London's New 'Green' Red Buses 伦敦新巴士惊艳亮相
What is red but green, open but closed and old but new? Answer: London'sstunningnew double-decker buses.
The traditional red double-deckers are a symbol of London. Theiriconicstatus wassealed in 2008 when one bus made the longer-than-usual trip to Beijing to collect a very special passenger: the Olympic Flame.
Now a new bus design has been unveiled and it has been wowing Londoners.
The new bus uses more efficient green technology and has two staircases and an open platform,enablingpeople tohop on and hop off. It also has auniqueasymmetricdesign for the front end, which gives it afuturisticlook.
Despite its innovations the design is not all new. Its exterior is veryreminiscent ofLondon's faithful old double-decker, the Routemaster.
In December 2005 the original Routemaster was withdrawn from general service foraccessibilityand environmental reasons, but it can still be seen on two heritage routes in London.
In July 2008 a competition was launched by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, to design a new Routemaster bus for the capital. There were over 700 entries, with several designers jointly winning the £25,000 (244,000 Yuan) prize.
The new double-deckers, which have three doors tospeed upboarding, 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 beatingbeneathits 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 climbon 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。
2005年12月,出于便于使用和环保方面的原因,最初的“马路大师”退出大众服务。但是在伦敦的两条游览路线还是可以见到它们的身影。
2008年7月,伦敦市长Boris Johnson发起了一项竞赛,为首都设计一款新的“马路大师”。共有700多名参赛者,几名设计师共同获得了25,000英镑(244,000元人民币)的奖金。
这种新的双层巴士有三个车门,可以增加上下车的速度。预计将在2012年开始提供服务。
Johnson说:“我们交通体系中这个标志性的部分不仅非常漂亮,而且在它流行的旋弧形外观下还隐藏着一颗绿色环保的心脏。”
他认为,全球的城市都将因为21世纪伦敦“令人惊艳的红色标志”而极度羡慕。
然而,Johnson还未能说服每个人登上这辆巴士。由于这种新巴士高昂的费用,伦敦市长受到一些人的批评。普通双层巴士只需耗费190,000英镑(1,900,000元),但是这种新的巴士从设计到建造,五辆巴士已经耗费了780万英镑(76,000,000元)。
1.stunning adj.了不起的,出色的,漂亮的;极有魅力的,给人印象深刻的
例句:The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance.
观众席上鸦雀无声,人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。
The dress was absolutely plain, but quite stunning.
这件裙装非常简单,但是十分漂亮。
2.seal vt.盖章于;盖戳;在…上加盖检验封印
例句:All goods were sealed.
所有货物都加盖了检验合格封印。
3.iconic adj.符号的;图标的;图符的;偶像的
4.enable vt.使能够; 提供做…的权利[措施]; 使有机会
例句:A majority vote enabled the passage of the resolution.
多数人投赞成票使议案得以通过。
5.unique adj.独一无二的, 仅有的, 惟一的
例句:I am in a rather unique position, as my job is different from anyone else's.
我的情况很特殊, 因为我的工作与众不同。
6.asymmetric adj.不对称的,不匀称的
例句:asymmetrical shapes
不对称的形状
7.futuristic adj.合于未来的; 极新潮的; 非传统的
8.accessibility n.易接近,可到达
9.beneath prep.在…的下方, 在…的底下
例句:They sheltered beneath their umbrellas.
他们躲到了伞下。
(表示状态)在…掩饰之下, 在…背面
例句:Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on.
事情迅速平静下来了, 然而, 在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声, 持续不断。
1.The new bus uses more efficient green technology and has two staircases and an open platform, enabling people to hop on and hop off.
hop on and hop off跳上跳下
2. Its exterior is very reminiscent of London's faithful old double-decker, the Routemaster.
reminiscent of发人联想的;提示的
例句:His writings are reminiscent of ancient classical writers.
他的作品很像古代的古典作家的作品。
An evening reminiscent of happier times.
令人回想幸福时光的傍晚
3.The new double-deckers, which have three doors to speed up boarding, are expected to be in service in 2012.
speed up(使)加速
例句:We'll never get there if he doesn't speed up.
如果他不快些走, 我们一定到不了那里。
We are speeding up the mechanization of our agriculture.
我们正在加快农业机械化的步伐。
4.However, Mr Johnson has not yet persuaded everyone to climb on board.
on board在船〔火车, 飞机, 汽车〕上
例句:When all passengers were on board, the train pulled out of the station.
所有乘客都上车后, 火车开出了车站。
When all the people were on board, the boat bore away.
当所有人都上船后, 那艘船离岸了。