Unit 10
What is road rage?
海外生活/日常溝通
Overseas Life/Daily Communication
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
Have you hear of the word road rage? What do you think is it?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. perturbed (adj.) 心神不寧的，煩惱的
I am deeply perturbed today.
今天我很受感動。
2. cut me off (phr.) 超車搶到我前面
That man tried to cut me off the lane!
那個人試圖把我擋在車外！
3. flew off the handle (idi.) 大發雷霆，勃然大怒
He’s extremely irritable – he flies off the handle at the slightest thing.
他極度易怒-絲毫不顧一切。
4. prone to (phr.) 有… 傾向的，易受… 影響的
When you are angry, you are prone to have road accidents.
當您生氣時，您很容易發生交通事故。
5. road rage (n.) 路怒症
I am starting to feel the road rage!
我開始感到路上的憤怒！
6. weaving (v.) 迂回行進，穿行
I like weaving silks.
我喜歡編織絲綢。
7. overreacted (v.) 反應過度，反應過激
You overreacted. Please be calm.
你反應過度了請保持冷靜。
8. impaired (adj.) 受損的
Your judgment is impaired when you’re too emotionally involved.
當您太投入情感時，您的判斷力就會受損。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
What’s the matter Jim? You look perturbed.
Jim，你怎麼了？ 看起來心神不寧的。
I just had a bit of an incident on the road. Some guy cut me off and I just flew off the handle.
剛才在路上出了點小事。 有個人突然搶道超車，我就失控發火了。
But you’re such a chill guy! I didn’t think you’d be prone to road rage.
你是個很冷靜的人啊！ 我沒想到你會容易路怒。
I know, but this other guy was weaving across the lanes and I guess I just overreacted.
我知道，但那個人一直來回變道，我想我是有點反應過度了。
That’s not surprising. With road rage, you’re basically driving under the influence of impaired emotions.
這倒是不奇怪。 有路怒症的話，你基本就是在受損情緒的影響下開車。
But is there something about cars themselves that causes road rage, or is it something innate in us?
但是有車本身的某些因素導致了路怒嗎，還是說是這人與生俱來的？
Well territoriality is innate. We feel ownership of the road, and when that is threatened it can trigger an intense response.
領地意識倒是天生的。 我們會感覺自己擁有這條路，而如果這一點受到威脅了就可能會引發很強烈的反應。
So are we forever doomed to take a back seat to our lizard brains?
那我們就是註定永遠要受原始本能的控制了？
No, there are lots of choices we can make to prevent getting road rage, like focusing on our own driving.
不，我們可以做出很多選擇來防止路怒，比如只專注於我們自己的駕駛。
I guess I could have left earlier too. I might not have reacted the same way if I weren’t already running late.
我想我當時也本可以早點出發的。 如果不是要遲到了，我可能就不會反應過度了。
Little things can go a long way!
小事情也可以產生大影響！
Grammar
Idioms related to “the back seat”
Cars are a big part of North American life. As such, a lot of our idioms come from cars and driving.
When you’re “in the driver’s seat,” for example, you are in control. But as many people who are in the driver’s seat know, there is no shortage of people who want to challenge you for control.
As such, the term “backseat driver” refers to someone who tries to establish and maintain control over every situation.
Similarly, the phrase “A takes a backseat to B” means that A is less important than B, or is forced to take a lesser position than B.
1. I refuse to drive anywhere with my mother: She is such a backseat driver!
2. When John retires, he will leave his children in the driver’s seat at the company.
3. Environmental concerns usually take a backseat during periods of economic crisis.
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.What do you think are the safety protocols that should be applied when you are driving?
