2006年VOA标准英语-Small, Fast Cars Keep Turin Moving

By Steve Schy
Turin
18 February 2006

While most American journalists covering the Turin Olympics get around on buses, sometimes the buses get stuck in congestion¹ created by swarms² of smaller cars. It can be difficult to tell whether you are on your way to the Media Center or in the middle of a Formula One race.

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Smart Car
  

The first thing most Americans notice about the traffic in Italy is that the cars are much smaller than in the United States. Even though most of the brands are familiar, such as Fiat³, Volkswagen, Toyota, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, the models on the road are totally different.

They look like they got shrunk in the wash. Maybe it is their smaller size, but the cars really seem to move faster here. With horns blaring and high-beam headlights flashing, they zip in and out of traffic with a reckless sense of abandon that can make non-Italian drivers cover their eyes in horror. Elisa Genna, who has lived in Turin since 1997, shared her opinion with VOA Sports.

"In the morning from seven A.M. to nine A.M., when they have to go to work, they drive in a very dangerous way sometimes, no? Even if the light is red, [they drive] as if it was normal [green]," said Elisa Genna. "In other times, as in the weekend, they drive in a normal way."

Even in the so-called normal times, accidents seem imminent⁴ at any moment. I have seen several near-misses, but so far, no accidents. But what I have seen are Fiats⁵. Lots and lots of little Fiats with short names, and even shorter wheelbases. Punto, Panda, Stilo…these are just some of the nameplates I have been quick enough to read before the car zoomed⁶ out of sight. 

Elisabetta Catto  
  
There are practical reasons for the smaller cars in Turin. Elisabetta Catto told VOA the gas prices here are very high.

"One euro, 20 cents [per liter]," said Elisabetta Catto. "But I do not look at the cost because I prefer not to know the amount of the gasoline. But I know that it is very high, and for me it is an important cost."

One euro 20 a liter works out to more than $5.40 a gallon. With costs so high, the more kilometers to the tank-full, the better.

Parking is another reason small cars are an advantage. With space at a premium⁷, it is easier to find a place to park. Even so, you see the cars lined up bumper⁸ to bumper on the street, and filling the medians on major roads. But Elisa Catto says parking is a big problem in Turin.

 
Cars are lining⁹ the edge of every street
  
"There is no parking," she said. "It is very difficult. If you must go with a car because there is not a lot of public transportation, you know you probably not easily find a [parking] place."

Another major difference is the transmission. Looking down on traffic from the bus window, virtually every driver has a hand on the stick shift. I have not seen an automatic transmission yet.

It is a shame, because they would really come in handy since traffic signals are not synchronized¹⁰. You stop at a red light, wait for the green, then go just a block or two before hitting another red light. No wonder our bus driver is mumbling¹¹ to himself. I am just glad I am not the one driving.

1 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。

2 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

3 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

4 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

5 fiats   

n.命令，许可( fiat的名词复数 )；菲亚特汽车（意大利品牌）

参考例句：

6 zoomed   

v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去式 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨

参考例句：

• Traffic zoomed past us. 车辆从我们身边疾驰而过。
• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

8 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

9 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

10 synchronized   

同步的

参考例句：

• Do not use the synchronized keyword in Managed Objects. 不要在管理对象上使用synchronized关键字。 来自互联网
• The timing of the gun was precisely synchronized with the turning of the plane's propeller. 风门的调速与飞机螺旋桨的转动精确同步。 来自辞典例句

11 mumbling   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him mumbling to himself. 我听到他在喃喃自语。
• He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 宴会结束时，他仍在咕哝着医院里的事。说着说着，他在一块冰上滑倒，跌断了左腿。