电梯
Lifts
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob...
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是罗伯。
And I'm Neil. Hello.
大家好，我是尼尔。
I'd like to start by asking how did you get up here to the studio - on to the sixth floor - this morning?
我想问你今早是如何到达这六层的录音棚的？
Well, by lift, of course.
当然是乘电梯了。
I thought so. That’s what we’re going to talk about in this programme - lifts.
我想也是。今天我们要谈论的就是电梯。
Or elevators, as Americans call them.
美国人称他们为升降梯。
Lifts? That's not very exciting, is it?
电梯？这个话题太没意思了。
What’s there to say about lifts, Rob?
电梯能聊什么呢？
I mean they take you up and down and that’s it really.
只不过是载着人们上下，也的确如此啊。
Well, you're in for a surprise, Neil
那你一定会吃惊的，尼尔。
– but first let's see if you can answer this question: Which country has the most lifts? Is it...
但是先回答一个问题吧：哪个国家拥有的电梯数量最多？
a) The USA?
a) 美国?
b) Italy?
b) 意大利?
or c) China?
还是 c) 中国?
Well, it seems obvious to me because of the massive expansion in its construction industry, I'm going to say China.
在我看来，答案很明显，因其建筑业的大规模扩张，我选中国。
Okay. Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.
好的，之后我们再看你回答的是否正确。
But now, let's elevate – or raise – your knowledge about lifts.
现在，让我们增长一些关于电梯的知识。
This invention has had quite an effect on which floor people choose to live on.
这项发明着实影响了人们选择住在第几层。
Well, I suppose before the days of lifts rich people lived on the ground floor and poorer people lived on the top floors and had to use the stairs.
在电梯发明前，富人住在低层，穷人住在高层而不得不爬楼梯。
Now though it's the other way round – and that, in turn, has given rise to penthouses with their fantastic views.
现在却恰恰相反，人们喜欢住在高层，最好带有阁楼，视野辽阔。
And the history of lifts goes back a long way.
电梯的历史可以追溯到很久以前。
It was mathematician Archimedes who invented the first lift in 236BC.
数学家阿基米德于公元前236年发明了第一台电梯。
In the Middle Ages there were examples of lifts being used for military purposes.
中世纪，电梯多用于军事目的。
Then they helped to move agricultural products around.
之后用于搬运农作物。
They really came into their own – or became very useful - in the Industrial Revolution.
电梯真正发挥其用途是在工业革命时。
And there was a wide range of methods used to drive them, too – pulleys, water and steam power, electricity and so on.
驱动电梯的方式很多，如皮带轮，水力，蒸汽，电力等。
Today, tall blocks of flats couldn't exist without them.
如今的高层公寓已经离不开电梯了。
And you're right, Rob, there's more to lifts than meets the eye.
你说的没错，罗伯，电梯的用处显然还有很多。
There certainly is.
当然了。
But have you noticed how nobody says anything in a lift?
你有没有注意到，电梯里的人们通常一言不发？
Have you ever felt uneasy in a lift, Neil?
在电梯里你有感到不舒服的时候吗？
Actually yes, I have.
老实说，有的。
Just this morning I was standing next to the big boss and neither of us knew what to say to each other.
就在今早，站在我旁边的是老板，我们都不知道该说点什么。
Yes, it's a strange one, isn't it?
这确实很奇怪。
Well, let's listen to Jason Whale, sales manager at Elevators Ltd, talking about this subject.
我们来听听电梯有限公司的销售经理Jason Whale对此事的看法。
He thinks he may have found a solution to the problem.
他认为他也许找到了解决这个问题的方法。
He uses a word that describes the state of feeling strange or uneasy.
他用了一个词来表示奇怪或不安的状态。
Can you tell me what it is?
你能告诉我是什么吗？
It's a very anxious experience the time you spend in a lift.
在电梯里总会令人感到焦虑。
I think everyone behaves very differently and awkwardly in a lift.
我认为每个人在电梯里的举动都是千差万别，有些尴尬的。
If you have things around you, you take away that awkwardness.
如果身边有什么东西，尴尬的感觉就会消失。
We all look at our phones sometimes or look down at the floor.
有时候我们看着手机，有时盯着地板。
Well, surely it's better to look at advertisements on the walls…
看墙上的广告也可以。
He said awkwardness, which describes the state of feeling strange or uneasy.
他用尴尬来描述奇怪或不安的状态。
He suggests that advertisements in lifts could improve our experience of being in one.
