骑行在城市之中

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.

德國人发明了自行车，而荷兰人将自行车用到极致。荷兰的自行车数量远远超过了它的人口数量。在荷兰，孩子在会走、会跑之后，几乎就学会骑自行车了。荷兰女子常常穿着优雅的长裙、短裙，蹬着自行车出现在街头。下雪天大家骑自行车，大热天大家骑自行车，下雨也骑自行车。这是再正常不过的一件事。

对荷兰人来说，自行车就像空气、水和衣服一样，没什么特别的。它早已成为人们生活中习以为常的一部分。孩子们上小学之后，会在课堂上学习交通法则。那样，他们骑自行车从一个地方去另一个地方时，会和其他成年人一样，遵守规则。在荷兰，从骑自行车开始，无论年纪大小，每个人都要学会按规则行事，尊重自己，也尊重他人。

“Nederland”的字面意思是“低地国家”。荷兰大部分土地平坦、低洼、潮湿，人口稠密。因此，自行车就成了荷兰人日常生活中出行的首选。它占地面积小，使用起来方便。晴天或雨天，酷暑或寒冬，都可以是荷兰人选择骑自行车出行的理由。虽然仍有一些老式自行车略显笨重，但在如今的荷兰街头，大部分自行车的设计越来越趋向轻便、窄小，甚至不少是完全静音且省时、省力的电动自行车。在荷兰生活、旅行，学会骑自行车，汇入高个子的荷兰人群中，一定是你享受当地生活的最快方式。

如果你和一个土生土长的荷兰人聊天，他们肯定会聊起跟自行车有关的回忆，从婴儿时期开始。最初，他们坐在自行车后座上。后来，他们握着自行车把手。很快，他们骑着自行车到任何想去的地方。在荷兰，自行车给了孩子们自由。

Tip

as soon as：意思是“一……就……”，主句用一般将来时，从句用一般现在时，遵循“主将从现”的语法规则。如：As soon as I see him I will tell him the news. 我一见到他，就会告诉他这个消息。常考的短语as soon as possible意思是“尽可能快”“越快越好”。如：You should trash those silly ideas as soon as possible. 你应该尽快丢掉那些糊涂想法。