Meet Mitsuaki. He recently arrived in the United States to enter university. He wants to do well in his studies and adjust to the new culture. But Mitsuaki has a problem. It's not his roommates. It's not his school fees. It's not even his English ability. Mitsuaki's problem is that he doesn't have a car. And in America, that really makes him a foreigner. Mitsuaki has already discovered a basic fact of American culture: Driving is a way of life.
　　介紹你認(rèn)識(shí)三和木，他最近剛到美國(guó)上大學(xué)。他的目標(biāo)是想把書讀好并且讓自己能夠適應(yīng)這個(gè)新的文化。但三和木卻遇到了一個(gè)問(wèn)題。問(wèn)題不是室友，不是學(xué)費(fèi)，甚至不是他的英文能力，三和木的問(wèn)題是沒有車。在美國(guó)，沒有車真的會(huì)讓他成了一個(gè)十足的外國(guó)人。三和木已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了美國(guó)文化中一個(gè)很基本的事實(shí)：開車是一種生活方式。

 

　　It's not that there's no public transportation in America. Many cities have taxis, buses and subways to help commuters get to and from work. Some large universities even have buses to take students to classes across campus. But most people find it much more convenient to drive, even if they do have to deal with traffic. Nowadays busy families often have more than one vehicle. Many people view their car as a status symbol. But no matter their social status, people without wheels feel tied down.

 

　　美國(guó)不是沒有大眾運(yùn)輸工具，很多都市都有出租車、公車和地下鐵幫助通車族上下班。有些規(guī)模大的大學(xué)甚至有公車在校園里載送學(xué)生到各個(gè)教室上課。不過(guò)大部份的人還是覺得開車更方便，即使他們得面對(duì)交通擁擠的問(wèn)題�，F(xiàn)今忙碌的家庭通常擁有一輛以上的車。很多人把車子視為地位的象征，但是不管他們的社會(huì)地位如何，沒有車的人往往覺得很受束縛。.

 

　　When Mitsuaki first arrived, he was amazed at how young many American drivers there were. Young people in America often get their driver's license around age 16 by passing a written test and a driving test. In many cases, before they can get their license, they have to take a driver education course. This course gives students hands-on practice with driving. It also helps to reduce the high cost of insurance. For teenagers, being able to drive--and in some cases, have their own car--is a big deal. It gives them a sense of power and freedom. Many young Americans consider a driver's license a right, not a privilege. It's rare to find an American teenager without one.

 

　　當(dāng)三和木剛抵達(dá)美國(guó)時(shí)，他很驚訝美國(guó)許多開車的人年紀(jì)實(shí)在很輕。美國(guó)的年輕人通常在16歲左右就會(huì)通過(guò)筆試和路考，取得駕照。很多時(shí)候在他們?nèi)〉民{照之前，他們必須上一個(gè)駕駛?cè)私逃�課程，這個(gè)課程提供給學(xué)生們實(shí)際的駕駛練習(xí)，它也有助于降低高額的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)。對(duì)青少年來(lái)說(shuō)，能夠開車，甚至擁有一輛自己的車是一件了不起的事，因?yàn)樗鼛Ыo他們一種權(quán)力與自由的感覺。很多美國(guó)的年輕人把駕照視為一種權(quán)利，而不是一項(xiàng)特權(quán)。在美國(guó)要找到一個(gè)沒有駕照的青少年是很不容易的。

 

　　Mitsuaki finally decides that he needs a car. His host family helps him find a good used car to buy. But before he gets his license and starts driving, he has to understand that the American style of driving is defensive, not offensive. He also needs to learn some of the basic rules of the road that good drivers follow.

 

10 Commandments of Good Driving in America:
1. Yield to vehicles who have the right of way.
2. Don't cut in front of other vehicles.
3. Drive within the speed limit.
4. Obey all road signs and police officers.
5. Pull over to the side of the road when you hear a siren.
6. Stop completely at red lights and stop signs.
7. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
8. Park only in a designated parking space.
9. Use your turn signals when turning or changing lanes.
10. Don't drink and drive.

 

　　三和木最后終于決定他需要一輛車，他的寄宿家庭幫助他找到了一輛好的二手車。但是在他拿到駕照并且開始開車之前，他必須先了解，美國(guó)人的開車方式是屬于防守型，而不是進(jìn)攻型。他也需要學(xué)習(xí)一些好的駕駛?cè)藨?yīng)該遵守的基本道路規(guī)則。

 

在美國(guó)優(yōu)良駕駛的十大誡命：
1. 禮讓有先行權(quán)的車子。
2. 不超車。
3. 行車不超速。
4. 遵守所有的路標(biāo)和交通警察的指揮。
5. 聽到警笛聲時(shí)，立即靠邊停車。
6. 遇到紅燈和停止標(biāo)志時(shí)要完全停下來(lái)。
7. 在行人穿越道上要禮讓行人。
8. 只能在指定的停車地區(qū)內(nèi)停車。
9. 轉(zhuǎn)彎或換車道時(shí)要打方向燈。
10. 不要酒后駕車。

 

　　As a car owner, Mitsuaki has the responsibility of maintaining his car. He knows that regular maintenance checkups can help to prevent many serious problems. But no matter how careful the maintenance, all vehicles need to be repaired sometimes. Many Americans take their cars to a garage for maintenance and repairs. Others like to work on their own vehicles. Not Mitsuaki. He decides that being a student is enough work for him.

 

　　身為一個(gè)車主，三和木必須負(fù)責(zé)維修他的車子，他知道定期作保養(yǎng)檢查可以預(yù)防許多嚴(yán)重的問(wèn)題發(fā)生。不過(guò)，不管多么小心地保養(yǎng)，所有的車子有時(shí)候都必須修理。很多美國(guó)人把他們的車子送到車廠保養(yǎng)和修理；有些人則喜歡自己動(dòng)手修車。但三和木可不這么做。他覺得當(dāng)一個(gè)學(xué)生已經(jīng)夠他忙的了。

 

　　Driving is to Americans what flying is to birds. It's almost part of their nature. For many Americans, being behind the wheel is like their natural habitat. But if they don't drive carefully, they can become an endangered species.

 

　　開車對(duì)美國(guó)人的必要*，就像鳥兒需要飛翔一樣，幾乎就是他們天*的一部份。對(duì)許多美國(guó)人而言，「坐在方向盤后面」就像是他們自然棲息之處。不過(guò)，如果他們不小心開車的話，他們可就會(huì)變成瀕臨危險(xiǎn)的動(dòng)物了。