听播客学英语 55 生日快乐

 　　That was Mr Chuck Berry¹. He was riding along in his automobile², and he is here to help us celebrate a special birthday. Yes, dear listeners, this week saw the 50th birthday of Britain’s first motorway³.

　　Germany and Italy built their first motorways⁴ before the second World War, but in Britain we waited until the 1950’s. Our first proper motorway ran for about 100 km north from London into the centre of England. The government gave it the romantic name “M1” – the “M” stands for “motorway”, of course. And 50 years ago this week, the first cars and lorries started to use it.

　　A lot of things were very different then. There were no speed limits on the new motorway. You could drive as fast as you liked. There were no crash barriers in the middle of the road, and no lighting⁵. And there were many fewer cars than today. The M1 was originally built for 13,000 vehicles a day. Today, it regularly carries 10 times that number.

　　There was lots of public interest in the new motorway. People stood on the bridges over the motorway and cheered and waved as the cars passed below them. Drivers enjoyed going as fast as they wanted – though often the cars did not enjoy it as much as the drivers, and there were lots of breakdowns⁶ from things like overheated engines. At weekends, families who were lucky enough to own a car used to get in the car and drive up and down the new motorway, just for fun. If they were really lucky, Dad might even stop at one of the new service stations to fill the car with petrol, and everyone could get out and get something to eat. It all seemed very new and modern and exciting.

　　Before the motorways were built, long-distance journeys by road were slow and difficult. Most of the main roads were narrow and twisting, and ran through the centre of towns, instead of round the edge. If people wanted to travel a long way, they normally⁷ took the train. But the trains were often slow and dirty, and the number of people using them was falling. So in the 1950’s it seemed very sensible⁸ to build new roads and close old railway lines.

　　Today, the M1 often looks like this!

　　What is it like today? We have over 3000 km of motorway in Britain, and some of our motorways are the busiest in Europe. We also have huge traffic jams and pollution, and endless road works⁹. When the M1 was built, there were only 2 million vehicles in the country. There are now well over 30 million vehicles on Britain’s roads, and they all seem to be on the same road as me! In the 1950’s, hardly anyone opposed the building of the first motorways. Today, many people say that if you build more roads, they will quickly fill up with more cars. And the motorway service stations, which once seemed so glamorous¹⁰, are today crowded and expensive, with huge car parks full of Coca-Cola cans and empty crisp¹¹ packets.

　　Happy birthday, M1.

1 berry   

n.浆果(如草莓等)

参考例句：

• This kind of jam is made of berry.这种果酱是由浆果做的。
• Every berry and cherry carried in the ferry is very merry.渡船里载运的每一颗草莓和樱桃都很快乐。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 motorway   

n.高速公路，快车道

参考例句：

• Our car had a breakdown on the motorway.我们的汽车在高速公路上抛锚了。
• A maniac driver sped 35 miles along the wrong side of a motorway at 110 mph.一个疯狂的司机以每小时110英里的速度在高速公路上逆行飙车35英里。

4 motorways   

n.高速公路( motorway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most of Britain's motorways radiated from London. 英国的大多数公路从伦敦向四方延伸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Cuba is well served by motorways. 古巴的高速公路四通八达。 来自辞典例句

5 lighting   

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。

6 breakdowns   

n.分解( breakdown的名词复数 )；衰竭；（车辆或机器的）损坏；统计分析

参考例句：

• Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. 她的旧车老不听使唤，一路上总是出故障。 来自辞典例句
• How do we prevent these continual breakdowns? 我们如何防止这些一再出现的故障？ 来自辞典例句

7 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

8 sensible   

adj.可察觉的，意识到的，实用的；n.可感知物

参考例句：

• Are you sensible of the dangers of your position? 你觉察到你处境中的危险了吗？
• He was sensible enough to mind his own business.他颇有见识，不去管闲事。

9 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

10 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

11 crisp   

adj.脆的；清新的；扼要的；n.[pl.]油炸土豆片

参考例句：

• What a crisp voice she has!听她的嗓音多脆！
• These pears are sweet and crisp.这种梨又甜又脆。