听力文本

Hello and welcome to Words and Their Stories -- a weekly program from VOA Learning English.

It can be said that the United States is a driving culture. The U.S., after all, is a big country and many Americans love cars.

So, it is no surprise that many Americans English expressions come from the world of driving. One exciting example is "life in the fast lane."

This expression comes from the country's large system of highways. The roads are marked with painted lines to keep vehicles safely apart. These lines divide each road into separate lanes.

Most highways in the U.S. are wide enough for three or four cars to travel side-by-side. Many areas require that slow drivers drive in the far-right lane. Faster moving traffic operates in the middle lanes. The fastest cars drive on the far-left side -- also called the fast lane.

Someone living in the fast lane is like a fast-moving car. They live dangerously, at breakneck speed. It is a way of life marked by a fast pace and usually the chase of immediate satisfaction.

A person who lives in the fast lane is not happy to just live life quietly like other people. No. For someone living in the fast lane life is one exciting experience after another. Every night is a party!

Living life in the fast lane can be a selfish way to live. Sometimes these people only care about finding their next big thrill.

Such people might drink a lot of alcohol or use other drugs. They do not think twice about how their lifestyle may affect them down the road or how it may affect others.

So, who lives in the fast lane?

Living in the fast lane has a high price tag. You need lots of money for this kind of life.

Some Hollywood movie actors are famous for their rich, fast-paced lives. Sports stars can have days filled with events, parties and groupies – people who like famous people and follow them.

But you do not have to be famous to live in the fast lane. Many politicians, lawyers and business tycoons live in the fast lane. For them, life is full of movement, excitement and action!

However, most people -- even actors and sports stars -- need to be well-rested to perform well. If not, they could burn out quickly. But getting a full 8 hours is usually not part of life in the fast lane.

Many people who live in the fast lane are young. Sometimes, the fast lane leads them down a rocky road, or a very difficult phase.

Others may hit a fork in the road. They must decide to stay in the fast lane or slow down to possibly have a longer and more meaningful life.

And some never learn. Their life in the fast lane leads them to the end of the road – meaning they die.

Rock musicians are known for living in the fast lane. We do not have time to name all of the performers who died young from their fast ways.

Members of the rock band the Eagles lived in the fast lane. In fact, the group's founders, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, co-wrote a song about it.

"Life in the Fast Lane" is one of their biggest hits.

The two men were honest about this way of life, singing it will "surely make you lose your mind."

Glenn Frey died on January 18, 2016. As he aged, Frey did slow down. He became interested in health and physical fitness. But he died at the relatively young age of 67. I'm Anna Matteo.

重点解析

1.life in the fast lane 紧张刺激的生活
New Yorkers are always so proud that it's life in the fast lane but, in a funny way, it isn't.
纽约人总是很自豪他们的生活刺激，但滑稽的是，并非如此。

2.keep...apart 把…分开
Don't mix the two things togther and keep them apart.
别把两件事混为一谈，应该把它们分开。

3.down the road 将来的某个时候
Why should you wait to see what we have planned years down the road?
为什么你们要等到将来才看见我们已经计划几年的产品呢？

参考译文

欢迎收听VOA学英语每周一期的《词汇掌故》节目。

我们可以说美国是汽车文明。毕竟美国是一个大国，许多美国人都喜欢汽车。

因此，许多美国英语表达来自于驾驶界也就毫不为奇。其中一个令人激动的例子就是“life in the fast lane（紧张刺激的生活）”。

这种表达源自美国大规模的公路系统。这些道路都画了线让车辆安全隔开。这些线将每条道路划分成单独的车道。

美国大部分公路的宽度足够三四辆车并排开。许多地区要求开得慢的司机在最右侧车道行驶。更快的车流在中间车道行驶。开得最快的司机在最左边车道也就是快车道行驶。

我们说某人生活刺激，就像是快车道上的汽车。他们以飞速惊险的（breakneck）速度体验刺激。这是一种以快节奏和追求瞬间满足为标志的生活方式。

生活刺激的人不满足于像其他人一样平静地生活。不。对于生活刺激的人来说，生活就是一次有一次历险，每天都是一场盛会！

生活刺激是一种自私的生活方式。有时候这些人只在乎寻找他们下一个大刺激。

这样的人可能喝了很多酒或是使用了其它药物。他们不会仔细考虑（do not think twice）他们的生活方式会如何影响他们的将来（down the road），不会考虑可能会给他人带来什么影响。

那么，谁在追求生活刺激呢？

生活刺激需要高额投入。过这种生活需要有大量资金。

一些好莱坞电影演员以他们丰富、快节奏的生活而著称。体育明星整天都充满了各种事件、聚会和追星族。追星族就是喜欢名人并追随他们的人。

但是生活刺激无需出名。许多政客、律师和商界大亨（tycoon）都生活刺激。对他们来说，生活中充满了变化、刺激和战斗。

然而，大多数人--即使是演员和体育明星也需要很好休息以表现很好。如果不这样，他们很快就会精疲力尽（burn out）。但是每天睡足八小时通常不是刺激生活的一部分。

许多生活刺激的人都是年轻人。有时候，生活刺激会把他们带向一个非常困难的阶段。

还有些人可能会遇到人生抉择（fork in the road）。他们必须决定继续生活刺激还是放缓速度进入到一种更长久更有意义的生活。

而有些人永远也学不乖，他们的刺激生活将他们带向了终点，也就是死亡。

摇滚音乐家以生活刺激著称。我们没时间说出所有因为生活刺激而早逝的表演者的名字。

老鹰乐队成员生活就很刺激。实际上，该乐队创始人格伦·弗雷和唐·亨利就就此合写了一首歌。

《Life in the Fast Lane》是他们最热门的一首歌曲。

这两人对这种生活方式十分诚实，他们唱到，“这无疑会让你失去理智”。

格伦于2016年1月18日去世。随着他年纪变大，弗雷闲了下来，他开始对健康和体能感兴趣。但是他在67岁这样相对年轻的年龄去世了。我是安娜·马特奥。