来自：BBC你问我答
Feifei:
大家好我是冯菲菲，在今天的《你问我答》节目中我们将讨论一下远在澳大利亚朋友的 Cathy
发来的一个问题。
Helen: Cathy would like us
to explain the difference between highway, freeway
and
motorway.
Feifei: Highway, freeway 和
motorway, 这三个单词都以 way 结尾，但是它们之间的区别是什么呢？
Helen: One thing we can be
sure of is that all three words are related to roads. However they
have slightly different meanings in America and in Britain.
Feifei:
OK.
首先这三个词都和道路有关，但是它们的意思在美式英语和英式英语里就有所不同了。
Helen:
Now, let's explain them one by one. According to
the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, the word highway is
commonly used in America and it usually means a main road
connecting large towns.
Feifei:
Highway 在美式英语里经常出现，一般指连接两个城市的主要交通干道
a main road connecting large towns. 但是在英国我也听到过
highway这个词。
Helen:
That's very true, highway in the UK means a
public road and it's usually used in formal circumstances. It's not
a word that you hear in everyday conversations.
Feifei:
Highway 在英式英语中是一个正式表达，指的是公共道路 public road.
我们一般在日常对话中不会用到，但是在书籍和报纸上会看到。
Helen:
For example, the organisation that is responsible
for maintaining conditions of public roads is called the Highways
Agency, and there's also a booklet containing all the official
rules about using public roads, that's called the Highway Code.
Feifei: 在英国最容易让人想起的两个
highway 用法一个是 the Highways Agency
这是专门负责维修公共道路的政府部门；另外一个就是 the Highway Code
这是一本小册子，里面包括了所有交通规则和条例。
Helen: Now let's focus on
the word freeway. It's used almost exclusively in the US.
Feifei:
Freeway
绝对是美式英语，这又是一条什么样的公路呢？
Helen: It's a wide road,
with at least two lanes in each direction, and traffic can travel
fast for long distances between large towns.
Feifei: 听起来
freeway 是一条连接两个城市的高速公路，和
highway 的区别是在freeway上，每个方向至少有2 条以上的车道。Lane
就是车道，通道的意思。
Helen: Another expression
we often hear in the States is expressway; it means the same thing
as freeway.
Feifei: 和
freeway 同义的还有 expressway,
也是有多条车道的高速公路。
Helen: Finally, Cathy
mentioned motorway. That's a word we are very familiar with in the
UK.
Feifei: 是的，motorway
在英国就会经常听到和看到了。Motorway 和美语里的 freeway
是一样的，也是连接各大城市的的高速公路。
Helen: And in the UK,
motorways are given names like the M1, M2,
M6.
Feifei: I hear the M25
mentioned a lot on traffic news.
Helen: Well, the M25 is an
orbital motorway on the outskirts of London. It's also earned the
nicknames 'M25 Car Park' and 'the Road to Hell'.
Feifei: Outskirts 外围。M25
是伦敦的外环线，每个方向都有4 到5 条车道，几乎天天都会堵车，所以这里也是很多是司机的噩梦地带。很多司机把它称为 M25
停车场或者是通向地狱的道路 the Road to Hell.
Helen: Before we move on,
let's quickly recap the differences between highway, freeway and
motorway.
最后来点逗乐的 = =
Chicken on the run - you never know
who will end up on the highway
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