近些年来，通过用手机应用程序叫车上下班已经成为很多人常用的通勤方式。然而，随着使用这类软件的用户数不断增加，城市内的交通拥堵情况也变得更加严重：更多的车辆减慢了车流速度，从而导致道路交通瘫痪。我们可以怎样解决这个难题？跟随本集《随身英语》了解新出行方式的利弊。

课文内容

Vocabulary: traffic and transport 词汇: 交通运输

Have you ever taken a taxi? In the past, doing so meant finding one, flagging it down and telling the driver where you wanted to go, paying, and possibly, adding a tip. And while this still happens, it’s less common than it used to be. These days, it’s much easier to open a ride-hailing app. All of the boring stuff gets taken care of. It’s a perfect solution!

Except that it isn’t. A recent report from urban transport consultant Bruce Schaller, who spent the last four years studying traffic flow in New York, concluded that the use of these app-based journeys is causing traffic jams. The 81% increase in these city-based rides means that there are now five times more of them than the iconic yellow taxicab.

“It’s the shift in patronage from public transport,” he told the BBC. For whatever reason, people decide that it’s just too much hassle. “That means moving people from larger vehicles into smaller ones, which means more vehicles to move the same people. Therefore, more traffic.” In addition, the sheer number of cars now looking for a commuter means that they spend 45% of their time empty, just cruising for a fare, and inadvertently clogging up the city’s infrastructure.

“They are out there in force at the worst possible times,” said Prof Christo Wilson, a computer scientist at Northeastern University, who has also studied the services. He refers to Uber’s traffic data, which ‘perfectly matches the peaks for the rush hour.’ He also adds that the low fares and convenience mean that people are ordering rides to go from A to B when they wouldn’t normally. Both help contribute to the gridlock.

So what can be done to stop traffic from backing up or bottlenecking? One solution involves combining ride-hailing with sharing. Many ride-hailing companies, such as Uber, Didi Chuxing in China and Ola in India enable customers to carpool. This allows travellers who share similar destinations to share the journey. The app enables an en route pickup,which means more streamlined traffic, and less time spent with an empty vehicle.

Could this decongest the world’s jam-packed roads? It is certainly one solution. But maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the more traditional public transport options. "Congestion is a really complicated issue," said Andrew Salzberg, head of Uber's transport policy. But, “There is no more efficient way to move people around than public transport," he added. So don’t do away with that bus pass just yet.

词汇表

flag down 挥手拦车
ride-hailing 叫车服务
traffic flow 交通流量
traffic jam 交通堵塞
public transport 公共交通
vehicle（车辆等）交通工具
commuter 通勤者
cruise for a fare 慢行寻找一位出租车乘客
clog up 使…堵塞
infrastructure 基础设施
rush hour（上下班）高峰期
from A to B 从一个地方到另一个地方
gridlock（城市）交通大瘫痪
back up 堵车
bottleneck 在狭窄路段堵车
carpool 拼车
destination 目的地
en route 在途中的
pickup 接人
streamline 高效的
decongest 减轻、减缓交通拥堵
jam-packed 拥挤不堪的、水泄不通的

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How many more ride-hailing vehicles are there in New York than traditional yellow taxis?

2. How much of a ride-hailing vehicle’s time is spent empty?

3. Why are people taking ride-hailing vehicles than they normally would?

4. What solution to ease congestion do Uber, Didi Chuxing and Ola offer?

5. True or false: Public transport will never be as good as ride-hailing.

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. If you’re going downtown, I wouldn’t take 2nd avenue. It’s ______ down there. You won’t get through.

bottleneck traffic jam streamline gridlock

2. My friend and I are going on a driving holiday! We want to ______ along route 66!

flag down clog up cruise back up

3. He won’t be long. He said he was ______ 10 minutes ago so another five minutes?

infrastructure en route streamline jam-packed

4. Please stop combing your hair in the shower! It ______ the drain!

bottlenecks gridlock blocks up decongests

5. Much of the country’s ______ was damaged by the hurricane meaning roads are blocked and power is down.

public transport rush hour destination infrastructure

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How many more ride-hailing vehicles are there in New York than traditional yellow taxis?
The 81% increase in these city-based rides in means that there are now five times more of them than the iconic yellow taxicab.

2. How much of a ride-hailing vehicle’s time is spent empty?
They spend 45% of their time empty, just cruising for a fare, and inadvertently clogging up the city’s infrastructure.

3. Why are people taking ride-hailing vehicles than they normally would?
Low fares and convenience mean that people are ordering rides to go from A to B when they wouldn’t normally.

4. What solution to ease congestion do Uber, Didi Chuxing and Ola offer?
They enable customers to carpool.

5. True or false: Public transport will never be as good as ride-hailing.
False. According to Andrew Salzburg, there is no more efficient way to move people around than public transport.