導讀Cars汽車Myfriendsaidcarsareapain.Whathemeantwasthathiscarwasalotoftrouble.Isuppo....

Cars

汽車

My friend said cars are a pain. What he meant was that his car was a lot of trouble. I suppose he must have bought a "lemon", that is, a car full of problems and not worth its keep.

我的朋友視汽車為眼中釘,他的意思是他的車子為他添了許多麻煩。我猜想他必定是買了一件“蹩腳貨”，也就是一輛問題多多、不值得保留的汽車。

Not everybody feels the same way about cars. To some, cars are just machines on wheels. These people hunt for the best value. They look for vehicles that are affordable but reliable, gas efficient, comfortable enough, reasonably safe and not too expensive to repair. In contrast, you have also seen owners who lovingly polished their machines, dressing them in fancy seat covers, and attaching cute little doodads to the windows.

每個人對汽車都有不同的看法。對某些人而言，汽車只不過是裝有輪子的機器。這些人會尋找最有價值的汽車。他們所尋找的是購買得起而且也可靠、省油、足夠舒適、相當安全，并且維修費用不太高的汽車。相比之下，你也會看到車主溫柔的把他們的車子擦亮，并套上特制的椅套,還在車窗上掛上可愛的小飾物。

To some, cars are not machines. They are the emotional extensions of their owners. Think about the adrenalin high when one looks at a BMW. The status, speed and wealth identified with the BMW are certainly tempting. Think Jaguar, and we picture the sleek, dangerous, fast and powerful black cat with rippling muscles leaping after its prey. What about the latest hot wheels - the mini-vans and jeeps? They spell outdoors, young, sporty, carefree, cool. Or cute little Smart cars - trendy, city, efficient, modern.

對有些人而言，汽車不是機器，而是車主情感上的延伸。想想看到一輛寶馬車時的興奮之感，它所帶來的對地位、速度和財富的認同的確頗具誘惑。想到美洲虎，就可能想到一只皮毛光滑、危險、快速和肌肉強健有力的黑貓在抓捕獵物。而最近炙手可熱的車子——小型車輛和吉普車——又代表什么？它們代表戶外、年輕、運動氣質、自由自在、獨具一格。另外，小巧可愛的Smart，代表時髦、都市、效率和現代。

There is also a special class of car owners - the sentimental. To them, modern day vehicles are artistic disasters - tasteless and boring. For them, the only real cars are vintage - those really old-fashion vehicles you see in movies about the days of our great grandparents. These cars may be antique but not ugly. They are polished to a dazzling shine, with spotless chrome and bright clean tires.

此外,還有另一族群的車主,就是懷舊感傷的車主。他們把現代的汽車視為藝術的敗類——單調又乏味。對他們而言，古典精致的車輛才真正稱得上汽車——就是那些我們可以從祖父輩時代的影片上看到的古董老爺車。這些車雖然古老但并不丑陋，它們已被擦得明亮眩目，并且具有無瑕的鉻片和干凈亮麗的輪胎。

As for me, I shudder at the cost of a new vehicle. So for now, just get me a sturdy used car that can bring me from here to there without breaking down. Besides, I do not have to fret about someone running an initiation scratch on the new paint job.

至于我，想到一輛新汽車的價位就令我顫抖。所以到目前為止，只要給我一輛堅固耐用的、能將我從此地運至彼地而中途又不拋錨的車子即可。除此以外，我也用不著顧慮有人在新漆的車身上刮上劃痕。