他提到看电梯里的广告可以改善我们的尴尬状态。
I suppose that could mean moving, digital ads.
我觉得这是指动画广告。
It could, but before we consider that further, let's delve into lifts a little more.
也许吧，稍后再谈这个，我们继续对电梯进行深入了解。
Of course there's always the danger of getting stuck in one
困在电梯里当然会有危险，
– but thankfully that's rare and usually you can dial an emergency number and be rescued.
但是庆幸的是，这种情况很少见，你可以拨打紧急电话，得到援助。
And did you know that most lifts mark the 13th floor as 12A or something similar because 13 is considered an unlucky number?
你知道吗，大多数电梯将13层标作12A，因为13是一个不详的数字。
By the way, have you heard of the elevator pitch?
顺便提一下，你知道电梯游说吗？
Yes, I have Neil. It's something we can do when we're stuck in a lift with someone.
我知道。我们和其他人在电梯里，可以尝试一下。
Yes - people say that if you have an idea or product to sell you should be able to sell it – or pitch it – to someone quickly.
人们经常说，如果你有好点子或者好产品要销售，你必须能在最快的时间内说服别人，以将产品卖出去。
So in other words, in the time it takes for an elevator – or lift - to reach the top of a building.
换句话说，在电梯达到顶层的时间里，销售一件产品。
It's a good idea if the lift doesn't break down!
如果电梯不出故障的话，这是个好主意。
Let's get back to the thought that digital advertising can make travelling by lift a more pleasant experience.
我们回到之前提到的动画广告上，这种广告使乘电梯变为一种乐趣。
Let's hear from Jason Whale again.
我们再来听听Jason Whale的看法。
He uses a word that means "thinner".
他用了一个词来表示“更纤细了”。
Can you spot it?
你能听出来吗？
I think, with all things, as technology becomes both slimmer and also cheaper as well,
我认为科技变得愈加细致廉价，
it becomes much more attractive to people who purchase lifts
对于购买电梯的人来说更具吸引力，
and therefore there are so many different ways to enhance a lift with light boxes, with moving images, with television screens,
也因此有各种改善电梯的方法，如改善灯盒，动画影像，安装电视屏幕等，
it becomes quite exciting for us, and hopefully a little bit more interesting for the people who use lifts every day.
这让人们感到很新奇，尤其对于那些每天都要乘电梯的人来说，这些改变很有意思。
He said slimmer which means thinner.
他提到细致，也就是纤细，精细。
And he said enhance, which means improve.
提高也就是指改善。
Well, he could be on to something.
他说的挺有道理。
Looking at moving advertisements must be better than listening to Muzak– that's non-stop, pre-recorded – usually boring - music.
看动画广告确实比听背景音乐强，这种助兴音乐是提前录制好的，是不间断播放，十分无聊。
Oh, that's terrible! I hate Muzak!
我讨厌背景音乐。太无聊了。
OK. So Neil, do you remember the question I asked you at the beginning of the programme?
好了，尼尔，你还记得节目开头我问你的问题吗？
I asked you which country has the most lifts? Is it...
哪个国家的电梯数量最多？
a) The USA?
a) 美国?
b) Italy?
b) 意大利?
or c) China?
还是 c) 中国?
And I said c) of course. It must be, it has to be China!
我选c)，一定是中国。
Really? You sound so sure... but in fact you're wrong.
是吗，这么确定？事实上你回答错了。
The answer is actually Italy.
正确答案是意大利。
Does that surprise you?
有没有很惊讶？
Yeah. It astonishes me to be honest.
老实说太惊讶了。
All these old buildings that have got lifts in…
所有老式建筑都有电梯。
I wonder why.
我不明白为什么。
Well, before we go, it's time to remind ourselves of some of the vocabulary that we've heard today. Neil.
节目结束前，我们再来回忆一下今天提到的单词吧。
came into their own
发挥大用处
elevators
电梯
elevate
抬高
blocks of flats
公寓楼
there's more to lifts than meets the eye
显然有更多用处
awkwardness
尴尬
delve into
深究
largely
主要地
slimmer
更纤细的
enhance
提高
Muzak
助兴的背景音乐
Thanks, Neil. Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English.
谢谢。今天的节目就到这里。
We hope you enjoyed today's programme.
希望你们喜欢。
Please join us again soon.
我们下次节目再会。
Bye bye.
再见。
Bye.
再见。