Besides public transport and taxis, do you know any other ways to travel long distances without driving? If carpooling is what comes to your mind, you might have heard of the travel app “BlaBlaCar.” This platform connects drivers with empty seats in their cars with passengers going the same way, allowing travel costs to be shared.
BlaBlaCar’s origins can be traced back to the Christmas season of 2003, when Frederic Mazzella was traveling from Paris to his family home in the French countryside. __1__ This observation gave rise to the idea of an online platform to connect drivers and passengers for shared journeys. In 2006, Mazzella, along with other co-founders, established BlaBlaCar in Paris.
除了大眾交通運輸和計程車，你還知道其他不用自己開車的長途旅行方式嗎？如果你想到的是共乘，那麼你或許聽過「BlaBlaCar.」這個旅遊應用程式。這個平臺能夠媒合車上還有空位的駕駛與同路的乘客，讓雙方分攤旅費。
Photo: AdobeStock I 照片： AdobeStock
BlaBlaCar 的起源可追溯到 2003 年聖誕節期間──當時創辦人弗雷德里克瑪茲拉正從巴黎返回法國鄉下的老家。旅途中，他注意到許多駕駛都是在幾乎空蕩蕩的車內獨自開車。這個觀察讓他萌生了建立一個線上平臺的想法，能媒合駕駛與乘客，讓他們共享車程。2006 年，瑪茲拉與其他共同創辦人在巴黎創立了 BlaBlaCar。
Word in Use
1. budget n. 預算
I need to stick to my budget this month to avoid overspending.
這個月我需要堅守預算，避免花超過。
2. passenger n. 乘客，旅客
After a long journey, the passengers were eager to get off the bus.
經過ㄧ段漫長的車程後，乘客們迫不及待想下公車。
3. observation n. 觀察
The teacher praised the student for making a thoughtful observation.
老師稱讚這名學生提出了一個細膩的觀察。
Practical Phrases
1. come to one’s mind
浮現於某人腦海中，某人突然想到
An old song came to my mind when I walked past the cafe.
當我經過那家咖啡廳時，一首老歌突然浮現在我的腦海。
2. be traced back to + 時間 / 時期
可追溯至…（時間∕時期）
The origin of this tradition can be traced back to ancient times.
這個傳統的起源可追溯到古代。
3. give rise to. . . 引起…
The celebrity’s careless comments gave rise to a lot of anger.
這位名人輕率的言論引起了許多憤怒。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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