首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Every generation has its emblematic boy’s toy. Once upon a time there was the golf cart: a little toy car specifically designed
Every generation has its emblematic boy’s toy. Once upon a time there was the golf cart: a little toy car specifically designed
admin
2011-01-10
63
问题
Every generation has its emblematic boy’s toy. Once upon a time there was the golf cart: a little toy car specifically designed for middle-aged men too rich to care about looking ridiculous. Later came the beach buggy, a briefly fashionable, wildly impractical, single-terrain vehicle. One might include the motorcycle or the snowmobile on this list, were they not, in certain contexts, quite useful, but there is no doubt which pointless recreational vehicle has captured the imagination of the landed, middle-aged celebrity: it’s the quad bike.
What is it about this squat, ungainly, easy-to-flip machine that celebrities love so much? As recreational vehicles go, the quad bike is hardly sophisticated. They are to the countryside what the jet-ski is to Lake Windermere. "There’s nothing cool about a quad", says Simon Tiffin, editor of a well-known magazine. "It’s a strange thing to want to hare round beautiful bits of the country in a petrol-guzzling machine."
But celebrities love quad bikes. Musicians, comedians, DJs, actors and sportsmen have all been photographed aboard quads. "They’re the latest rich person’s toy", says Tiffin. "Spoilt children get them for Christmas." Provided you~ ye got a large estate to go with it, however, the quad bike can remain a secret indulgence. You can go out and tear up your own piece of countryside without anyone knowing you’re doing it.
The quad bike’s nonsensical name—"quad" means four, but "bike" is an abbreviation of "bicycle", which means two—that comes to six—hints at its odd history. Originally the ATV, or all-terrain vehicle, as quads are sometimes known, was developed in Japan as a three-wheeled farm vehicle, an inexpensive mini-tractor that could go just about anywhere. In the 1980s the more stable four-wheeled quad was officially introduced—enthusiasts had been converting their trikes for some time—again primarily for farming, but its recreational appeal soon became apparent. At the same time a market for racing models was developing.
Paul Anderson, a former British quad racing champion, says the quad’s recreational appeal lies in its potential to deliver a safe thrill. It’s a mix between a motorbike and driving a car; when you turn a corner, you’ve got to lean into the corner, and then if the ground’s greasy, the rear end slides out, he says. "Plus they’re much easier to ride than a two-wheeled motorcycle." The quad bike, in short, provides middle-aged excitement for men who think a Harley might be a bit dangerous. Anderson is keen to point out that quad bikes are, in his experience, much safer than motorcycles. "With quad racing it’s very rare that we see anybody having an accident and getting injured," he says. "In the right hands, personally, I think a quad bike is a very safe recreational vehicle", he adds.
Outside of racing, quad bikes are growing in popularity and injuries have trebled in the last five years. Although retailers offer would-be purchasers basic safety instructions and recommend that riders wear gloves, helmets, goggles, boots and elbow pads, there is no licence required to drive a quad bike and few ways to encourage people to ride them wisely. Employers are required to provide training to workers who use quad bikes, but there is nothing to stop other buyers hurting themselves.
For the rest of the world, quad bikes are here to stay. They feature heavily in the programmes of holiday activity centres, they have all but replaced the tractor as the all-purpose agricultural workhorse and now police constables ride them while patrolling the Merseyside coastline. It has more or less usurped the beach buggy, the dirt bike and the snowmobile, anywhere they can go the quad bike can. They even race them on ice. You can’t drive round Lake Windermere on one, or at least nobody’s tried it yet. Just wait.
What is Simon Tiffin’s attitude to the people who ride quad bikes?
选项
A、Understandable.
B、Supportive.
C、Scornful.
D、Indifferent.
答案
C
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/xDcO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI中级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI中级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Thegovernmenthashardlytakenmeasurestocrackdownonthesecrimeswhennewonesoccurred.
TheblunderofArgentina’sgoaliecostthemthegameinthematchagainstBrazil.
TheSocialSecurityActdidnotincludehealthinsurancebecausethecommissionconsideredthatitsinclusionwouldjeopardizet
Justlastweek,forexample,theWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)announcedthedisturbingdisclosurethatchickflumaybepretty
BecauseofherdualnationalityintheUnitedStatesandMexico,Mariawasalmostrequiredtopaytaxesinbothcountriesuntil
Shouldwecareifover150knownspeciesofanimalshave【C1】______fromtheearthinthelastfiftyyears?Shouldwebeconcerned
Manystudentsagreedtocome,butsomestudentsagainstbecausetheysaidtheydon’thavetime.
Sino-foreigneducationalprogramonbusinessispopularinChinanow,andthedemandforhighlevelinterpretationisgreat.
Theprisonguardswerearmedandreadytoshootif______inanyway.
随机试题
早期肺脓肿未形成空洞时最易与下列哪种疾病混淆
回归方程的常数项a为()。
患者,男,30岁,突发左腰部绞痛伴镜下血尿,左腰部轻度压痛和叩击痛,无肌紧张,应考虑()。
2008年9月,天泉市政府为周某办理了地处水湾村某地块的《集体土地建设用地使用证》(以下简称《土地使用证》,水湾村委会不服,向天泉市法院提起行政诉讼,要求撤销天泉市政府为周某所颁发的《土地使用证》。原告诉称,周某系城镇非农业户口。周某没有向水湾村提出宅基地
有人刻薄地嘲讽你,你马上尖酸地回敬他;有人毫无理由地看不起你,你马上轻蔑地鄙视他;有人在你面前大肆炫耀,你马上加倍证明你更厉害;有人对你冷漠忽视,你马上对他冷淡疏远。看,你讨厌的那些人,轻易就把你变成了你自己最讨厌的那种样子。这才是“敌人"对你最大的伤害。
1,2,7,20,61,182,()
简述概化理论研究中G研究和D研究的含义及其研究内容。
AtleastsincetheIndustrialRevolution,genderroleshavebeeninastateoftransition.Asaresult,culturalscriptsaboutm
A、Hethinksitisawisemove.B、HethinksBobisnotwisetoinvestallhismoneyinstocks.C、HethinksBobshouldmovetoano
Expertspointoutwhatweeatreflectswhoweare.Doyouwantto【B1】______anotherculture?Thenyououghttofindoutaboutits
最新回复
(
0
)