What is red but green, open but closed and old but new? Answer: London's stunning new double-decker buses. % W+ x6 s" a: P: L1 `
6 J" r" J. y7 }* j# LThe 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. ! ?0 `* j) a+ ?8 b7 T0 K8 ?% F
( ?% J+ p- M& J0 I/ r1 Q$ x6 rNow a new bus design has been unveiled and it has been wowing Londoners. ( V0 h7 j* V _
9 E& e& f I& J) l
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.
6 e% Z0 Q) h i. z6 L% {( {% F
! J% ~) l. w% x+ c/ T# f) TDespite its innovations the design is not all new. Its exterior is very reminiscent of London's faithful old double-decker, the Routemaster. % y0 Q& _8 }# ]. _- {
. B# x6 S# x/ j- }! S, r' d
g+ X4 Y; T- U8 l9 u& r, O" W
0 k! @3 e L; N% m: O
5 U* O& A2 R3 k: q1 O# uThe new bus has a "swooshing" exterior.
* Y# F6 I, t$ j$ t
6 r2 G, _9 n7 `. YIn December 2005 the original Routemaster was withdrawn from general service for accessibility and environmental reasons, but it can still be seen on two heritage routes in London.
( L' |' f! ^( \6 A7 b6 Y
3 I, j& J! \* M* ? m" FIn 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.
% e; _; F$ q p$ p
0 s. p' V" D' l( o3 V! U! eThe new double-deckers, which have three doors to speed up boarding, are expected to be in service in 2012.
1 M$ C2 @8 w4 ]; t. U1 [8 E: O
$ D6 R$ m& H3 b' G: z8 N4 k( r8 D. ]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".
5 H: { S2 X) n: w* ^5 f! |2 | C3 A
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. & w7 C3 @ P4 o7 P) N
5 R0 m% k0 ]0 j$ y9 C6 ~, YHowever, 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.
2 E1 o( @0 f! q" T) X$ b6 J 4 ^2 z8 e# _: M- o
来自:http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/sim ... w_buses_story.shtml |