騎行在城市之中

The Germans invented the bike， but Dutch people use it the most. There are more bikes in the Netherlands than its entire population. In the Netherlands， children learn to ride a bike as soon as they learn to walk and run. Women in the Netherlands can ride bikes in elegant dresses or skirts on the street. People ride bikes in the snowy winter， in hot summer days， and in the rain. Its just such a normal thing to do.

To Dutch people， there is nothing special about bikes. Bikes are just like the air， water and clothes. They are just a part of peoples lives. When children go to elementary schools， they will be taught traffic laws. So， when they ride bikes from one place to another， they can follow the rules like adults. In the Netherlands， no matter what age， starting with the bikes， one learns to follow rules， to respect himself and others.

“Nederland” means “a low and flat country”. Most of the lands are flat， low， humid and very populated. So bikes became the Dutchs first choice in their daily lives. It doesnt need too much space， and its convenient. Sunshine or rain， hot summer or cold winter can all be reasons for a Dutch to ride a bike. Even though there are some heavy and outdated7 bikes in the Netherlands， most bikes nowadays are getting smaller and thinner. And some are even silent and highefficiency8 electronic models. If you travel to or live in the Netherlands， learning to ride a bike among the tall Dutch crowd is the fastest way to enjoy the local life.

If you talk to a real Dutch person， they will always have memories of bikes， since a baby. At first， they are sitting at the backseat. Later， they hold the handlebars9. And soon they ride bikes anywhere they want to. Bikes give children freedom in the Netherlands.

德國人發明了自行車，而荷蘭人將自行車用到極致。荷蘭的自行車數量遠遠超過了它的人口數量。在荷蘭，孩子在會走、會跑之后，幾乎就學會騎自行車了。荷蘭女子常常穿著優雅的長裙、短裙，蹬著自行車出現在街頭。下雪天大家騎自行車，大熱天大家騎自行車，下雨也騎自行車。這是再正常不過的一件事。

對荷蘭人來說，自行車就像空氣、水和衣服一樣，沒什么特別的。它早已成為人們生活中習以為常的一部分。孩子們上小學之后，會在課堂上學習交通法則。那樣，他們騎自行車從一個地方去另一個地方時，會和其他成年人一樣，遵守規則。在荷蘭，從騎自行車開始，無論年紀大小，每個人都要學會按規則行事，尊重自己，也尊重他人。

“Nederland”的字面意思是“低地國家”。荷蘭大部分土地平坦、低洼、潮濕，人口稠密。因此，自行車就成了荷蘭人日常生活中出行的首選。它占地面積小，使用起來方便。晴天或雨天，酷暑或寒冬，都可以是荷蘭人選擇騎自行車出行的理由。雖然仍有一些老式自行車略顯笨重，但在如今的荷蘭街頭，大部分自行車的設計越來越趨向輕便、窄小，甚至不少是完全靜音且省時、省力的電動自行車。在荷蘭生活、旅行，學會騎自行車，匯入高個子的荷蘭人群中，一定是你享受當地生活的最快方式。

如果你和一個土生土長的荷蘭人聊天，他們肯定會聊起跟自行車有關的回憶，從嬰兒時期開始。最初，他們坐在自行車后座上。后來，他們握著自行車把手。很快，他們騎著自行車到任何想去的地方。在荷蘭，自行車給了孩子們自由。

Tip

as soon as：意思是“一……就……”，主句用一般將來時，從句用一般現在時，遵循“主將從現”的語法規則。如：As soon as I see him I will tell him the news. 我一見到他，就會告訴他這個消息。常考的短語as soon as possible意思是“盡可能快”“越快越好”。如：You should trash those silly ideas as soon as possible. 你應該盡快丟掉那些糊涂想法。