第1572期:The dos and don'ts of the UK commute

The average worldwide commute is around 40 minutes. But UK workers are travelling 54 minutes and Londoners commute approximately 80 minutes by car and over two hours by train every day, according to the UK Department of Transport. Drawing on all that travelling experience, what can these commuters teach us about how best to behave during all that time spent in cars, trains, and buses?

非洲联盟的最高卫生官员希望尽快向非洲国家提供世界上第一个获得批准的疟疾疫全球平均通勤时间约为 40 分钟。但根据英国交通部的数据，英国工人每天出行 54 分钟，伦敦人每天大约需要 80 分钟的车程和两个多小时的火车通勤时间。借助所有这些旅行经验，这些通勤者能教给我们什么关于在汽车、火车和公共汽车中度过的所有时间中如何表现得最好的信息？

First of all, travel etiquette is important. A recent BBC article asked its readers to describe which of their fellow commuters' actions constituted bad manners. Top answers included taking too loudly, eating stinky food and putting feet up on the seats. Several respondents even mentioned a fellow train passenger clipping their toenails in the carriage. Their reactions on this boorish behaviour included feeling disgusted, perplexed and appalled. 

首先，旅行礼仪很重要。最近 BBC 的一篇文章要求其读者描述他们的通勤伙伴中的哪些行为构成了不礼貌的行为。最佳答案包括大声喧哗、吃发臭的食物和把脚放在座位上。一些受访者甚至提到了一位火车乘客在车厢里剪脚趾甲。他们对这种粗鲁行为的反应包括感到厌恶、困惑和震惊。

A more controversial activity is doing make-up. Opinions varied on whether this was impolite or inconsiderate. One reader said he was so offended by this conduct, he had to change carriages. However, the idea that make-up should be applied in private is an outdated concept, says professional make-up artist Nic Chapman and one half of beauty brand, Pixiwoo. "We are not ashamed of wearing make-up," she told the BBC. Dilruba Khanom told the BBC "I do admire a woman's confidence to not give two hoots and slap on the face."

一个更有争议的活动是化妆。对于这是否不礼貌或不体谅他人，意见不一。一位读者说他被这种行为冒犯了，他不得不换车。然而，专业化妆师 Nic Chapman 和美妆品牌 Pixiwoo 的一半表示，认为应该私下化妆的想法已经过时。“我们并不以化妆为耻，”她告诉 BBC。Dilruba Khanom 对 BBC 说：“我很钦佩一个女人的自信，不叫两声耳光。”

But a long commute isn't just about negative experiences. Many UK commuters turned to innovative activities to better make use of their time on transport. 37-year-old Ben Yallop, who manages international judicial relations at the Royal Courts of Justice, used his daily three-hour trip to write and self-publish two novels. He started "jotting down ideas" for a series of them. "I've done almost all my research, plotting and writing on the train," he tells the BBC. Alternatively, 24-year-old Amy Dickett uses her 90-minute trip to photograph fellow commuters for her Commute Blog. She snaps a picture and asks them to tell her something surprising about themselves. "Usually they are surprised but glad to have some entertainment on an otherwise boring journey. Often the people around us join in and will ask their own questions," she told the BBC.

但长途通勤不仅仅是负面体验。许多英国通勤者转向创新活动，以更好地利用他们的交通时间。37 岁的本·亚洛普 (Ben Yallop) 在皇家法院管理国际司法关系，他利用每天三小时的旅行来撰写和自行出版两本小说。他开始为其中的一系列“记下想法”。“我在火车上完成了几乎所有的研究、绘图和写作，”他告诉 BBC。或者，24 岁的艾米·迪克特（Amy Dickett）利用她 90 分钟的行程为她的通勤博客拍摄其他通勤者。她拍了一张照片，让他们告诉她一些关于他们自己的令人惊讶的事情。“通常他们很惊讶，但很高兴在原本无聊的旅程中获得一些娱乐。我们周围的人通常会加入并提出他们自己的问题，”她告诉 BBC。

So, no matter where or how long your journey is, take a leaf from the UK commuter's book. Don't antagonise your fellow passengers and rather than staring into space – use your time creatively.

因此，无论您的旅程在哪里或多长时间，请从英国通勤者的书中学习。不要激怒你的同行乘客，也不要盯着太空看——创造性地利用你的时间。

词汇表

etiquette 礼仪、礼节
bad manners 不礼貌，不文明
clip （用指甲刀）剪
toenail 脚趾甲
boorish 粗鲁的
disgusted 厌恶的，恶心的
perplexed 困惑的
appalled 目瞪口呆的
impolite 无礼的
inconsiderate 不考虑他人的
conduct 行为
ashamed 羞耻的
not give two hoots 完全不在乎
slap on the face 化妆
self-publish 自费出版
jot down ideas 随手记下想法
blog 博客
snap a picture 拍一张照片
antagonise 引起…的反感