壹苹派生活美语　幽灵塞车：交通的隐形杀手

　　Have you ever been trapped in a traffic jam even when there are no signs of any accidents or roadwork? This strange phenomenon is known as a phantom traffic jam. It is caused by minor changes in traffic flow like sudden braking. When a driver brakes on a busy highway, each driver behind him or her in the line of traffic then hits their brakes as well. This results in a wave of braking that can continue for kilometers. However, this situation is much less likely to happen on less crowded roads.

　　即使没有任何事故或道路施工的迹象，你是否也曾被困在车阵之中？这个奇怪的现象被称为幽灵塞车。它是由像急煞等车流中的微小变化所引起的。当一名驾驶在繁忙的高速公路煞车，在其后车阵中的每一位驾驶也会接著踩煞车。这导致可以持续数公里的一波波煞车潮。然而，这种情况在较不壅塞的路上发生的可能性小很多。

生活必备字词：

invisible　a. 隐形的，看不见的

be trapped in...　　被困在……

brake　vi. & n. 煞车

hit one’s / the brakes　　踩煞车

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本文节录自《常春藤生活英语》杂志，完整内容请见十一月号。