英国人通勤时的行为准则
The dos and don'ts of the UK commute

乘坐公共交通工具时，如果旅程太漫长，你会用哪些方式打发时间呢？不少英国人花在上下班路途上的时间要比其它国家的通勤者长得多。我们可以从这些人身上学到哪些消磨时间的好方法呢？在公共交通工具上，有哪些事可以做，而哪些事又最好不做？哪些做法会让人觉得没素质？本集《随身英语》介绍和公共礼仪有关的英语词汇。

The average worldwide commute is around 40 minutes. But UK workers are travelling 54 minutes and Londoners commute approximately 80 minutes by car and over two hours by train every day, according to the UK Department of Transport. Drawing on all that travelling experience, what can these commuters teach us about how best to behave during all that time spent in cars, trains, and buses?

First of all, travel etiquette is important. A recent BBC article asked its readers to describe which of their fellow commuters' actions constituted bad manners. Top answers included taking too loudly, eating stinky food and putting feet up on the seats. Several respondents even mentioned a fellow train passenger clipping their toenails in the carriage. Their reactions on this boorish behaviour included feeling disgusted, perplexed and appalled. 

A more controversial activity is doing make-up. Opinions varied on whether this was impolite or inconsiderate. One reader said he was so offended by this conduct, he had to change carriages. However, the idea that make-up should be applied in private is an outdated concept, says professional make-up artist Nic Chapman and one half of beauty brand, Pixiwoo. "We are not ashamed of wearing make-up," she told the BBC. Dilruba Khanom told the BBC "I do admire a woman's confidence to not give two hoots and slap on the face."

But a long commute isn't just about negative experiences. Many UK commuters turned to innovative activities to better make use of their time on transport. 37-year-old Ben Yallop, who manages international judicial relations at the Royal Courts of Justice, used his daily three-hour trip to write and self-publish two novels. He started "jotting down ideas" for a series of them. "I've done almost all my research, plotting and writing on the train," he tells the BBC. Alternatively, 24-year-old Amy Dickett uses her 90-minute trip to photograph fellow commuters for her Commute Blog. She snaps a picture and asks them to tell her something surprising about themselves. "Usually they are surprised but glad to have some entertainment on an otherwise boring journey. Often the people around us join in and will ask their own questions," she told the BBC.

So, no matter where or how long your journey is, take a leaf from the UK commuter's book. Don't antagonise your fellow passengers and rather than staring into space – use your time creatively.

词汇表

etiquette 礼仪、礼节
bad manners 不礼貌，不文明
clip （用指甲刀）剪
toenail 脚趾甲
boorish 粗鲁的
disgusted 厌恶的，恶心的
perplexed 困惑的
appalled 目瞪口呆的
impolite 无礼的
inconsiderate 不考虑他人的
conduct 行为
ashamed 羞耻的
not give two hoots 完全不在乎
slap on the face 化妆
self-publish 自费出版
jot down ideas 随手记下想法
blog 博客
snap a picture 拍一张照片
antagonise 引起…的反感 

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. On average, how long do UK workers travel to get to work?

2. How did people react to someone trimming their toenails on the train?

3. What does Nic Chapman say is an outdated concept?

4. How do people react to Amy asking them to be in her blog?

5. Which word in the text means 'using new methods or ideas'?

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. I saw a man picking his nose on the train. It made me feel sick. I was ______.

boorish       appalled       perplexed       impolite

2. OK guys, this is a brainstorming session. Take some paper and ______.

self-publish       snap a picture       jot down ideas       blog

3. John, don't ______ your brother. He is already upset. Don't make it worse.

antagonise       conduct       impolite       clip

4. What do you mean you stole? That's very bad! You should be ______!

ashamed        inconsiderate       antagonise       inconsiderate

5. Excuse me, sir. Could you ______ of us in front of the statue?

etiquette        conduct       slap on the face       snap a picture

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. On average, how long do UK workers travel to get to work?
On average, UK workers travel for around 54 minutes.

2. How did people react to someone trimming their toenails on the train?
They were disgusted, perplexed and appalled.

3. What does Nic Chapman say is an outdated concept?
The idea that make-up should be applied in private.

4. How do people react to Amy asking them to be in her blog?
Usually they are surprised but glad to have some entertainment on an otherwise boring journey.

5. Which word in the text means 'using new methods or ideas'?
Innovative. (UK commuters, rather than upsetting their fellows, have turned to innovative activities to better make use of their time.)

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. I saw a man picking his nose on the train. It made me feel sick. I was appalled.

2. OK guys, this is a brainstorming session. Take some paper and jot down ideas.

3. John, don't antagonise your brother. He is already upset. Don't make it worse.

4. What do you mean you stole? That's very bad! You should be ashamed!

5. Excuse me, sir. Could you snap a picture of us in front of the statue?