VOA标准英语2009年-South African Police Patrol New Rapid Bus

In South Africa, police have stepped up protection for Johannesburg's new rapid bus service, after two people were shot by gunmen allegedly traveling in a private minibus. Some minibus operators oppose the new service that was launched this week to serve daily commuters and football fans during next year's soccer World Cup.
　
Police keep guard inside a bus during the launch of the BRT rapid transit¹ system in Johannesburg, 30 Aug 2009

A policeman and a passenger traveling on Johannesburg's fledgling rapid bus system were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting late Tuesday, but the modern buses were back on the roads with police escorts.

The new service was launched this week, but struggled with high demand Monday as operators of private minibuses stayed home during the bus system's first day of full operations. Many private operators returned to the streets Tuesday.

Although some private minibus unions support the new system, others are afraid it will hurt their livelihoods².

The secretary-general of one of these, Philip Taaibosch of the National Taxi Council, condemned³ the attack and called for the arrest of the perpetrators. But he also told national radio that his group must not be edged out of the lucrative⁴ industry.

"You cannot continue to exclude the directly affected⁵ operators on the basis that you recognize [only] the people you have started with the program [with], " said Philip Taaibosch. "It is good that you started with people, but you must recognize that nobody has an open-ended position within the taxi industry."

A member of the Johannesburg Council on Transportation, Rehana Moosajee, says the government has pledged to partner with the private operators and has already recruited some of their workers to drive the new buses and staff the stations.

"Formal negotiations⁶ are indeed ongoing," said Moosajee. "We have reiterated⁷ many times that we appeal to all sectors⁸ of the taxi industry, those who are working with us, those who remain outside, to come back to government so that we can in fact continue to talk about concerns that may be there."

She said private operators could also play an important role in carrying commuters from outlying areas to stations along the new line.

The $250 million system, called Rea Vaya or We Are Moving, is meant to provide inexpensive, reliable public transportation between downtown Johannesburg and its sprawling⁹ suburban¹⁰ townships.

The first phase links the city center to Soweto. The buses travel in reserved lanes and stop at dedicated¹¹ stations every 500 meters along the 25-kilometer-long route.

The buses run every three minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes at other times. Their subsidized fares are lower than those of the private minibuses.

On opening day, a supervisor¹² at one of the stations, Asana Ramzah, said the new system was running smoothly¹³ despite some teething problems.

"There are a lot of challenges, but hopefully soon we will overcome them," said Ramzah. "A lot of people have been coming. Since half-past four until now it has been busy. Otherwise people are excited."

The routes run near the city's two largest stadiums. The city plans to expand the system to 80 kilometers by next year's soccer World Cup and eventually to 300 kilometers.

Similar rapid bus systems are also planned for other South African cities.

The minibus system began as private cars, or taxis, serving mostly black workers in the townships because of a lack of public transportation during the apartheid era.

The industry today is worth billions of dollars. It still is largely self-regulated and highly competitive. Disputes over routes often become violent. And many commuters complain that bad drivers and unsafe vehicles cause deadly accidents on South Africa's roads.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

8 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

10 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

13 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。