如何避免堵车：英语精读讲义

There are 4 billion hours of travel delays in America each year

美国每年因出行延误损失的时间累计达40亿小时，

contributing to pollution, fossil fuel waste, 語法

这不仅加剧污染、浪费化石燃料，

and costing us all money.

还让我们所有人蒙受经济损失。

An estimated 87.2 billion dollars.

据估计，损失高达872亿美元。

Not to mention traffic is just plain annoying. 短語搭配

更别提堵车本身就让人心烦。

But is there a solution to your traffic woes?

但你的堵车烦恼有解决办法吗？

Traffic is often due to construction,

堵车通常源于道路施工、

an accident, or bottlenecks created by on-ramps and tunnels.

交通事故，或入口匝道和隧道形成的瓶颈。

But do you ever feel like congestion just seems to appear for no reason? 表達脈絡

但你是否也觉得，有时拥堵似乎毫无缘由地就出现了？

You aren't imagining it. 語氣意圖

这并不是你的错觉。

In a 2008 experiment,

在2008年的一项实验中，

drivers were instructed to drive along a circular road 語法

驾驶员被要求沿着一条环形道路行驶，

following the car in front of them while trying to maintain a constant speed.

跟随前车，同时尽量保持恒定车速。

As the participants drove,

随着参与者不断行驶，

they started to have fluctuations in the speed.

他们的车速开始出现波动。

These fluctuations increased,

这些波动越来越大，

eventually causing cars to stop completely,

最终导致车辆完全停下，

which broke the free flow and led to traffic jams without any added factors.

打破了顺畅的车流，即使没有任何额外因素也造成了堵车。

Researchers compare traffic jams to the particles in a liquid and a solid. 表達脈絡

研究人员把交通拥堵比作液体和固体中的粒子。

Moving cars are like the free-flowing particles in a liquid,

行驶中的汽车就像液体里自由流动的粒子，

but can undergo a phase transition to that of a compacted solid. 講解

但也可能发生相变，变成紧密排列的固体状态。

Once the particles or cars reach a critical density, 短語搭配

一旦粒子或汽车达到临界密度，

gridlock happens.

就会出现交通僵局。

One of the key reasons gridlock happens is our inability to maintain a constant speed. 語法

出现交通僵局的一个关键原因，是我们无法保持恒定车速。

When a traffic break happens,

当前方车流出现空当时，

most accelerate to catch up to the vehicle ahead, 短語動詞

大多数人会加速追上前车，

resulting in eventual braking that forces the drivers behind to slow down, 語法

随后又不得不刹车，迫使后方驾驶员减速，

only causing the jam to grow. 語法

结果只会让拥堵越来越严重。

When you're in a traffic jam,

当你身处堵车之中时，

you're part of the problem. 短語搭配

你也是问题的一部分。

Studies show that 80 to 90% of drivers think they're better than the average driver,

研究显示，80%到90%的驾驶员认为自己的驾驶水平高于平均水平，

which is impossible.

但这显然不可能。

Additionally, as humans,

此外，作为人类，

our attention is selective,

我们的注意力具有选择性，

and we tend to forget that other drivers are people too.

而且往往会忘记其他驾驶员也是人。

Kind of like commenting online. 表達脈絡

这有点像在网上发表评论。

We can dehumanize other drivers in ways we wouldn't face-to-face.

我们会不把其他驾驶员当人看，而面对面时却不会这样。

This leads to jerks on the road, 用詞

这会让一些人在路上变得蛮横无礼，

following too closely, or constantly changing lanes,

比如跟车太近或不停变道，

which contributes directly to the congestion that creates traffic jams.

而这些行为会直接加剧车流拥塞，进而造成堵车。

Thankfully, as the good driver you are,

好在，作为一名优秀的驾驶员，

you can make a difference.

