕駛經過居民區和學校時要有一定的限制，我想英國有那種限速警察。

Nathan: Speed bumps.

內森：減速帶。

Julia: Those speed bumps that force you to slow down, I think they're a good idea and perhaps the way to go.

朱莉婭：這些減速帶強制你減速，我認爲這是一個好方法，可以採取這種形式。

Nathan: To go, so you don't think fining people is useful?

內森：那你不認爲罰款很有效嗎？

Julia: Not really, no, because that relies on the police time and the police don't have time to police every single driver all the time and do that.

朱莉婭：我認爲那不太有用，因爲這要依靠警察的時間，可是警察並沒有時間一直監督所有司機、對違規行爲進行罰款。

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重點講解：
1. take away 拿走；奪走；
例句：Nothing can take away the anguish of lose a child.
什麼都不能解除失去孩子的巨大悲痛。
2. to the letter （執行指示）毫釐不爽地，不折不扣地；
例句：She obeyed his instructions to the letter.
她分毫不差地遵照他的吩咐去做。
3. balance out （使）平衡；（使）相抵；（使）抵消；
例句：On the average, such transformations balance out.
平均起來，這種轉化可以互相抵消。
4. slow down (使)放慢；(使)減速；
例句：Before turning, you should slow down your car.
轉彎前，你得先減速。
5. rely on 依賴；依靠；
例句：They have to rely on the river for their water.
他們用水只好依靠這條河。