What is red but green, open but closed and old but new? Answer: London's stunning new double-decker buses.
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+ ^+ q ]% M* }3 sThe 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.
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8 r Y: r' F5 i: k+ a$ JNow a new bus design has been unveiled and it has been wowing Londoners. 4 X5 \" @$ q8 A6 E1 g1 U( I
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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.
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3 p" ?; R7 u& M. J+ YDespite its innovations the design is not all new. Its exterior is very reminiscent of London's faithful old double-decker, the Routemaster. 7 ]) A: v2 A* B( x
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The new bus has a "swooshing" exterior.: {) J' b' @( |1 i8 _ b) r
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In December 2005 the original Routemaster was withdrawn from general service for accessibility and environmental reasons, but it can still be seen on two heritage routes in London. % m4 o3 N* u( H& B# a* K
1 Q% d) {( c! |' e- QIn 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 (244,000 Yuan) prize.
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7 r" w) R$ y, L/ `The new double-deckers, which have three doors to speed up boarding, are expected to be in service in 2012. ' w5 C5 R$ v" u5 i3 Y8 u
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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". 2 N _4 n6 ?. Y& R. G
+ l v) p5 c7 }/ q! U) LHe expects cities around the globe to be "beside themselves with envy" for what he described as a "stunning red emblem" of 21st-century London. / l; {+ M- l, i% I# d5 o3 \+ S
# h l: ?4 r: `& K1 ^However, Mr Johnson has not yet persuaded everyone to climb on board. The mayor has been criticised by some for the high cost of the new buses. A normal double-decker bus costs around £190,000 (around 1,900,000 Yuan) but it has cost £7.8m (76,000,000 Yuan) to design and build five new ones.
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4 ~8 a+ Z+ Y7 r: O% `, s7 F来自:http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/sim ... w_buses_story.shtml |