双语调查：英国人不再愿意让路人搭便车

　　Credit crunched travelers hoping to dodge transport fares by sticking up their thumbs may be in for a long wait, as a new study shows that only three-quarters of Brits would consider picking up a hitchhiker。

　　身陷经济危机的旅行者希望竖起大拇指搭便车来节省旅费，但如今他们要等更久了。一项最新研究表明，仅有3/4的英国人会考虑让路人搭便车。

　　The poll of 15,000 motorists, conducted by the national Automobile Association (AA)， showed that only 23 percent of men and 7 percent of women would consider offering a stranger a lift, but that the likelihood of a driver offering a seat in his car increased with age. Only nine percent of 18 to 24 year-olds said that they would stop for a hitchhiker, compared to 11 percent of 25 to 35 year-olds and 21 percent of 45 to 65 year-olds。

　　英国汽车协会(AA)对一万五千名乘车者进行了调查，结果显示，仅有23%的男性和7%的女性会考虑让陌生人搭便车，但年龄越大的司机越可能让人搭便车。在18岁至24岁的受访者中，仅有9%会考虑让人搭便车，而在25岁至35岁的受访者和45岁至65岁的受访者中，这一比例分别为11%和21%。

　　"It is no great surprise that with concerns about personal safety drummed into us, most people are reluctant to stop for hitchhikers," AA president Edmund King said。

　　英国汽车协会主席埃德蒙德•金说：“这并不奇怪，个人安全问题时刻为我们敲响警钟，因此大多数人都不愿意让人搭便车了。”

　　The poll shows that hitchers have the highest chance of getting a lift, in Scotland and southwest England, where 21 percent of respondents said they would offer up a free seat, while only 14 percent of those questioned in the northwest and northeast said that they would consider stopping。

　　调查显示，在苏格兰和英格兰西南部地区，人们能搭上便车的几率最大，21%的受访者称会让路人免费搭便车，而在英国西北部和东北部的受访者中，仅有14%的人称会考虑让路人搭便车。

　　The egalitarian pleasure of helping a fellow traveler is increasingly being replaced by internet-organized lift-share schemes (car pools)， to save waiting in the rain by the side of the road, King said。

　　埃德蒙德•金表示，帮助同路人所带来的平等主义乐趣渐被网上组织的拼车所代替，这样人们就不用在路边冒雨等车了。

　　He added that he was pleased that there is still a "core of trusty drivers who say they would pick up a hitchhiker." The study, released on this year's official lift-share day, also revealed that drivers are cutting back on journeys and expenditure as the price of fuel continues to climb。

　　他还说，他很高兴见到仍然有一些“会让人搭便车的可靠的‘铁杆’司机。”该研究报告于今年的官方“拼行日”发布，研究还显示，由于油价持续攀升，司机减少了出行路程和花费。

　　The AA encourages "responsible" car-sharing as a means to save cash, ease congestions and protect the environment。

　　英国汽车协会鼓励人们进行“负责任的”拼车，以此来节省费用，减轻交通堵塞，保护环境。