听考研真题|2020年英一阅读1:火车票一涨再涨,乘客终将忍无可忍

How can the train operators possibly justify yet another increase to rail passenger fares? It has become a grimly reliable annual ritual: every January the cost of travelling by train rises, imposing a significant extra burden on those who have no option but to use the rail network to get to work or otherwise. 

【生词】grimly adv.可怕地, 严肃地, 坚强地, 讨厌地

This year’s rise, an average of 2.7 per cent, may be a fraction lower than last year’s, but it is still well above the official Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation.

【生词】fraction n.[数]分数, 一小部分，些微, 不相连的一块，片段, [化]分馏

Successive governments have permitted such increases on the grounds that the cost of investing in and running the rail network should be borne by those who use it, rather than the general taxpayer. 

【翻译】历届政府均允许此类费用上调，其理由是：铁路网络的投资与运营成本应由铁路用户承担，而非由广大纳税人承担。

Why, the argument goes, should a car-driving pensioner from Lincolnshire have to subsidise the daily commute of a stockbroker from Surrey?  

【生词】subsidise vt.给…津贴或补贴，资助或补助…

commute v.通勤, 〈法〉减刑; n.上下班路程

stockbroker n.[金融] 股票经纪人

【翻译】按照这一逻辑，为何一位来自林肯郡的退休司机，就要为一位来自萨里郡的股票经纪人每日通勤所支付补贴呢？

Equally, there is a sense that the travails of commuters in the South East, many of whom will face among the biggest rises, have received too much attention compared to those who must endure the relatively poor infrastructure of the Midlands and the North.

【生词】infrastructure n.基础设施, 基础建设

【翻译】同样，人们普遍认为，东南部通勤者所面临的种种困境——其中许多人将遭遇最严重的票价上涨——相较于那些不得不忍受中西部和北部地区相对落后基础设施的通勤者而言，受到了过多的关注。

However, over the past 12 months, those commuters have also experienced some of the worst rail strikes in years. 

【翻译】然而，在过去的12 个月里，这些通勤者还经历了近年来最严重的几场铁路罢工之一。

It is all very well train operators trumpeting the improvements they are making to the network, but passengers should be able to expect a basic level of service for the substantial sums they are now paying to travel. 

【生词】trumpet n.喇叭, 小号; vt.大声说出或宣告; vi.吹喇叭，吹小号, 发出回声

The responsibility for the latest wave of strikes rests on the unions. However, there is a strong case that those who have been worst affected by industrial action should receive compensation for the disruption they have suffered.

【生词】compensation n. 补偿

The Government has pledged to change the law to introduce a minimum service requirement so that, even when strikes occur, services can continue to operate.

【翻译】政府已承诺修订相关法律，引入最低服务保障要求，确保即使在发生罢工的情况下，各项服务仍能持续运行。

This should form part of a wider package of measures to address the long-running problems on Britain’s railways.

Yes, more investment is needed, but passengers will not be willing to pay more indefinitely if they must also endure cramped, unreliable services, punctuated by regular chaos when timetables are changed,or planned maintenance is managed incompetently. 

【生词】cramped adj.狭窄的, 难懂的

punctuate vt.加标点符号, 不时打断, 加强，强调; vt.不时打断某事物, 使用标点符号

chaos n.混乱，杂乱

maintenance n. 维持

【翻译】是的，确实需要增加投资，但若乘客还不得不忍受拥挤且服务不可靠的出行体验——尤其是在列车时刻表变更或计划性维护管理不善时，他们便不太可能长期愿意支付更高费用。

The threat of nationalisation may have been seen off for now, but it will return with a vengeance if the justified anger of passengers is not addressed in short order.

【生词】vengeance n. 报仇

【翻译】国有化这一威胁或许目前已被暂时化解，但若乘客们合理表达的愤怒未能得到及时妥善处理，该威胁必将卷土重来。