沙特阿拉伯取消女子驾驶禁令

Women in Saudi Arabia（沙特阿拉伯）finally hit the road aslongtime（长久以来的） driving ban（驾驶禁令）ends

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The sound of revving（发动的）engines filled roadways and parking lots at shopping malls early Sunday as this desert（沙漠的） kingdom became the world's last country to lift（取消）its ban on women driving. “As an independent woman, driving is one of the main aspects（方面）of my life that’s been missing,” said Shefa Mohamed ，26, as she prepared to take to the road in her car.

She admitted（承认）being afraid of driving for the first time, as is every other first-timelicensed driver around the world. But getting behind the wheel means "Iwill be able to open the door to new horizons（新视野）.”  Parking spaces were painted pink before this historic move. Car companies such as Ford（福特）and gasoline（汽油） retailer（销售商）Shell（壳牌） launched advertising campaigns that featured female drivers who are now potential customers.

"Our sisterly women drivers, we wish you continued safety," flashed roadside digital signs operated by the Saudi government's Department of Motor Vehicles（机动车辆管理部）.Police officers handed out（分发）roses to women entering highway ramps（高速公路坡道） at midnight.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman lifted the ban as part of apackage of changes designed to loosen（放开）therigid（严格的）rules governing the Muslim country's（穆斯林国家）society and economy. The king’s son andsuccessor（继承者）, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,spearheaded（带领，带头）the changes amid（围绕）unstable oil prices that threaten to destabilize（动摇）the country’s political order（政治秩序）.

Saudi women have sought the right to drive for years. “I’ve waited long enough, and now, to know that my daughter-in-law（儿媳妇） and granddaughters will have a normal life, I feel at peace," said Layla Moussa, 67, who has three granddaughters. “I didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime.” Many Saudi women were less concerned about civil rights and more elated（兴奋） about the practical（实用的）means of being able to drive.

“Before,we’d have to wait for the Uber driver if it was too hot to walk. It could take up to an hour to wait," .said Nada Farsi, a dental school instructor ，"Now a 10-minute drive is exactly that: a 10-minute drive.” 

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