bike

这篇本该放在我的Buz专辑，考虑到这个专辑听者更多，就传到这里共享。语速很慢，大家可以先做笔记，然后做听写。

                                                  Bike

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, many Americans are fearful of using public transportation. They also are looking for ways to get exercise without having to go to a gym, as well as ways to enjoy the outdoors.

随着冠状病毒疫情的持续，许多美国人对乘坐公共交通工具表示担忧。同时他们也在寻找不用去健身房就可以锻炼身体以及享受户外活动的方法。

So, it may not be surprising that the pandemic has led to a major increase in bicycle sales.

因此，这场大流行导致自行车销量大幅增长或许也就不足为奇了。

In the United States, bicycles at big stores like Walmart have sold out. And small bicycle stores cannot keep up with demand for “family-style” bicycles: the low-cost, easy-to-ride models.

在美国，像沃尔玛这样的大商超自行车早就销售一空。而小型自行车商店也跟不上“家庭式”自行车车型的供应需求。所谓“家庭式”自行车就是低成本、简单易骑行的自行车车型。

The bicycle industry is seeing its biggest sales increase since the oil crisis of the 1970s, said Jay Townley, an industry expert.

自行车行业专家杰伊•汤利表示，自行车行业销量迎来了自上世纪70年代石油危机以来的最大增幅。

“People… have panicked,” Townley said. He compared the sale of bicycles to the rush to buy products like toilet paper at the start of the pandemic.

“人们……已经慌了，”汤利说。他把自行车的销售比作大流行开始时人们购买卫生纸等产品的热潮。

The rise in bicycle sales is not happening just in the United States.

自行车销量的增长并不仅仅发生在美国。

Cities like Manila in the Philippines and Rome, Italy have created bicycle paths for the growing number of people who want to avoid public transportation. In London, city officials plan to bar cars from some central roads.

菲律宾的马尼拉和意大利的罗马等城市已经为越来越多想要避开公共交通的人设立了自行车道。在伦敦，市政官方计划一些中心道路禁止汽车行驶。

Bike shop owners in Manila say demand is even stronger than what they see at Christmas time. In Italy, the government’s economic support plan included a 500-euro payment to help with the cost of a bicycle.

马尼拉的一家自行车商店老板说，现在的需求甚至比圣诞节时还要强劲。意大利政府的经济支持计划还包括支付500欧元来帮助人们支付自行车费用。

Of course, you can only buy a bicycle if you can find a bicycle. In the U.S., the shortages now mean it may take many months to get one.

当然，只有有货才能购买。在美国，现在的短缺程度已经到了可能要等几个月才能买到一辆自行车。

High demand is not the only reason for the shortage. The U.S. buys 90 percent of its bicycles from China. Bicycle factories there were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19.

高需求并不是造成短缺的唯一因素。美国90%的自行车是从中国购买的。而为阻止新冠肺炎扩散，那里的自行车工厂也已被关闭。

The increase in bicycle demand began in March as countries began to close down. In April, the sale of bicycles for adults increased 200 percent in the United States. All bicycle sales, including those for children, are up 100 percent from the year before, says NPD Group. The research company follows the sales of bicycles.

自行车需求的增长始于3月份，当时各国开始停产。今年4月，美国成人自行车销量增长了200%。市场调研公司NPD集团表示，包括儿童自行车在内的所有类型自行车的销售，都比前一年增长了100%。这家市场调研公司追踪调查了自行车的销售情况。

Before the pandemic, bicycle sales in the United States were a $6 billion industry that was expecting lower sales in 2020. That expectation came in part because of a decision by the administration of President Donald Trump to place high tariffs on many Chinese imported goods.

在大流行之前，美国自行车销售是一个60亿美元的产业，且预计2020年销量会下降。之所以会有这一预期部分原因是，美国总统特朗普政府决定对许多中国进口商品征收高关税。

In Bar Harbor, Maine, Brian Smith bought a new bicycle for one of his daughters. She is a competitive swimmer who could not get to the pool to practice. His family now goes for rides several times a day. Bicycling helps them all get exercise and enjoy the fresh air. But the biggest reason they go on rides?

在缅因州的巴尔港，布赖恩·史密斯给他的其中一个女儿买了一辆新自行车。她本来是一名游泳健将，但现在无法去游泳池练习游泳。他的家人现在每天都要出去骑行几次。骑自行车可以帮助他们锻炼身体，享受新鲜空气。但他们去兜风的最大原因是什么?

“It’s fun. Maybe that’s the bottom line. It’s really fun to ride bikes,” Smith said.

“这很有趣。也许这就是底线。骑自行车真的很有趣，”史密斯说。

Joe Minutolo is the co-owner of Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop in Maine. He said he hopes the increased sales mean a change in the way people think about transportation.

乔·米努托洛是缅因州“Bar Harbor”自行车店的合伙人。他说，他希望销量的增长能意味着人们对交通看法的改变。

“People are having a chance to rethink things,” he said. “Maybe we’ll all learn something out of this, and something really good will happen,” he said.

“人们有机会重新思考问题，”他说：“也许我们都能从中学到一些东西，而且真正美好的事情将会发生。”。

I’m Susan Shand.

苏珊·尚德报道。