萨摩亚人

萨摩亚人 October 1, 2009 Vol. 73 Jason W. Crockett Move to Your Left Drivers in Samoa braced for a big change on September 7. At 6 a.m., the prime minister announced on the radio that people were to stop driving on the right side of the road and start driving on the left side, making Samoa the first country to switch sides since the 1970s. The government declared a two-day holiday and a three-day ban on alcohol sales to help ensure a smooth transition. Samoa made the controversial decision to switch from right-hand to left-hand traffic to make it easier for Samoan to purchase inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars from Australia and New Zealand, where people also drive on the left. However, opponents claimed that changing sides would lead to an increase in car accidents. Bus drivers were particularly upset about the changeover, arguing that passengers would now have to enter and exit buses in the middle of the road. No one is quite sure why the world is divided between countries that drive on the left and those that drive on the right. Approximately 72% of countries drive on the right, including the United States, continental Europe, and most of Asia. The United Kingdom and its former colonies such as India, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, now still remain the left-hand traffic. In the days of horse-drawn vehicles, most people traveled on the left side, using a whip with the thleft hand without disturbing oncoming traffic. However, France began using the right side in the late 18 century, and Napoleon brought the custom to the European nations that he conquered. In the United States, Henry Ford’s mass-produced automobiles included controls on the left side, which made all drivers easier to drive on the right. Once these motor vehicles became popular, many countries switched to the right side to accommodate to them. Reading Comprehension ( ) 1. What did the drivers in Samoa do on September 7? (A) They celebrated the National Day of Samoa. (B) They stopped driving on the right side of the road. (C) They had a 3-day public holiday from that day. (D) They could buy inexpensive cars imported from Australia. ( ) 2. In which of following countries should people need to drive on the right side of the road? (A) France (B) Singapore (C) India (D) Australia ( ) 3. According to the article, we could infer that _______________. (A) the decision to change which side of road to drive is up to all citizens (B) the doors of the buses in Samoa are on the left side (C) from then on Samoan had two days off in each September (D) not all Samoan approved of the left-hand traffic policy ( ) 4. The adverb “approximately” in the third paragraph means “_________.” (A) barely (B) definitely (C) almost (D) exactly ( ) 5. Which of the following statements is NOT true? (A) Mass-produced cars made many countries change from left-hand to the right-hand traffic. (B) France started using the right side of the road after Napoleon conquered the Europe. st (C) Samoa is the first nation to switch from the right-hand to the left-hand traffic in the 21 century. (D) Horse-drawn vehicles have its driving seat on the right side. Vocabulary and Phrases 1. Samoa [,,,,;,] n. 薩摩亞 Samoan [,,,,;,,] n. adj. 薩摩亞人;薩摩亞人的 薩摩亞獨立國 (The Independent State of Samoa),舊稱「西薩摩亞」,位於夏威夷與紐西蘭間、南太平 洋玻里尼西亞群島中心的島國。