中英對照讀新聞》That Plastic Skeleton Can’t Be Your Plus 1, Police Tell Car Pool Lane Users 警方告訴使用高乘載車道的駕駛人,塑膠骷髏不能當成額外多1人的乘客
◎ 張沛元
Unaccompanied drivers have long used creative tactics to gain access to high-occupancy-vehicle lanes. Mannequins and masked dummies have been known to grace passenger seats as drivers try to fool California Highway Patrol officers and shave a few minutes off a commute.
獨自上路的駕駛人早就會使出創意招數,以便使用高乘載車道。眾所周知,駕駛人會把塑膠模特兒與蒙面假人裝飾於副駕駛座,試圖愚弄(美國)加州公路巡警隊員,並節省一點通勤時間。
While many car-pool culprits hope they can deceive the authorities by placing lifelike forms next to them, a driver recently put a Halloween skeleton with a “Scream” mask in the passenger seat and then used an H.O.V. lane in the San Jose area.
當許多假裝與人共乘的禍首盼能藉由在身旁放置栩栩如生的人形物,來騙過(執法)當局,1名駕駛人日前在副駕駛座放了1具戴著電影《驚聲尖叫》(鬼臉)面具的萬聖節骷髏,然後在(加州)聖荷西地區使用高乘載車道。
An officer was not fooled, even though the skeleton was wearing a seatbelt. He issued a ticket.
儘管這具骷髏繫好安全帶,但1名員警並未上當,還開了1張罰單。
新聞辭典
unaccompanied:形容詞,無人陪伴的,獨自出行的。例句:Unaccompanied minors aged 5 to 12 years old are allowed on international flights, but regulations vary among airlines.(5到12歲無人陪伴的未成年人,可以搭乘國際線航班,但各航空公司的規定有所不同。)
shave something off something:片語動詞,將…減少(一定量)。例句:The direct flight will shave 2 hours off the journey time.(直飛航班將節省2小時的旅途時間。)
culprit:名詞,過失者;罪魁禍首。