随着共享单车的出现和普及，似乎有越来越多的人开始选择骑车出行。在一些城市中，骑行文化逐渐兴起。这是为什么？除了锻炼身体以外，骑车还有哪些好处？听 “随身英语” 节目围绕骑自行车的益处展开讨论。

词汇: cycling 骑车

They say once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. Most of us learnt when we were kids, and many still strap on our helmets, put our feet on the pedals, and shoot off for a ride around the streets. In recent times, cycling has seen a boost in popularity, so the question is, what makes it so appealing to people to straddle their bikes once again?

人们说一旦你学会了骑自行车，你就永远不会忘记。我们中的大多数人在孩提时代就学会了，许多人仍然戴着头盔，脚踩着踏板，在街上兜风。最近，骑自行车越来越受欢迎，所以问题是，是什么让人们再次骑自行车如此有吸引力?

First, let’s look at the health benefits. Cycling can improve your cardiovascular health and burn excess body fat. Strengthening your leg muscles in your calves and thighs helps to increase your potential torque and cadence. And cycling’s benefits aren’t just physical, but mental as well. A long ride in the countryside could help you to clear your mind, or de-stress. But it’s not only about your body and mind – there are also some plus sides for your wallet’s health.

首先，让我们看看它对健康的好处。骑自行车可以改善心血管健康，燃烧身体多余的脂肪。加强小腿和大腿的肌肉有助于增加你潜在的扭矩和节奏。骑自行车不仅对身体有好处，对精神也有好处。在乡间长途骑行可以帮助你理清思绪，或者减轻压力。但这不仅关乎你的身体和精神——对你的钱包健康也有一些好处。

Cycling can be a great way to commute or get about town. By cycling, you save money on fuel or train fares. If you do drive into work, sometimes finding somewhere to park can be a nightmare, whereas finding somewhere to chain your bike up can be much simpler. Then, on the train, there are changes at stations and other commuters speaking loudly on their phones to deal with. Cyclists face neither of these issues. And if you’re worried about safety, there are designated cycle lanes in many major cities. Wearing high-visibility clothing, sometimes referred to as ‘hi-vis’, is another way to improve your safety when cycling on the roads.

骑自行车是一种很好的通勤方式。通过骑自行车，你可以节省燃料或火车票价。如果你开车上班，有时找个停车的地方可能是一场噩梦，而找个地方把你的自行车拴起来就简单多了。然后，在火车上，车站和其他大声讲电话的通勤者有变化要处理。骑自行车的人不会遇到这些问题。如果你担心安全问题，很多大城市都有指定的自行车道。穿高可见度的衣服，有时被称为“hi-vis”，是在道路上骑车时提高安全性的另一种方法。

Finally, cycling can also be good for the environment. It can help you to reduce your carbon footprint. Not pumping out fumes into the atmosphere is better for the planet and your own environment.

最后，骑自行车对环境也有好处。它可以帮助你减少你的碳足迹。不排放废气到大气中对地球和你自己的环境更好。

So, whether people want to cycle for their health, getting about town, their wallet, the environment, or a combination of all of them – the popularity of cycling is on the rise.

所以，无论人们是为了健康、出行、钱包、环境，还是所有这些的结合，骑自行车的流行度都在上升。

词汇表

strap on 系上，系好
helmet 头盔，安全帽
pedal 脚蹬子，脚踏板
shoot off 快速骑走
straddle 骑，跨坐
cardiovascular 心血管的
burn 燃烧
body fat 体脂
calf 小腿肚
thigh 大腿
torque 扭转力
cadence 节奏，韵律
commute 上下班往返，通勤
get about 出行，外出走动
fare 车费
chain （用链条）锁住
cycle lane 自行车道
high-visibility 高能见度
carbon footprint 碳足迹

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What health benefits are mentioned in relation to cycling?

2. What can strengthening your leg muscles through cycling lead to?

3. What can cycling help you to save money on?

4. What issues related to train travel are mentioned?

5. Why is cycling good for the environment?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Come on, _______ your helmet and let’s go for a ride.

strap on                 torque                 cadence               fare   

2. My _______ to work is really peaceful as not many people travel at the same time as me.

calf                        commute             body fat                burn

3. When cycling, always try to stay in the cycle _______. It’s safer.

straddle                 burn                    lanes                     body fat   

4. The train _______ is so expensive that I can’t afford it this weekend.

torque                   fare                      calf                        burn   

5. I want to buy a bike to help me _______ town more easily.

thigh                      pedal                   strap on                 get about

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. What health benefits are mentioned in relation to cycling?
It can help you to burn excess fat, improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen leg muscles, and lose weight. It can also help to improve your mental health.

2. What can strengthening your leg muscles through cycling lead to?
Improved torque and cadence.

3. What can cycling help you to save money on?
You can save on petrol costs and train fares.

4. What issues related to train travel are mentioned?
Noisy commuters and platform changes.

5. Why is cycling good for the environment?
Because it helps you to lower your carbon footprint.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Come on, strap on your helmet and let’s go for a ride.

2. My commute to work is really peaceful as not many people travel at the same time as me.

3. When cycling, always try to stay in the cycle lanes. It’s safer.

4. The train fare is so expensive that I can’t afford it this weekend.

5. I want to buy a bike to help me get about town more easily.

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。