2015年经济学人 天使之城的生活 堵在路上的富豪座驾

Life in Los Angeles

Vans of the rich and gridlocked

Vehicles that make waiting in traffic a pleasure

“I HATE driving in Los Angeles—the traffic makes you want to shoot yourself,” says Dr Dre, a rapper. So he buys wheels from Becker Automotive Design, a Californian firm that customises rides for the rich and gridlocked. His latest purchase is a stretched Cadillac Escalade with a flat-screen television and a digital system that allows him to browse¹ his home film library in the car. “I like to close the curtains, relax and watch Martin Scorsese films,” says Dr Dre.

Todd Doney, a property broker², used to spend three or four hours a day stuck behind the wheel of his Bentley. Now he spends that time talking to clients on the telephone, returning e-mails, and going over documents. His chauffeur-driven car is, in effect, a tricked-out mobile office. “I feel like I'm beating the system because I can work while everyone else is stuck in traffic,” he says.

For three years in a row, congestion³ in Los Angeles has been the worst in America. That is good news for Howard Becker, the founder⁴ of Becker Automotive. He began his business in the 1970s, installing sound systems for the Beverly Hills glitterati. Today, he customises cars and vans for clients such as Mark Wahlberg, an actor, and King Abdullah of Jordan.

The vans take up to seven months to complete and come with such features as touch-screen computers, wireless⁵ Internet, cable TV, seats for half a dozen people, bathrooms—and, in one case, an exercise bicycle welded to the floor so the owner could work out.

Becker cars are not cheap: they range from 150,000 for a basic rolling palace to more than 500,000 for an armoured one. (These are apparently⁶ popular in the Middle East and Africa, where security is a priority, as well as with nervous celebrities⁷.) On the inside, Mr Becker's cars can be as opulent as you like, but most customers prefer the outside to be understated. If you are a star stuck in traffic, it is unwise to advertise the fact. Who wants to be mobbed by fans on the freeway?

Two decades ago in “Let me ride”, Dr Dre boasted that his car had “16 switches” and “sounds for the bitches”, adding that he was “clockin' all the riches”. Today, nearly 50 years old and worth 800m, he no longer feels the need to show off. “When I was younger, I wanted Ferraris and Bentleys and Rolls Royces,” he says. “But now, I'm beyond that. I just want to sit in the back of the car and relax.”

1 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目