英语美文欣赏:美国的自行车一族

进入本世纪中叶，自行车在美国作为旅行工具已被小车所取代，甚至中学生开始驾车上学。现在，美国人在马路上骑的.自行车不是为了代步，而是以锻炼身体为目的。美国的街道上一般没有自行车专用道，因此，骑自行车时得特别小心才是。在行驶中，若要转弯时，需作出相应的手势：向左转弯伸出左手示意即可，向右转弯时，仍要伸出左手，弯肘，使前臂与地面形成角度，手臂与头部基本平齐。

Cycling

While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s, America forgot how;even high-school children would drive to school. Recently there has been something of a renaissance in cycling, and in many areas

it is a very useful way of getting around , especially where bike paths or bike routes have been established. You may well want to buy, hire or borrow a bike.

There are two important consequences(后果) of this earlier decline in cycling in the USA. One is that many people do not know how to cycle. That is, cyclists often behave more like pedestrians(行人) than motorists: they rid

e on the pavement(人行道) or on the wrong side of the road; they ignore stop signs and traffic lights; they ride without lights at night;they give no hand signal(示意). The other consequence is that cycling is regarded by many people not so much as a way of getting from A to B but as a way of life, a form of exercise, etc. As a result , large number of young Americans have ten-speed racing bikes. These are very hight and fast and great if you are cycli

ng long distance , riding up mountains or racing. At first , though, you may find them awkward(笨拙) for cycling in town, sight-seeing or shopping--they are expensive, uncomfortable and hard to control until you get used to them, and unsuitable for bumpy(崎岖不平的) groundor stony roads.

There are also ordinary bikes around. If you get hold of one of these ,you may find that the brake(刹车) work by pedaling(踩踏板) backwards. This is perhaps safer than ordinary brakes when it is wet, but it seems to be less

effective. This arrangement also means you can"t pedal backards in order to get the pedals in the right place for getting on or moving off.

Hand Signals

One thing you should note is that the hand signals Americans are supposed to give differ from most other countries". If you are turning left, you st

ick out your left hand. But if you are turning right, you do not stick out your right hand. Instead , you stick out your left arm and bend if at the elbow(肘) so your forearm is at right angles to the ground and your hand is about level with your head.

Cycling on the Right

When you travel by bike, always ride on the right of the road. The safest way to turn left is to stay at the edge of the road, stop opposite the point that you want to cross to and then go straight over when the road is clear.

Locking up Your Bike

Do be very careful about locking your bike up. You will notice many American cyclists carrying enormous chains(链条) for this purpose,and you will see that in many areas they take pains to pass the chain throught the frame a

nd both wheels and to attach the bike to something fixed like a lamp will even see people taking their front wheel off and carrying it with them when they leave the bike. Stealing bikes(especially ten-speed bikes) is ob

viously big business.

Cycling Gear

Because of the sporting/exercise-oriented associations of cycling, Americans very often wear sporting type clothing , Americans very often wear sporting type clothing when on a bike, and women very rarely wear skirts or dres

ses. Many cyclists also wear light crash helmets(防撞头盔)(编辑 李杰)