你可以带来改变。

Pay attention to the car ahead and behind you

留意前车和后车，

to keep a buffer of space around you. 短語搭配

为自己四周留出缓冲空间。

This way, if the driver in front of you brakes, 表達脈絡

这样一来，如果前车刹车，

you have room to slow down and won't pass the braking tension along the chain of traffic. 講解

你就有余地减速，也不会让刹车效应沿着车流一层层传下去。

Drive slower.

开慢一点。

Set your car to cruise control to try driving at a consistent speed. 講解

将车辆设为定速巡航，尽量以稳定的速度行驶。

In Belgium and the Netherlands,

在比利时和荷兰，

there's a technique implemented at times of high volume known as block driving, 講解

车流量大时，有时会采用一种叫作“车队行驶”的方法，

where a chain of cars drive at a consistent speed to help others keep pace. 短語搭配

即让一串车辆保持一致车速，帮助其他车辆跟上节奏。

Police have also used this strategy for 15 years, 語法

15年来，警方也一直在采用这种策略，

driving at an appropriate pace in groups to keep the flow of traffic moving. 語法

让警车成组以适当速度行驶，维持车流顺畅。

Of course,

当然，

the advent of autonomous self-driving cars 用詞

自动驾驶汽车的出现

will see automobiles that are able to connect and communicate with one another vehicle-to-vehicle,

将让汽车能够通过车对车通信彼此连接、相互交流，

and is expected to reduce traffic jams significantly. 語法

而这预计会大幅减少交通拥堵。

Additionally,

此外，

researchers are using biologically inspired algorithms to reduce travel times. 用詞

研究人员还在利用受生物学启发的算法来缩短出行时间。

In one study,

在一项研究中，

researchers applied a model based on ant travel behavior as a way to route traffic. 語法

研究人员采用了一个基于蚂蚁行进方式的模型来规划车流路线。

Changes in infrastructure work too. 用詞

改善基础设施也有效。

Recently,

最近，

Los Angeles became the first city to synchronize every street light, 語法

洛杉矶成为第一个让所有交通信号灯实现同步的城市，

causing lights to make automatic adjustments based on flow,

让信号灯能够根据车流自动调整，

which has reduced travel time by 14%. 語法

从而将出行时间缩短了14%。

Traffic aside, 表達脈絡

除了应对堵车，

another solution is taking public transit when possible.

另一个办法是在条件允许时乘坐公共交通。

An MIT study of Boston traffic

麻省理工学院一项针对波士顿交通的研究

found that if 1% of current drivers took transit, 語法

发现，如果目前1%的驾驶员改乘公共交通，

everyone's commute would be reduced by 18%.

每个人的通勤时间都会缩短18%。

Of course, companies like Toyota,

当然，像Toyota这样的公司

who supported this episode,

（Toyota赞助了本期节目）

are finding new ways to address mobility challenges, 短語搭配

正在寻找应对出行挑战的新方法，

developing future technologies to interconnect drivers and vehicles with road infrastructure.

并开发未来技术，将驾驶员和车辆与道路基础设施互联。

Toyota is launching their new Corolla iM hatchback

Toyota即将推出全新的Corolla iM掀背车，

with the Toyota Safety Sense technologies

配备Toyota Safety Sense安全技术，

like pre-collision systems,

例如预碰撞系统、

automatic high beams,

自动远光灯

and lane departure alert,

和车道偏离警示系统，

all of which will be standard and launching across Canada this September. 語法

这些技术都将成为标准配置，并于今年9月在加拿大全面推出。

They also have a goal to produce vehicles with zero emissions by 2050,

Toyota还制定了到2050年生产零排放汽车的目标，

which is something we really support.

这是我们非常支持的愿景。

So,

所以，

special thanks to Toyota for supporting our channel

特别感谢Toyota对我们频道的支持，

and being a leader in the science and technology space. 用詞

也感谢他们在科学与技术领域发挥引领作用。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

还请订阅我们的频道，每周收看更多科学视频。