The idea is simple: every car coming into the centre has to pay ￡5 a day. Drivers can pay the charge at any of 10,000 pay points in the capital before 10 pm. As the cars come into the centre, video cameras record their registration numbers, and these are checked with a list of drivers who have paid the charge for that day. People who do not pay the charge will face a fine of ￡80.

　　Most Londoners are not happy with the idea. They agree that London has a traffic problem, but the congestion charge is expensive, and limits their freedom ...

　　But does the congestion charge work? A survey carried out at the end of 2003 suggests it does. After only six months, traffic coming into central London was reduced by about 30 percent, and journey times by 15 percent. More people used public transport to get to work, and bicycles were suddenly very popular. What's more, central London shops did not lose business even though there were fewer cars.

　　But there are a few people who think the charge should be much higher, for example rich businessmen who work in the city centre and can easily afford it. This would keep even more cars out of central London, and the roads would be nearly empty. However, there are no plans to increase the charge.

　　伦敦的拥堵费

　　北京不是唯一存在交通问题的城市。你在世界任何地方都可能陷入交通堵塞。最严重的问题发生在迅速增长的城市，如巴西的圣保罗和尼日利亚的拉各斯。但即使在美国等发达国家的城市也会遭到交通堵塞的困扰。洛杉矶，初建时就很关注汽车，并以其6车道高速公路闻名，但目前它是美国最拥堵的城市。

　　在汽车和市中心交通堵塞问题成为日常生活的一部分很长时间之前，欧洲的许多首都城市就已经规划建造好了。这种情况在伦敦市中心变得尤为严重，在那里司机百分之五十的时间都在排队，以至于当地政府决定为此做点什么。2003年2月，伦敦市长肯·利文斯通提出了"拥堵费"--一种对车辆进入市中心所征收的税费。

　　这个想法很简单：进入市中心的每辆车每天要付5英磅。司机们可以在晚上10：00前在首都的10 000个支付点中的任何一个支付该费用。当汽车进入市中心时，摄像头会记录下他们的车牌号，并核查当日已经支付拥堵费的司机名单。不支付者将面临一张80英磅的罚单。

　　绝大多数伦敦人对这个想法不满。他们承认伦敦存在交通问题，但拥堵费太高了，这限制了他们的自由......

　　但拥堵费起作用了吗？2003年底进行的一项调查表明它是有效的。仅仅六个月后，进入伦敦市中心的车辆就减少了约百分之三十，行程时间减少了百分之十五。更多的人乘坐公共交通工具去上班，自行车突然之间流行了起来。更重要的是，伦敦市中心的商店并没有在车辆减少的情况下流失生意。

　　但有少部分人认为收费应该再高一点，比如那些在市中心工作的能轻松支付拥堵费的有钱的商人。这会把甚至更多的车辆拒之伦敦市中心以外，道路也将几乎是空旷的。然而，目前还没有增加收费的计划。

　　1．Switch off the motor.(P17)

　　关上发动机。

　　★switch off关上(电灯、电视等)；断掉(电源)

　　①Switch off when you've finished using the electric typewriter.

　　电动打字机用完后，要关掉开关。

　　make a switch　　　进行改变

　　switch on＝turn on 接上；打开

switch over 转换频道；转变