作者：小雅和英美友人
◆ 用英文给宝宝讲，为什么会堵车？
◆ 如何解释“堵车时大家为什么鸣笛”？
◆ 车道变少、变窄，英文怎么说？
Traffic Jam 堵车
Child: Why are we going so slow?
宝宝：咱们怎么开得这么慢啊？
Mom: Because there's a traffic jam.
妈妈：因为堵车了。
Nothing to worry about.
别着急。
Child: What's a traffic jam?
宝宝：什么是堵车啊？
Mom: It's when there's lots of cars all trying to get somewhere at the same time,
妈妈：就是所有的车在同一时间都想去同一个地方，
在there be句型中，复数名词前应该用there are，但是母语者更爱用there is，这是一个典型的语法不对，但已被人们广泛接受的用法。
but there's too many cars on the road,
但是路上的车太多了，
so everyone goes very slowly
所以大家都开慢了，
Slow既可以做形容词，也可以做副词，所以，开得慢、走得慢的“慢”，既可以用slow（见文章第1句），也可以用slowly。
until things clear up.
直到情况好转。
Child: So, traffic means cars?
宝宝：所以说，交通就是汽车的意思？
Mom: Yes, and trucks and other vehicles around us.
妈妈：嗯，还包括卡车和我们周围的其他车辆。
See over there?
看见那儿了吗？
That street over there gets smaller
那条路变窄了，
变窄也可以用get narrower。
-- it loses lanes as you drive along,
开过去的时候车道变少了，
so it's bottle-necking all the cars
它就成了瓶颈，
as they try to merge and get into fewer lanes together.
因为所有的车都要一起汇入更少的车道里。
Child: Oh, okay.
宝宝：哦，好的。
（Cars honking 汽车鸣笛）
Child: Why is everyone honking so much?
宝宝：大家为什么老按喇叭呢？
Mom: Well some people are trying to signal to others to move over
妈妈：嗯，有些人想提醒别人赶紧走，
or letting someone get in line.
或者让他们排队。
Other people just honk because the slow traffic makes them angry!
还有些人按喇叭就是因为行驶缓慢的路况让他们很生气！
People also honk to get someone else's attention,
按喇叭还能引起别人的注意，
otherwise they might hit them.
不然该撞到他们了。
Child: We stopped!
宝宝：咱们停了！
Mom: Yes, looks like traffic is at a stand-still.
妈妈：是的，看起来完全不动了。
Just don't worry!
别担心！
The best thing to do during a traffic jam is to stay calm
堵车的时候最应该做的就是保持冷静，
and drive safely.
安全驾驶。
Child: But why is everyone driving here at one time?
宝宝：但是为什么大家在同一时间开到这里呢？
Mom: Good question!
妈妈：问得好！
We just happen to be driving through during rush hour.
我们只是碰巧在高峰时段开到了这里。
早高峰叫morning rush hour，晚高峰叫evening rush hour。
Child: Rush hour?
宝宝：高峰时段？
Mom: Rush hour is the time of day that everyone is trying to get to work or school in the morning and going home later in the evening.
妈妈；高峰时段就是一天中，早上大家都去上班上学，晚上都回家的时段。
Traffic is just a part of daily life!
交通是每日生活的一部分！
Child: Oh.
宝宝：哦。
Mom: We should be home in about 15 minutes.
妈妈：咱们再有15分钟就该到家了。
It's just a few streets down,
其实就差几条街了，
but the bumper-to-bumper traffic really makes a difference in time!
但是遇到这种排队的情况，用时就会差好多！
Bumper是汽车的保险杠，bumper-to-bumper指车头接着车尾，相当于中文的“排队”。
Look, we're moving again.
看，咱们又动了。
We'll be there in no time!
咱们很快就到了！
更多交通相关亲子英文，可以点击下方链接，购买书籍，学习第22章 过马路和第23章 坐汽车。
#2020生机大会#
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