考研英语外刊:城市该不该鼓励购买SUV

No one who walks, cycles or drives around London, or many of the world’s big cities, could fail to notice thevastlyincreased size of the typical car. A type of vehicle once associatedwith rural settings and outdoor lifestyles is now ubiquitous. Heavily marketed as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), supersize cars are among the key consumer trends of recent decades. In 2022, they accounted for46% of global new car sales.

For manufacturers, these vehicles are big earners due to higher profit margins. For those inside them, they offer more space and a higher vantagepoint. But for those on the outside, SUVs have obvious downsides. The threat that they pose to pedestriansis one. Research shows that children are 77% more likely to die if struck by an SUV compared with other cars, due to their size and structure – particularly their raised bonnets. This finding was highlighted in an announcement from the London mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, that such risks are being scrutinisedas part of a wider review into SUVs’ environmental impact. This evidence will provide the basis for policy proposals that are expected to include higher charges for owners.

SUVs also take up far more physical space than most cars. Between 2021 and 2025, about 4.6m cars that are bigger than a typical parking space were sold in the UK. Londoners have yet to be consultedon what should be done about this. But the public response in othercitiessuggests that many people are unhappy with the trend. In Cardiff, 66% of respondents to a council survey said that SUV owners should pay more for parking permits. In Paris, a majority supported the triplingof parking fees in a 2024 referendum.

These are the places that Sir Sadiq can learn from, along with Helsinki and Oslo, which have both achieved huge reductions in road deaths and serious injuries. After the rolloutof the London-wide ultra-low emissionzone (Ulez) in 2023, which led to significant air quality improvements, the mayor knows that it pays to be bold.While changes in regulations inevitably causeshort-termdisruption, and politicians can never please everyone, past experience shows that most Londoners can be persuadedto cooperate with schemesthat make their city cleaner and safer. Further reductions of speed limits are also expected, with enlarged20mph zones and new restrictions on faster roads.

Most newer SUVs are compliant with Ulez, but their large carbon footprints over their lifetimes, including manufacture, are a problem that needs addressingby central government. According to the International Energy Agency, SUVs consume about 20% more oil than medium-sized cars, and their popularity has cancelled out global gains from improved energy efficiency since 1990 – even though about 20% of new models are electric.

Ministers should re-examine a system under which new SUVs are taxed far less heavily than in many European countries. The green transition should include a tax system that pays attention to the environment. Such financial nudges will never change everyone’s behaviour. But they are an important tool, as are local parking and congestioncharges. Sir Sadiq knows this, and is right to signal that he intends to use the levers that are availableto him. The conversation about the UK’s growing number of giant cars needs to accelerate.

读到这里，请大家做一道考研英语阅读仿真模拟题：

The phrase “financial nudges”in Paragraph 6 most probably means ______.

A. government subsidies for green vehicles

B. tax and fee policies to guide public behavior

C. financial support for car manufacturers

D.monetary compensation for traffic accident victims

第二遍，我带上翻译，形成英中对照译文，大家可以再读一遍，充分查漏补缺：

No one who walks, cycles or drives around London, or many of the world’s big cities, could fail to notice thevastlyincreased size of the typical car. A type of vehicle once associatedwith rural settings and outdoor lifestyles is now ubiquitous. Heavily marketed as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), supersize cars are among the key consumer trends of recent decades. In 2022, they accounted for46% of global new car sales.

无论是在伦敦，还是全球许多其他大城市，任何步行、骑行或驾车出行的人，都不可能忽视一个现象：普通家用汽车的体型正变得越来越大。这类原本与乡村环境、户外生活方式相关的车型，如今随处可见。被大力营销为运动型多用途汽车（SUV）的超大型车辆，是近几十年来最重要的消费趋势之一。2022年，SUV占全球新车销量的46%。

For manufacturers, these vehicles are big earners due to higher profit margins. For those inside them, they offer more space and a higher vantagepoint. But for those on the outside, SUVs have obvious downsides. The threat that they pose to pedestriansis one. Research shows that children are 77% more likely to die if struck by an SUV compared with other cars, due to their size and structure – particularly their raised bonnets. This finding was highlighted in an announcement from the London mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, that such risks are being scrutinisedas part of a wider review into SUVs’ environmental impact. This evidence will provide the basis for policy proposals that are expected to include higher charges for owners.

