Electric invasion

How two-wheelers are weaving their way into urban transport

导语：Electric bikes and e-scooters are flummoxing regulators while exciting consumers and venture capitalists

不管是是电动车/自行车(electric bikes)，还是电动踏板车/滑板车(e-scooters)都属于标题中提及的two-wheelers，两轮车。

看到「flummox」是不是不知道啥意思？有点困惑？有点糊涂？别慌别慌，flummox就是这个意思「使困惑；使不知所措」，英文解释为to confuse someone so much that they do not know what to do.

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I have to say that last question flummoxed me.

我得说最后一个问题让我不知所措。

从文章的标题和导语，我们可以大致了解文章要讲的主要内容。滑板车、电动车等的兴起，成为了不少上班族的代步工具，必然对城市交通管理产生一定影响，可以说是“消费者爽了，投资者赚了，而监管者慌了”。

下面看文章第一段，

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○ 第一句，The streets of Beijing are thronged with two-wheeled contraptions. 北京的街头都是些啥？两轮的(two-wheeled)新奇玩意儿？

「throng」在文中作动词表示“（人群）蜂拥，群集”，英文解释为to be or go somewhere in very large numbers.

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The narrow streets were thronged with summer visitors.

狭窄的街道上挤满了夏天来此的游客。

「contraption」指的是“奇妙的装置；新奇玩意儿(尤指奇怪的或不知道用途的)”，英文解释为a device or machine that looks strange, complicated, awkward or old-fashioned, especially one that you do not know how to use.

还有两个词也有相同含义，分别是「gadget」和「gizmo」.

「gadget」小器具；小装置；小玩意儿 (a small device or machine with a particular purpose).

「gizmo」小装置；小玩意儿；小东西 (any small device with a particular purpose).

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kitchen gadgets 厨房器具

electronic gizmos 小电子装置

○ 第二句，Some appear to be conventional petrol mopeds but as they zoom through red lights at pedestrian crossings their eerie silence and lack of exhaust reveals them as electric.

「zoom through」表示“快速通过某个地方”，也可以表示“快速完成某个工作或者任务”。

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She zoomed through the reading assignment.

她很快就完成了阅读作业。

「pedestrian crossings」行人交叉路，就是“人行横道”。

「eerie」['ɪəri] 表示“怪异而令人恐惧的”，英文解释为strange in a frightening and mysterious way.

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She heard the eerie noise of the wind howling through the trees.

她听到风吹过树丛发出怪异而可怕的呼啸声。

文章在这里用“eerie silence”和“lack of exhaust”来表示这类“两轮电动车”的特点，虽然看上去像传统的机动脚踏两用车，但当它们快速穿过红绿灯时，不仅基本没有发出声音(静得可怕)，也没有任何废气排放。

○ 第三句，Executives in suits cruise by on electric kick-scooters, looking like big kids on their way to school, though travelling much more enthusiastically.

「electric kick-scooters」还是“电动滑板车”。

「cruise」可以用来表示乘船游览，航行，巡航，以及比较轻松的行驶或者是以平稳的速度行驶。

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We were cruising in the Caribbean.

我们在加勒比海乘船游览。

○ 最后一句，Electric bicycles, [hacked together with a battery strapped to the frame and wired to a back-wheel hub containing a motor,] crowd the edges of roads.

其实要讲的还是这样的“电动滑板车”满大街都是：Electric bicycles crowd the edges of roads. 中间一句则稍加介绍了电动滑板车上电池和电机所固定的位置。

接下来我们看第二段，

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○ 前两句，China's cities are at the forefront of a quiet swarm of electric two-wheeled vehicles. Millions now roam their centres.

「at the forefront of」表示“处于最前列、最前沿，处于重要地位、位置”

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His team is at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines.

他的团队处于疫苗科研的最前沿。

「a swarm of」表示“一大群；一大堆”，可以指蜂拥的人群，也可以指昆虫之类的。

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a swarm of bees/wasps/ants/locusts

一大群蜜蜂／黄蜂／蚂蚁／蝗虫

A swarm of/Swarms of photographers followed the star's car.

成群结队的记者跟在这位明星的车后。

「roam」与上文的「cruise」的含义比较相似，表示“闲逛（于）；漫步（于）；漫游（于）”，英文解释为to move about or travel, especially without a clear idea of what you are going to do.

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After the bars close, a swarm of youths roam the city streets.

酒吧关门后，一大群年轻人在城里街道上游荡。

○ 后两句，This transformation of urban mobility is also happening in the West, albeit with a notable addition that has yet to take off in China: firms that rent out electric kick-scooters. These are taking many American cities by storm and are arriving in Europe.

「albeit」[ɔːl'biːɪt] 表示转折，“虽然，尽管”的意思，

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The evening was very pleasant, albeit a little quiet.

那个夜晚过得非常愉快，尽管有点儿冷清。

「take sb/sth by storm」指的是“在（某处）大获成功；完全征服（一群人）”

举个🌰

Her performance has taken the critics by storm.

她的表演完全征服了伦敦评论界。

这一段主要讲，虽然这类“电动滑板车”在中国特别火热，西方国家也逐渐引入，但有一点比较不同的是，西方一些城市已经出现了类似“共享单车”的服务——共享电动滑板车，并且大获成功。

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以上就是今天的学习内容。

原文摘自最新一期《经济学人》(Jun 23rd 2018) Business 版块，完整全文见>>>「经济学人」共享电动滑板车的兴起，后面部分我们改天再学。

周末愉快。

- To Be Continued -