路怒症

开车有时会让人紧张，尤其是遇到蛮不讲理、不守规则的司机时，可能会让人情绪失控，甚至大发雷霆。强行超车、跟车过近、言语粗鲁……你遇到过鲁莽的驾驶行为吗？造成司机之间大动肝火的主要原因有哪些？

词汇：road rage 路怒 [reɪdʒ]

• We all know driving can be stressful. One minute you’re minding your own business and the next someone cuts you up. Manoeuvres like that can be annoying and irritating, but for some of us, it can make us incandescent with rage. So what is road rage, and what things can cause it?

  我们都知道开车会有压力。前一分钟你还在忙自己的事下一分钟就有人把你剁了。这样的行为可能会让人恼火，但对我们中的一些人来说，它会让我们愤怒到白炽。那么，什么是路怒症，什么因素会导致它呢?

  ⭐ cut someone up 超车抢到某人前面; manoeuvre [məˈnuːvə(r)] 开车动作; irritate [ˈɪrɪteɪt] v. 使不耐烦，激怒；刺激; incandescent with rage 大发雷霆，怒不可遏; incandescent [ˌɪnkænˈdesnt] adj. 辉耀的；炽热的；发白热光的; rage [reɪdʒ] n. 盛怒，狂怒；粗暴的举动，愤怒的行为；

• Road rage, simply put, is a sudden burst of anger that motorists experience when they feel angered by something another driver, cyclist or pedestrian has done. Road rage can manifest itself in several ways, including verbal or physical threats, insults, and even dangerous driving. The drivers themselves may feel anxiety and stress, which can cause them to speed or swerve across the road. Experts like Leon James, a professor of traffic psychology at the University of Hawaii, US, warn that experiencing these moments, especially repeatedly, could be harmful to our health due to the number of stress hormones entering our bodies.

  简单地说，“路怒症”指的是司机因其他司机、骑自行车的人或行人的行为而感到愤怒时突然爆发的愤怒。路怒症可以通过多种方式表现出来，包括口头或身体威胁、侮辱，甚至危险驾驶。司机自己可能会感到焦虑和压力，这可能会导致他们加速或转向过马路。像美国夏威夷大学交通心理学教授莱昂·詹姆斯这样的专家警告说，由于进入我们身体的应激激素数量众多，反复经历这样的时刻可能会对我们的健康有害。

  ⭐ motorist 开车的人，司机; manifest 显现, 显示，表明；（鬼魂或神灵）显灵，出现；（病症）显现；把……列入货单; insult [ɪnˈsʌlt] n.|v.侮辱，冒犯；dangerous driving 危险驾驶; anxiety [æŋˈzaɪəti] n. 焦虑，忧虑; speed （开车）超速; swerve [swɜːv]（开车）急转弯; stress hormone [ˈhɔːməʊn] 应激激素, 压力荷尔蒙;

• So, what can cause us to experience road rage? Being tailgated, undertaken on a busy motorway, seeing someone swooping across several lanes, chatting on their phone, or hogging the middle lane in front of us are just some of the things that may stress us. And what about parking? Someone stealing the space we wanted at the last second could tip us over the edge! Being aware of what can trigger these feelings of rage may be key to controlling it.

  那么，是什么导致了我们的路怒症呢？在繁忙的高速公路上被人跟车太近、强行超车，看到有人突然穿过几个车道，打电话聊天，或者霸占我们前面的中间车道，这些都是可能会让我们感到压力的事情。那停车呢？如果有人在最后一刻偷走了我们想要的车位，我们就会崩溃!意识到什么可以触发这些愤怒的感觉可能是控制它的关键。

  ⭐ tailgate 紧随（前车）行驶，跟车太近; undertake 强行超车; motorway 高速公路; swoop 猛地开过; lane 车道; hogging 占路; parking 停车，驻车; space 车位; tip someone over the edge 把某人逼疯; trigger 触发，诱发;

• So what can we do to keep relaxed? Try driving in a good mood, and if you see a traffic jam, just remember that they can’t be avoided. And try leaving a little earlier in future. Also, if you see someone who is really angry, try not to maintain eye contact, and don’t get out of the car to confront them. And if you feel stressed and anxious, try pulling over somewhere and resting while you calm down.

  那么我们能做些什么来保持放松呢？试着在好心情下开车，如果你看到交通堵塞，记住它们是无法避免的。以后再试着早点离开。另外，如果你看到某人真的很生气，尽量不要和他有眼神接触，也不要下车去和他对质。如果你感到压力和焦虑，试着把车停在某个地方，让自己平静下来。

  ⭐ traffic jam 交通堵塞; confront 与…当面对质; anxious [ˈæŋkʃəs] adj. 焦虑的，担心的; pull over 停车;

• So the next time you feel stressed while driving, just remember road rage can happen to anyone – and relaxing a bit when you feel that way may not just make it safer for you, but for others too.

  所以，下次当你在开车时感到有压力时，请记住，任何人都可能发生路怒症——当你感到这种情况时稍微放松一下，可能不仅会让你更安全，也会让别人更安全。

  ⭐

词汇表

cut someone up 超车抢到某人前面

manoeuvre 开车动作

incandescent with rage 大发雷霆，怒不可遏

motorist 开车的人，司机

manifest 显现

dangerous driving 危险驾驶

speed （开车）超速

swerve （开车）急转弯

tailgate 紧随（前车）行驶，跟车太近

undertake 强行超车

motorway 高速公路

swoop 猛地开过

lane 车道

hogging 占路

parking 停车，驻车

space 车位

tip someone over the edge 把某人逼疯

trigger 触发，诱发

traffic jam 交通堵塞

confront 与…当面对质

pull over 停车

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is road rage?

2. How can road rage manifest itself?

3. Why can road rage be harmful to our bodies?

4. What can cause road rage?

5. What can we do to avoid road rage?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. One more question and it might tip her _______ the edge.

over                       up                               on                          off

1. Reduce your speed and stop _______ the car in front.

hogging                  incandescent             tailgating                swerving

1. He was cautioned for _______ on the road.

speeding                motorist                      motorway               space

1. Oh, no! There’s a traffic _______. I’ll never get to work on time now!

plan                        ham                            spam                      jam

1. Stop _______ the middle lane if you’re going to drive that slowly!

lane                        speeding                    hogging                  swooping

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is road rage?Road rage, simply put, is a sudden burst of anger that motorists experience when they feel angered by something another driver, cyclist or pedestrian has done.

2. How can road rage manifest itself?Road rage can manifest itself in several ways, including verbal or physical threats, insults, and even dangerous driving.

3. Why can road rage be harmful to our bodies?Experiencing these stressful moments, especially repeatedly, could be harmful to our health due to the number of stress hormones entering our bodies.

4. What can cause road rage?Being tailgated, undertaken on a busy motorway, seeing someone swooping across several lanes, chatting on their phone, or hogging the middle lane in front of us are just some of the things that may stress us.

5. What can we do to avoid road rage?There are several things we can do involving remembering problems are inevitable, relaxing when we feel stressed and avoiding conflict.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. One more question and it might tip her over the edge.

2. Reduce your speed and stop tailgating the car in front.

3. He was cautioned for speeding on the road.

4. Oh, no! There’s a traffic jam. I’ll never get to work on time now!

5. Stop hogging the middle lane if you’re going to drive that slowly!