纽约鼠灾

近日，纽约老鼠泛滥的问题引发热议。

一款名为Transit的出行交通服务App甚至推出了“老鼠探测”的功能，用户可以上报他们在当地地铁站看到了多少只老鼠，然后该App会汇总结果，为每个地铁站老鼠数量评级和排名。

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the main purpose of the "Rat Detector" feature in the Transit app?

a) To scare off tourists from New York.

b) To gather data for research on rats.

c) To alert authorities about rat infestations.

d) To provide real-time information to subway riders about rat sightings.

a) Toxic   b) Futile

c) Bountiful  d) Appealing

a) People are universally disgusted.

b) The majority are alarmed and are avoiding the subway.

c) The reaction is mixed, with some finding it amusing.

d) Most people have not yet noticed the new feature.

无注释原文：

An app is tracking rat sightings at New York subway stations on a scale of 'none' to 'so many.' It's the stuff of nightmares.

From: INSIDER

It's no secret that the rats run New York City.

New York's rat population has increased 800% in less than 65 years, and experts believe around 90% of the city is infested with them. Some tourists are even coming to the Big Apple for the express purpose of seeing as many rats as they can. 

The city hired a rat czar to try to combat the issue earlier this year, and solutions like birth control and traps have proved fruitless. 

Day-to-day, it's on New Yorkers to remain vigilant if they want to avoid the true lords of the city.

Now, the popular Transit app, which provides users with information on public transit availability based on real-time reports, has released its "Rat Detector" feature.

The idea is users can report how many rats they see at their local subway station, and the app compiles findings to give each station a rat ranking, according to a blog post from the app. 

Ratings range from none to "so many," and it also lists where each station falls among the city's 472 subway stations. 

"We launched the rat detector project to show how easy our app makes it for riders to sound off on their commute," a representative for Transit said in a statement to Insider of the update. "In addition to rating each station's rattiness, riders can also give their ride a star rating and answer questions about the quality of their experience on public transit. Then we work with transit agencies to use this rider feedback and improve transit service."

Transit reports that New Yorkers who use its app see rats on 40% of their subway rides and that they're most often spotted by riders who take the train at night. 

As of Friday, the Grant Avenue stop in Brooklyn was the most rat-infested of all of New York's subway stations, according to Transit users' self-reporting, with the Harlem-148th Street in Harlem and the Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens coming in second and third, respectively. 

A few New Yorkers have taken to social media to discuss the new Transit feature, with user @smokulani's TikTok video explaining the feature amassing over one million views as of Friday. Some expressed horror at the rats in the comment section of her video, but many others made light of the massive population.

"Me choosing only stations with 'so many rats,'" one user said. 

"I understand wanting to know about rat density, but what about personality?" another wrote. "Are they more pensive or more lackadaisical?"

The same representative for Transit told Insider the comapny was "glad" users were engaging with the rat ratings. 

"We're glad that our users' rat ratings speak to New Yorkers; the goal is to make sure that transit riders have a voice in making sure their local transit systems offer the best service possible," they said. 

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

An app is tracking rat sightings at New York subway stations on a scale of 'none' to 'so many.' It's the stuff of nightmares.

From: INSIDER

It's no secret that the rats run New York City.

众所周知，老鼠在纽约市随处可见。

rat /ræt/ 表示“鼠；老鼠”，英文解释为“a small rodent, larger than a mouse, that has a long tail and is considered to be harmful”

New York's rat population has increased 800% in less than 65 years, and experts believe around 90% of the city is infested with them. Some tourists are even coming to the Big Apple for the express purpose of seeing as many rats as they can.

在不到65年的时间里，纽约市的老鼠数量增加了800%，专家们认为纽约市约90%的地区都有老鼠出没。一些游客甚至专程来大苹果城（纽约别称），目的就是尽可能多地看到老鼠。

infest /ɪnˈfest/ 表示“（动物、害虫等）大批出没于，骚扰”，英文解释为“(of animals and insects that carry disease) to cause a problem by being present in large numbers”举个🌰：The barn was infested with rats. 谷仓里到处都是老鼠。

the Big Apple /ˌbɪɡ ˈæp.əl/ 表示“纽约市”，英文解释为“New York City”举个🌰：She's planning a trip to the Big Apple. 她正计划去纽约旅行。

express /ɪkˈspres/ 熟词僻义，作形容词，表示“明确的；明白表示的；特别指出的”，英文解释为“clearly and intentionally stated”举个🌰：It is my express wish that after my death, my books be given to my old college library. 我明确表示，死后要把我的藏书捐给母校的图书馆。The lawyer argued that the accused had gone to the victim's house with the express purpose of killing her. 律师辩道，被告到被害人家中去时，怀有很明确的杀人动机。

The city hired a rat czar to try to combat the issue earlier this year, and solutions like birth control and traps have proved fruitless.

