2016考研英語經濟學人熱點：瘋狂汽車秀 高辛烷值的滑稽

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Top Gear

瘋狂汽車秀

High-octane antics

高辛烷值的滑稽

Motormouth Jeremy Clarkson is suspended from theBBC's hit show

快嘴快舌的杰里米·克拉克森被BBC熱門節目停職

WHEN Jeremy Clarkson suggests switching off theVSC on a Toyota GT86 sports car to do better doughnuts around the “Top Gear” test track atDunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, his audience is more than likely to know what he is talkingabout. That audience is huge: “Top Gear” is the world's most widely watched factual televisionprogramme, with more than 350m viewers in 214 countries. That presents BBC Worldwide, thecommercial arm of the BBC, with a problem, because on March 10th the broadcastersuspended Mr Clarkson for being involved in what it called a “fracas” with one of the show'sproducers. The next episode will not be broadcast and another two may be dropped.

當杰里米·克拉克森在薩里的敦斯福德機場建議將豐田86跑車的車輛穩定性控制系統(VSC)關閉，好讓跑車在“瘋狂汽車秀”的測試跑道上更好地回旋時，他的觀眾很可能不知道他到底在說些什么。這個節目觀眾數量龐大：“瘋狂汽車秀”是全球受關注最廣的真人電視節目，在214個國家擁有約3億5千萬名觀眾。這給BBC的一個部門BBC Worldwide(英國廣播公司商業公司)帶來了麻煩，因為在3月10號，該廣播公司辭退了克拉克森，原因是他與該節目的一名制片人發生了所謂的“爭吵”。下一集將不會播出，余下兩集也可能被砍掉。

Mr Clarkson's satnav seems to steer him towards controversy. In May last year he said he hadbeen given a final warning by the BBC after it was claimed that he had said “nigger” whilereciting a rhyme during the filming of an earlier series. In October 2014 the Top Gear crew hadto flee from Argentina after being attacked by angry crowds during a road trip because theregistration of a Porsche they were using appeared to refer to the date of the Falklands war.The BBC says it is investigating the latest incident, which, according to some reports, involvedMr Clarkson throwing a punch in a row over a lack of food on an assignment.

克拉克森的導播可能將他推上了爭論的風口浪尖。去年五月，他說BBC聲稱他在之前的錄制過程中背誦詩時提到了“黑鬼”這個詞，給了他終極警告。2014年10月，瘋狂汽車秀中使用的一輛保時捷牌號與馬島戰爭日期一樣，因此在自駕路上受到了憤怒民眾的攻擊，工作人員被迫逃離阿根廷。BBC表示正在調查最近的事故，據某些報道，與克拉克森在某次任務中因缺乏食物而出拳斗毆有關。

“Top Gear” earns a good deal of money for BBC Worldwide and for its star. The commercialrights to the series used to be controlled by a company called Bedder 6, a joint venture withBBC Worldwide, and 30% owned by Mr Clarkson and 20% by Andy Wilman, an executiveproducer. The dividends from that company alone made Mr Clarkson a multimillionaire. In 2012the pair sold their shares to BBC Worldwide. Mr Clarkson is said to have received ￡8.4m($12.6m) for his stake.

“瘋狂汽車秀”幫BBC Worldwide和明星大賺了一筆。該節目的商事權利曾由一家名為Bedder 6的企業管理，該公司是BBC Worldwide的合資企業，克拉克森擁有30%的股權，一名執行制片人安迪·威爾曼擁有20%的股權。僅該公司的分紅就讓克拉克森成為了千萬富翁。2012年，這對合伙人將股份賣給了BBC Worldwide。據說克拉克森將自己的所有權賣到了840萬英鎊(1260萬美元)。

Mr Clarkson and the show's co-presenters, James May and Richard Hammond, are believed tohave been negotiating new contracts with the BBC. The politically correct and those who havefound themselves the butt of Mr Clarkson's jokes—greens, truck drivers and Mexicans areamong those on a long list—would be happy to see him go. Some think Danny Cohen, theBBC's director of television, shares their feelings: he hinted last year that he did not see thepresenter as “untouchable”.

據說克拉克森和該節目的合作主持人詹姆斯·梅、理查德·哈蒙德一直在與BBC就新合同事宜進行協商。政治傾向正確的人和克拉克森取笑的對象——綠黨、貨車司機和墨西哥人在這份長名單之列，他們將樂見克拉克森的離開。有一些人認為BBC的電視導演丹尼·科恩和他們有同感：去年克拉克森曾暗示他認為導演并非是“無法企及的”。

The BBC has a strong incentive to overlook Mr Clarkson's transgressions. But it is abureaucratic machine that must try to please everybody, because everybody pays for it. So itcould be that commercial rivals such as ITV and Sky will be taking out their chequebooks tosign Mr Clarkson to present a rival series. They would not be able to use the “Top Gear”brand, but whatever the contracts say it is Mr Clarkson who is the real franchise of this show.An online petition in support of the presenter collected nearly 500,000 signatures in barely 24hours. Mr Clarkson might be seen as an overbearing joker, but that is precisely what his fanslike. And, petrolheads all, they know he is not afraid to call a new car rubbish if he thinks it is.

BBC絕對有忽略克拉克森越矩行為的強烈動機。但它是一架官僚機器，必須取悅每一個人，因為每個人都向它支付費用。所以像ITV和Sky這樣的商業對手有可能將拿出支票本簽下克拉克森，開創一檔競爭欄目。他們無法使用“瘋狂汽車秀”的名字，但無論合同怎么說，克拉克森才是節目的真正賣點。支持這位主持人的在線請愿在24小時內收集到了近500，000個簽名。也許克拉克森給人的印象是一個自大的愛開玩笑的人，但他的粉絲所喜愛的正是他這一點。而且車迷們都知道如果克拉克森認為一輛新車是垃圾的話，口無遮攔的他毫不諱言。

【重點講解】

1.switch off 關閉

例句:The boys started to switch off after the firstspeech.

孩子們聽完第一個人發言后就開始心不在焉了。

2.road trip n.通過乘/駕車在公路上進行旅行的方式

例句:The coach said his club had wire-tapped thehotel room of a player during a road trip.

教練說他的俱樂部曾經竊聽了一名開車旅行的運動員所住賓館房間的電話。

3.appear to 似乎，好像

例句:By all accounts, Rodger would appear to be a fine fellow.

據說，羅杰是個好小伙。

4.refer to 涉及;指的是

例句:By way of illustration I'll refer to the behavior of rabbits.

我將舉例說明兔子的行為。