speed up
boarding, are expected to be in service in 2012.
Mr Johnson said: "This iconic new part of our transport system is not only beautiful, but also has a green heart beating
beneath
its stylish, swooshing exterior".
He expects cities around the globe to be "beside themselves with envy" for what he described as a "stunning red emblem" of 21st-century London.
However, Mr Johnson has not yet persuaded everyone to climb
on board
. The mayor has been criticised by some for the high cost of the new buses. A normal double-decker bus costs around £190,000 (around 1,900,000 Yuan) but it has cost £7.8m (76,000,000 Yuan) to design and build five new ones.
大家来猜一下,是红色的,又是绿色的,是开放的却又是封闭的,是旧的却又是新的,这是什么呢?答案是:伦敦惊艳的新双层巴士。
传统的红色双层电车是伦敦的象征。这个标志性身份在2008年,一辆巴士穿越千山万水前往北京搭载一个特殊乘客时盖上印章,这个特殊的乘客就是奥运圣火。
现在,一种让伦敦人惊叹的新的巴士设计揭开了面纱。
这种新的巴士使用更加高效的环保技术,拥有两个楼梯和一个开放的平台,方便乘客跳上跳下。同时,前端还是独特的不对称设计,看上去非常新潮。
尽管比较有创新意识,然而该设计并不是全新的。这种巴士的外部是非常怀旧的伦敦古老的双层电车“马路大师”的形象。