今年早些时候，纽约市聘请了一位“老鼠总管”试图解决这一问题，但事实证明，节育和捕鼠器等解决方案都无济于事。

czar /zɑː/ 1）表示“特派官员”，英文解释为“a person who has been given special powers by the government to deal with a particular matter”举个🌰：The government has appointed a drugs czar to coordinate the fight against drug abuse. 政府任命了一位缉毒特派员来协调禁毒战。

2）表示“（商界或政界的）要人”，英文解释为“a powerful person in business or politics”如：a group of publishing tsars 一群出版界要人。

作动词，常见含义表示“战斗，与...搏斗”，可以指“打击；制止；防止；减轻”，英文解释为“to stop sth unpleasant or harmful from happening or from getting worse”如：measures to combat crime/unemployment/disease 防止犯罪/失业/疾病的措施。

作名词，trap /træp/ 表示“陷阱；夹子；捕捉器”，英文解释为“a device or hole for catching animals or people and preventing their escape”举个🌰：The fox got its foot caught in a trap. 狐狸的一只脚被夹子夹住了。

作动词，1）be trapped表示“被困住；陷入困境”，英文解释为“If someone or something is trapped, that person or thing is unable to move or escape from a place or situation.”举个🌰：Fire officers used cutting equipment to free his legs, which were trapped under a steel beam. 消防队员们用切割设备松开他被压在一根钢梁下的双腿。

2）表示“（尤指为利用而）收集，存住，保存（热量、水等）”，英文解释为“to keep something such as heat or water in one place, especially because it is useful”举个🌰：A greenhouse stays warm because the glass traps the heat of the sun. 温室保持着温暖，因为玻璃吸收了太阳的热量。

Day-to-day, it's on New Yorkers to remain vigilant if they want to avoid the true lords of the city.

日常生活中，纽约人都要保持警惕，才能避开这些真正的城市霸主。

vigilant /ˈvɪdʒ.əl.ənt/ 表示“警觉的；警戒的；警惕的”，英文解释为“always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger”举个🌰：Following the bomb scare at the airport, the staff have been warned to be extra vigilant. 机场的炸弹恐吓事件之后，全体员工都被告诫要格外警惕。

lord /lɔːd/ 1）表示“老爷，贵族”，英文解释为“a male peer”

2）表示“（某一领域的）巨头，巨擘”，英文解释为“a man who has a lot of power in a particular area of activity”举个🌰：Several alleged drug lords are to be put on trial. 几个受到指控的毒枭将被送上法庭。

3）表示“（中世纪欧洲的）领主”，英文解释为“a powerful man in medieval Europe, who owned a lot of land and property”

Now, the popular Transit app, which provides users with information on public transit availability based on real-time reports, has released its "Rat Detector" feature.

现在，备受欢迎的应用程序Transit发布了其“老鼠探测器”功能，该应用程序根据实时报告为用户提供公共交通可用性的信息。

The idea is users can report how many rats they see at their local subway station, and the app compiles findings to give each station a rat ranking, according to a blog post from the app.

据该应用的一篇博文介绍，用户可以报告他们在当地地铁站看到了多少只老鼠，然后该应用会汇总结果，为每个地铁站老鼠数量评级。

表示“汇编；编纂；编辑；编制”，英文解释为“to collect information from different places and arrange it in a book, report, or list”举个🌰：We're compiling some facts and figures for a documentary on the subject. 我们正在为一部有关这个主题的纪录片汇编资料。

Ratings range from none to "so many," and it also lists where each station falls among the city's 472 subway stations.

等级从“没有”到“非常多”不等，它还列出了该市472个地铁站中每个站的排名。

"We launched the rat detector project to show how easy our app makes it for riders to sound off on their commute," a representative for Transit said in a statement to Insider of the update. "In addition to rating each station's rattiness, riders can also give their ride a star rating and answer questions about the quality of their experience on public transit. Then we work with transit agencies to use this rider feedback and improve transit service."

