双语雅思阅读：外国游客伦敦生存指南（上）

   伦敦奥运，当780万伦敦居民平均每天将面临100万外来游客，当来自四面八方的游客来到了伦敦，由于各个的国家文化差异略有不同，伦敦特意准备了一份在奥运期间的外国游客生存指南。今天来看看这双语雅思阅读里的相关内容吧。

　　The 8,000 volunteers who will welcome international visitors to London 2012 have been issued with a 66-page instruction manual, covering everything from foreign etiquette to uniform care and advice on dealing with journalists. But what of the visitors themselves? Could they not do with a manual outlining the customs, manners and practicalities of the islands they are visiting? We hereby present a simple guide to UK etiquette for the 2012 Olympics.

　　负责2012伦敦奥运会国际游客接待的8000名志愿者，收到了一份长达66页的指南手册，里面包含了大小事项，从国外礼节到着装细节再到如何和记者打交道。可是外国游客们的指南在那里呢?没有指南手册告诉他们即将游览的英伦三岛的习俗、礼仪和其他事项，他们能行吗?为了2012伦敦奥运会，我们下面就来简单介绍一下外国游客在奥运会期间的伦敦生存指南。

　　Welcome, and before we begin – please accept our apologies. Your four-hour nightmare wait at passport control should not be taken as a symptom of Britain's contempt for foreigners. It is merely a symptom of a woeful lack of spending on a key aspect of travel infrastructure in the run-up to a hugely important event. In other words, it's the government that hates you. Don't worry, they hate us too.

　　欢迎来到英国，不过在我开始介绍之前请先接受我们的道歉。你们在入境检查时等了4个小时的噩梦本不应该是英国轻视外国人的象征。这只反映了英国在一项如此重要的赛事来临时对旅游基础建设的投入严重不足。换句话说，是英国政府怠慢了你们。别不开心，政府对我们也不咋地。

　　Canadians: I'm afraid that while you are here you will be repeatedly mistaken for Americans and blamed for all sorts of stuff you had nothing to do with. Unless you can think of a quick and simple way to distinguish yourselves at a glance – flower in lapel? Saddle shoes? Maple leaf eyepatch? – then you are just going to have to suck it up.

　　加拿大人：到了英国，你们恐怕会一次又一次地被人误认为是美国人，还会因为那些和你们毫无关联的事情而备受指责。除非你能想出一种简便快速的办法，让人一眼就能看出你是加拿大人：在衣领上夹一朵花?穿马鞍鞋?戴枫叶图案的眼罩?然后你也就慢慢习惯，不再抱怨了。

　　Americans: While you're here, why not pretend to be Canadian? Very few Britons can tell the difference, and it will allow you to rescue yourself from awkward conversations about the death penalty.

　　美国人：对于你们来说，干脆装成是加拿大人好了。英国人很难判断你们之间的区别，这样你们就可以避免卷入到关于死刑的尴尬谈话中了。

　　1. Under no circumstances should you ask your taxi driver how excited he is about having the Olympics in London this summer. It's not that he will be reluctant or embarrassed to offer a personal opinion on the matter. That is not the problem at all.

　　无论在什么情况下都不要问出租车司机，对于今年夏天伦敦的奥运会有多么激动。不是说他会勉强或尴尬地发表个人意见，而是你根本就不该问这个问题。

　　2. Nobody here can answer any questions you have about fencing. Google it.

　　这里没有人能够回答你问的任何关于击剑的问题。还是去搜索一下吧。

　　3. Pay no attention to those bow-tied etiquette experts you sometimes see on CNN International, telling you how to behave while in Britain. These people are generally of dubious provenance, normally live in California and tend to peddle advice that is either irrelevant or out of date. For example, they will often say that Britons love queuing and are so fond of apologising that they will often say "sorry" even when something isn't their fault. In reality, Britons are just as likely to jump to the front of a queue and then punch the person behind them for coughing. It all depends on how muggy it is.

　　别理会那些出现在CNN国际频道里、告诉你英国行为规范的打领结的导师。这些家伙通常来历不明，自己住在美国加州，却试图提供一些要么不相干要么过时了的建议。比如说，他们通常会告诉你，英国人喜欢排队;喜欢说对不起，即使有时候并不是他们的错误。而事实上，英国人也喜欢插队，而且还会用咳嗽把排在他们后面的人也吓跑。这取决于天气有多闷热潮湿。

　　4. British people may seem to apologise a lot, but it doesn't quite mean the same thing here. In the UK, "I'm sorry" actually means either a) I didn't hear you; b) I didn't understand you; or c) I both heard and understood you, and I think you're an idiot.

　　新航道国际教育集团提供专业的雅思培训、托福培训、GRE培训、SAT培训、剑桥青少英语培训等，为广大学子“开启英语成功之道”