2007年VOA标准英语-Battered Cars Cross Africa in Mock Dakar Rally

By Kari Barber
Dakar
20 January 2007

As Senegal prepares for the finale of the world-renowned Dakar Rally, another group of drivers is taking on an even more unusual Europe to Africa journey.  The Plymouth-Banjul Challenge is a parody¹ of the Dakar rally in which participants drive cars that cost less than $200 from England to Gambia to benefit charities. Kari Barber caught up with one wave of participants on the last leg of their journey in northern Senegal and has this report.

 
Participants in the Plymouth-Banjul Rally depart Gandiol, Senegal
They may sound rough, but these cars have covered thousands of kilometers through mountains and desert sandstorms on their way to the Gambia to be auctioned² for charity.

Organizers of the three-week-long event admit they picked the least experienced applicants³.

Pharmaceutical⁴ worker Kristen Harper had to leave her 1992 Opal Omega behind in the Moroccan desert when her group could not repair the radiator⁵.

 
Senegalese children line the street of Kebemer, Senegal, to watch the Plymouth-Banjul Rally
"There have been two points where I thought, 'This is not worth it.  I am going home.' That was the first one where I thought, 'I want my mommy,'" she said.

They were picked up by Roger Norum, who was making the drive alone.  Norum says he knows about cars, but this trip has forced him to get more creative.  He repaired a muffler using a clothes hanger⁶ and duct tape.

"If you look around and see some of the MacGyver [television character] quick fixes that some people have done to some of the their cars, it is really a testament⁷ to the human imagination," he noted⁸.

 
Plymouth-Banjul participant Roger Norum shows paperwork to a Senegalese customs officer
Drivers were supposed to spend less than $30 on pre-race repairs.  With no support trucks or helicopters in this rally, drivers rely on one another when they break down.

Stuart Devon says his BMW has broken down more than 300 times. 

"We might have broken a little bit of a suspension, we have got a hole in our exhaust you can fit your head in and the back box is missing," he said.  "We put a whole in our fuel tank, but we are not using it so it does not matter."

 
A participant in the Plymouth-Banjul Rally drives a London taxi
through Senegal
In place of the fuel tank Devon and his partner have fuel lines running out of the hood⁹, through the sunroof and into a jerry in the back seat.

"It is brilliant because it should not be here.  Not only because it is broken down all the time, but it is just not designed to go anywhere near a beach let alone a desert in a sandstorm," he added.

As the group rumbles¹⁰ and rattles¹¹ its way to the start line on this day's stage, Devon says he does not think the Dakar Rally can compare to this race.

"If I did it again, I would want to do it in a stupid car again," he explained.

 

1 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

2 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

4 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

5 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

6 hanger   

n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩

参考例句：

• I hung my coat up on a hanger.我把外衣挂在挂钩上。
• The ship is fitted with a large helicopter hanger and flight deck.这艘船配备有一个较大的直升飞机悬挂装置和飞行甲板。

7 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

10 rumbles   

隆隆声，辘辘声( rumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If I hear any rumbles I'll let you know. 我要是听到什么风声就告诉你。
• Three blocks away train rumbles by. 三个街区以外，火车隆隆驶过。

11 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。