Transit的一位代表在回应Insider的采访时表示：“我们推出了老鼠探测器项目，旨在展示我们的应用程序如何方便乘客对通勤情况进行反馈。除了对每个站点的老鼠情况评级外，乘客还可以对乘车体验进行评级并回答有关公共交通体验质量的问题。然后我们与交通机构合作，利用乘客的反馈来改善交通服务。”

表示“（尤指未经邀请）大发议论，言辞激烈地发表意见”，英文解释为“to express your opinions forcefully, especially without being asked for them”举个🌰：He's always sounding off about how he thinks the country should be run. 他总是大发议论，表明自己对治理国家的看法。

commute /kəˈmjuːt/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“上下班往返；往返于工作地点与家之间；通勤”，英文解释为“a regular journey between work and home”举个🌰：It's at least an hour's commute to work. 上班路上至少要花1个小时。

表示“反馈信息，反馈意见；反馈（到机器或产出系统，以改良产品）”，英文解释为“information or statements of opinion about something, such as a new product, that can tell you if it is successful or liked ”举个🌰：Have you had any feedback from customers about the new soap? 有关新款肥皂你有没有收到顾客的反馈意见？

Transit reports that New Yorkers who use its app see rats on 40% of their subway rides and that they're most often spotted by riders who take the train at night.

Transit报告称，使用其应用程序的纽约人有40%在乘坐地铁时看到过老鼠，而晚上乘车的乘客最常发现老鼠。

As of Friday, the Grant Avenue stop in Brooklyn was the most rat-infested of all of New York's subway stations, according to Transit users' self-reporting, with the Harlem-148th Street in Harlem and the Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens coming in second and third, respectively.

根据Transit用户的自我报告，截至周五，布鲁克林的格兰特大道站是纽约所有地铁站中老鼠最多的，哈林区的哈林-148街站和皇后区的伍德黑文大道站分别排在第二和第三位。

表示“自…起”，英文解释为“starting from a particular time or date”举个🌰：As of next month, all the airline's fares will be going up. 自下月起，所有航空公司的机票价格都将上调。

A few New Yorkers have taken to social media to discuss the new Transit feature, with user @smokulani's TikTok video explaining the feature amassing over one million views as of Friday. Some expressed horror at the rats in the comment section of her video, but many others made light of the massive population.

一些纽约人在社交媒体上讨论Transit应用中的这个新功能，用户@smokulani 在TikTok上发布视频解释了该功能，截至周五观看次数已超过100万。有些人在她的视频中评论称对老鼠表示恐惧，但也有很多人对这么多老鼠不以为然。

表示“（尤指大量）积累，积聚；集聚，积累，大量收集（尤指钱或信息）”，英文解释为“to collect sth, especially in large quantities”举个🌰：He amassed a fortune from delivering newspapers. 他靠送报纸积累了一笔财富。

近义词：

📍accumulate：to gradually get more and more of sth over a period of time 积累；积聚；

📍rack up表示“大量获得（利润）；严重遭受（损失）；（体育中）多次赢得（比赛）”（If a business racks up profits, losses, or sales, it makes a lot of them. If a sportsman, sportswoman, or team racks up wins, they win a lot of games or races.）

make light of sth表示“轻视，忽视（尤指问题）”，英文解释为“to behave as if a situation, especially a problem, is not serious or important”举个🌰：It is easy to make light of other people's problems. 忽视他人的问题很容易。

"Me choosing only stations with 'so many rats,'" one user said.

其中一位用户说：“我只选择‘非常多老鼠’的车站。”

"I understand wanting to know about rat density, but what about personality?" another wrote. "Are they more pensive or more lackadaisical?"

还有人写道：“我理解大家想知道老鼠的密度，但性格呢？它们更爱沉思还是更懒散呢？”

density /ˈden.sɪ.ti/ 表示“（人口等的）密度”，英文解释为“the number of people or things in a place when compared with the size of the place”举个🌰：The area has a high/low population density. 该地区人口密度大/小。

pensive /ˈpen.sɪv/ 表示“沉思的；忧戚的”，英文解释为“thinking in a quiet way, often with a serious expression on your face”举个🌰：She became withdrawn and pensive, hardly speaking to anyone. 她变得孤僻忧郁，几乎不和任何人说话。

lackadaisical /ˌlæk.əˈdeɪ.zɪ.kəl/ 表示“无精打采的，萎靡不振的，不热心的”，英文解释为“showing little enthusiasm and effort”举个🌰：The food was nice enough but the service was somewhat lackadaisical. 这里的饭菜不错但服务不够热情。

The same representative for Transit told Insider the comapny was "glad" users were engaging with the rat ratings.

Transit的同一位代表告诉Insider，该公司“很高兴”用户能参与老鼠数量评级。

"We're glad that our users' rat ratings speak to New Yorkers; the goal is to make sure that transit riders have a voice in making sure their local transit systems offer the best service possible," they said.

“我们很高兴老鼠数量评级反映了纽约人的心声；我们的目标是确保乘坐公共交通的乘客拥有发言权，以确保当地公共交通系统提供最好的服务。”他们说道。

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