伦敦新型双层巴士设计惊艳亮相
What is red but green, open but closed and old but new? Answer: London's stunning new double-decker buses.
The traditional red double-deckers are a symbol of London. Their iconic status was sealed in 2008 when one bus made the longer-than-usual trip to Beijing to collect a very special passenger: the Olympic Flame.
Now a new bus design has been unveiled and it has been wowing Londoners.
The new bus uses more efficient green technology and has two staircases and an open platform, enabling people to hop on and hop off. It also has a unique asymmetric design for the front end, which gives it a futuristic look.
Despite its innovations the design is not all new. Its exterior is very reminiscent of London's faithful old double-decker, the Routemaster.
In December 2005 the original Routemaster was withdrawn from general service for accessibility and environmental reasons, but it can still be seen on two heritage routes in London.
In July 2008 a competition was launched by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, to design a new Routemaster bus for the capital. There were over 700 entries, with several designers jointly winning the £25,000 prize.
The new double-deckers, which have three doors to speed up boarding, are expected to be in service in 2012.
Mr Johnson said: "This iconic new part of our transport system is not only beautiful, but also has a green heart beating beneath its stylish, swooshing exterior".
He expects cities around the globe to be "beside themselves with envy" for what he described as a "stunning red emblem" of 21st-century London.
什么东西既是红色的又是绿色的（环保）？既封闭又开放？既是传统的又是新的？这就是伦敦推出的极具看点的新型双层巴士。
传统的红色双层巴士是伦敦的象征。2008年，一辆双层巴士不远万里前往北京，去搭载一位非常特殊的乘客——奥运圣火，而双层巴士的标志性地位也由此筑就。
如今，一款新型双层巴士的设计惊艳亮相，赢得了伦敦人的盛赞。
新型双层巴士使用更为节能的环保科技，设有两个楼梯和一个可让人们“跳上跳下”的开放式平台，巴士前端还设计成独特的不对称结构，极为新潮。
尽管新型双层巴士有所创新，但也并非彻底变样。它的外观与服务伦敦多年的老款巴士——“马路主人”十分相像。
由于乘用的方便性和环保等原因，老款“马路主人”于2005年12月退出了伦敦街头，但现在人们仍可在伦敦保留的两条“遗产“线路上看到它的身影。
2008年7月，伦敦市市长鲍里斯•约翰逊发起了一项新款“马路主人”设计大赛。比赛共收到700多份设计作品，最终有几位设计者共同获得了2.5万英镑的大奖。
新型双层巴士设有三个车门，以加快上下车速度。新型巴士预计将于2012年投入使用。
约翰逊说：“伦敦公交系统这一标志性的新成员不仅外观漂亮，而且在它时尚、旋弧形的外表之下，还有一颗‘绿色’的心。”
约翰逊称，新型双层巴士是21世纪的伦敦“最具魅力的红色象征”，还称世界各地的城市一定会“十分嫉妒”。
Vocabulary:
double-decker bus：双层巴士，
asymmetric：not identical on both sides of a central line; unsymmetrical; lacking symmetry（不均匀的，不对称的）
futuristic：of or pertaining to the future（未来派的，想象未来的）
swooshing：moving with or make a rustling, swirling, or brushing sound（嗖嗖地迅速移动）
beside oneself: beside oneself, almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief（发狂，忘形于。beside oneself with joy：欣喜若狂）
