Traffic jam

交通堵塞

Maria: Sorry I'm late. Horrible traffic.

玛利亚:抱歉,我迟到了。交通状况很糟。

Jack: Rush hour in New York separates the men from the boys. For me, Manhattan's the easy part. I always walk from Grand Central.

杰 克:纽约的交通颠峰时间就可以考验一个人的的耐力和体力如何。对我而言,曼哈顿还算好。我都是从中央车站走路过来。

Maria: Oh, where do you live?

玛利亚:哦,你住哪里?

Jack: Greenwich, Connecticut.

杰 克:格林威治,在康乃迪克州。

Maria: How far is that?

玛利亚:离这里多远?

Jack: Oh, about thirty-five miles, door-to-door.

杰 克:哦,从出发到抵达大约三十五英里。

Maria: How do you get there?

玛利亚:你怎么来这里的?

Jack: I take the seven-fifty train.

杰 克:我搭七点五十的火车。

Maria: How long does the train take?

玛利亚:搭火车要花多少时间?

Jack: It usually takes thirty minutes and then it's a thirteen-minute walk here.

杰 克:通常要三十分钟,然后走十三分钟到这里。

Maria: Then why did it take me fifty minutes by cab from my hotel on the West Side?

玛利亚:那么为什么我从西区的旅馆搭计程车过来却要花上五十分钟呢?

Notes:

1. rush hour 是口语的说法,指都市早上及傍晚上下班的交通繁忙时段。
2. separates the men from the boys 是一句俚语,用来指明“困难的情况能够立刻区别出人们的能力”。
3. door-to-door 是口语的说法,指整个旅行的时间

Cultural Background:

曼哈顿岛是纽约五个区的中心,是纽约市的主要经济中心,也是全世界最重要的商业、金融、文化、制造、医疗和旅游中心之一。中央车站有悠久的历史,于1913年竣工,长久以来一直是往纽约市的铁路出入口。

Similar Expressions:

1. 抱歉,我来迟了。
Sorry I'm late.
I'm so sorry to be late.
Sorry I couldn't be here on time.
Forgive me for arriving late.

2. 曼哈顿还算好。
Manhattan's the easy part.
Manhattan is not the problem.
The difficulty is not Manhattan.
It's easy to get through Manhattan.

3. 你住哪里?
Where do you live?
Where is your home?
Where do you reside?
Where is your residence?