对汽车制造商而言，这类车型利润率更高，是重要的盈利来源。对车内驾乘者来说，SUV空间更大、视野更高。但对车外的人而言，其弊端显而易见。对行人的安全威胁便是其一。研究显示，由于车身尺寸和结构——尤其是较高的引擎盖，儿童若被SUV撞击，死亡概率比被其他普通汽车高出77%。伦敦市长萨迪克·汗在一份声明中强调了这一研究结果，并表示，在对SUV环境影响开展的全面评估中，这类安全风险也将被重点审查。相关证据将成为政策建议的依据，预计政策将包括向SUV车主收取更高费用。

SUVs also take up far more physical space than most cars. Between 2021 and 2025, about 4.6m cars that are bigger than a typical parking space were sold in the UK. Londoners have yet to be consultedon what should be done about this. But the public response in othercitiessuggests that many people are unhappy with the trend. In Cardiff, 66% of respondents to a council survey said that SUV owners should pay more for parking permits. In Paris, a majority supported the triplingof parking fees in a 2024 referendum.

SUV还比大多数汽车占用更多路面与停车空间。2021至2025年间，英国售出约460万辆尺寸超过标准停车位的汽车。伦敦尚未就如何应对这一问题征求市民意见，但其他城市的公众反馈显示，许多人对这一趋势感到不满。在加的夫，市政调查中66%的受访者认为，SUV车主应缴纳更高的停车许可费。在巴黎，2024年公投中多数人支持将SUV停车费提高至原来的三倍。

These are the places that Sir Sadiq can learn from, along with Helsinki and Oslo, which have both achieved huge reductions in road deaths and serious injuries. After the rolloutof the London-wide ultra-low emissionzone (Ulez) in 2023, which led to significant air quality improvements, the mayor knows that it pays to be bold.While changes in regulations inevitably causeshort-termdisruption, and politicians can never please everyone, past experience shows that most Londoners can be persuadedto cooperate with schemesthat make their city cleaner and safer. Further reductions of speed limits are also expected, with enlarged20mph zones and new restrictions on faster roads.

萨迪克·汗可以借鉴这些城市的经验，同样值得参考的还有赫尔辛基和奥斯陆——这两座城市均大幅降低了道路交通死亡和重伤人数。2023年伦敦全域超低排放区（Ulez）推行后，空气质量显著改善，市长深知，大胆行动是值得的。尽管监管调整不可避免会带来短期影响，政客也永远无法让所有人满意，但过往经验表明，只要举措能让城市更清洁、更安全，大多数伦敦人是愿意配合的。伦敦预计还将进一步降低限速，扩大20英里/小时限速区，并对快速路增设新的限速规定。

Most newer SUVs are compliant with Ulez, but their large carbon footprints over their lifetimes, including manufacture, are a problem that needs addressingby central government. According to the International Energy Agency, SUVs consume about 20% more oil than medium-sized cars, and their popularity has cancelled out global gains from improved energy efficiency since 1990 – even though about 20% of new models are electric.

大多数新款SUV都符合超低排放区标准，但其全生命周期（包括生产制造）的巨大碳足迹，仍是需要中央政府解决的问题。国际能源署数据显示，SUV油耗比中型汽车高出约20%；尽管约20%的新款SUV为电动车型，但其普及仍抵消了1990年以来全球能源效率提升带来的减排成果。

Ministers should re-examine a system under which new SUVs are taxed far less heavily than in many European countries. The green transition should include a tax system that pays attention to the environment. Such financial nudges will never change everyone’s behaviour. But they are an important tool, as are local parking and congestioncharges. Sir Sadiq knows this, and is right to signal that he intends to use the levers that are availableto him. The conversation about the UK’s growing number of giant cars needs to accelerate.

英国政府应重新审视现行税收体系——目前英国对新SUV的征税远低于许多欧洲国家。绿色转型应包含一套重视环保的税收制度。这类经济调节手段虽无法改变所有人的行为，但与地方停车费、拥堵费一样，是重要的政策工具。萨迪克·汗深知这一点，他表示将动用手中可用的政策杠杆，这一态度是正确的。关于英国日益增多的巨型汽车的讨论，亟需加快推进。

最后，让我们一起学习一个短语：financial nudges。

让我们先拆词，一秒懂结构：

financial表示金融的、金钱上的；

nudge表示轻推、暗中推动、温和引导。

合在一起：用金钱手段进行的“温和引导”，不是暴力禁止，不是强迫命令，而是用钱“轻轻推你一把”，让你主动改变行为。

所以大家可以理解，在文章中，nudge表示政策引导。

在西方政治、经济、环保类文章里，nudge=policy tool=引导性政策，是固定考点！

举几个例子：

tax nudge 税收引导

policy nudge 政策引导

financial nudge 经济手段引导

回到原句：

Such financial nudges will never change everyone’s behaviour.

But they are an important tool, as are local parking and congestion charges.

意思就是：

这类经济引导手段虽然没法改变所有人的行为，

但它们是重要工具，就像当地的停车费和拥堵费一样。

注意，as are意思是正如…… 一样。这里直接把financial nudges 等同于：parking and congestion charges=停车费、拥堵费、税费调控。

所以词义题直接选：tax and fee policies to guide public behavior。

好啦，今天的文章就到这里啦。

明天，我们不见不散！