該國由薩瓦伊(Savai’i)及烏波盧(Upolu)兩大島及周圍七個小島所組成, 首都位於烏波盧島上的阿皮亞(Apia)。19世紀末時曾為德國殖民地,但在二次大戰後聯合國將西薩摩 亞交由紐西蘭託管。1962年宣佈獨立,並於1997年改名為薩摩亞。經濟活動以農業及觀光為主。 2. brace [,,,,] v. 為…做好準備 ,The offshore island is bracing for the upcoming typhoon season. 3. ensure [,,,,,,] v. 確保、保證 ,Unless the city official ensured the safety and stability of the new MRT line, we suggested all the citizens not to take MRT during the rush hours for these months. 4. transition [,,,,,,,,,,] n. 過渡階段 ,The new cabinet is still in transition as the former prime minister suddenly left his post two days ago. 5. controversial [,,,,,,,,,,,,,] adj. 有爭議的 ,What J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown’s novels deal with are controversial subjects in the church. 6. purchase[,,,,,,,] n. 購買 ,All items sold in this store are guaranteed for two extra years from the date of purchase. 7. fuel-efficient [,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,] adj. 省油的 ,To meet the great demand of green technology, automobile manufacturers developed and produced more and more fuel-efficient cars in these five years. 8. changeover [,,,,,,,,;,,] n. (系統)變更 ,United States launched the total changeover from the analog TV system to the digital TV system in January, 2009. 9. colony [,,,,,,,] n. 殖民地 ,The Samoan Islands, part of the Polynesia region in the southern Pacific Ocean, were once a German thcolony in the late 19 century. 10. continental [,,,,,,,,,,,,] adj. 大陸的、歐陸國家的 ,Alaska and Hawii are two states outside the borders of continental United States. 11. horse-drawn [,,,,, ,,,,,] adj. 用馬拉的 ,A wagon, a four-wheeled and horse-drawn vehicle, was used for the transportation of people and goods. 12. vehicle [,,,,,,] n. 交通工具,車輛 ,On Friday evening, most of freeways are crowded with cars, buses, trucks, vans, and other vehicles. 13. Napoleon [,,,,;,,,, ] 拿破崙(1769-1821) 法國第一帝國皇帝、著名軍事家,1769年出生於科西嘉島。曾稱霸歐洲大陸一時,1798仿效亞歷山大遠征埃及。1799年拿破崙奪取政權成為「第一執政」,同時推動多項政治、法律、經濟、教育的改革,也成就了著名的「拿破崙法典」。1804年他將法蘭西共和國改為法蘭西帝國,加冕自己成為「拿破崙一世」。1805年,在義大利由教宗嘉勉為義大利國王。該年拿破崙先後與普魯士、奧地利、俄國交戰。1812年遠征俄國失利後,受到英國、俄國、普魯士、奧地利的反法同盟影響。1814年,宣佈退位並遭流放地中海上的厄爾巴島(Elba)。隔年拿破崙成功逃出該島,回到巴黎奪回政權。復位之後的百日,在比利時的滑鐵盧(Waterloo)戰役中,不幸敗北。二次退位的拿破崙被放逐到大西洋小島聖赫勒那島(St Helena),並於九年後在此辭世。 14. Henry Ford 亨利,福特 (1863-1947) 美國福特汽車創辦人,汽車工程師及企業家。曾先後在西屋電力公司、愛迪生照明公司擔任工程師,1896年他製造出個人第一輛汽車(Quadricycle)。1903年成立福特汽車公司,隨後在1908年推出有名的「福特T型」車。福特是世界上第一位將「工廠生產組裝」概念實際運用在汽車生產上的企業家,因為如此讓汽車在美國及全世界逐漸普及。大量製造的生產方式,對於現代經濟、社會、文化都產生了重大的影響。 15. mass-produced [,,,, ,,,,,,,,,] adj. 大量生產的 ,Though most of mass-produced chocolates are economical to everyone, lots of people still long for luxury handmade ones. 16. accommodate [,,,,,,,,,,] v. 適應 ,After moving to Tokyo, Kate gradually accommodated to the fast-paced and noisy city life. Translation 移到你的左邊去 九月七日,薩摩亞的駕駛人已經準備好要迎接一項巨大的改變。上午六點,該國首相在廣播中宣佈,人民將不再靠道路的右側開車,而要開始靠左側開車,這讓薩摩亞成為自七?年代以來,第一個「換邊」的國家。而為了有助於確保過度階段順暢,政府還宣佈了兩天的假日以及禁止酒精類飲料販售三天的禁令。 薩摩亞之所以會做出這項從右駕改為左駕的爭議性決定,其目的在於讓薩摩亞人能夠更輕鬆地從澳洲、紐西蘭等國購買便宜、省油的車種,這些國家的人民同樣也都是靠左側開車的。然而,反對者聲稱,「換邊」將會導致車禍的增加。公車司機尤其對這個改變感到不滿,他們認為現在乘客都得從馬路中間上下公車了。 沒有人確切知道,為什麼這個世界會被劃分為靠左開車及靠右開車的國家。約莫有百分之七十二的國家靠右開車,其中包括美國、歐洲大陸以及大部分的亞洲國家。而英國及其前殖民地,例如印度、新加坡、馬來西亞以及香港,現在則仍然維持靠左開車。 在以往的馬車時代,大多數人都靠左駕車,他們用左手揮鞭,這樣就不致妨礙對向來車。然而,法國自十八世紀晚期開始靠右駕車,之後拿破崙又將這個習俗帶往他所征服的歐洲國家。在美國,亨利?福特所大量生產的汽車駕駛座均在左側,而這讓所有的駕駛人靠右開車更為方便。而一旦這些汽車開始普及,許多國家為了要適應它們,也都改為靠右開車。 閱讀測驗解答, 1. B 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. B