Chicken on the run - you never know who will end up on the highway

Helen:    Hello everyone and welcome to Question and Answer of the Week. I'm Helen.   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.    Feifei:  OK. 我们先总结一下这三个词的区别吧。Highway 在美式英语里是连接两个城市的公路，而在英式英语里highway是公共道路的正式用语，很少出现在日常谈话中。   Helen:  How about freeway?   Feifei:  Freeway 是美式用语，意思是高速公路，而且每个方向要有2 条车道才能算是freeway.    Helen:  And motorway.   Feifei:  在英国，说起高速公路就要用 motorway, 通常这种连接城市的高速公路上没有红绿灯，道路宽敞，时速限制是每小时70 英里。   Helen:  Great. Thanks for clarifying these three very similar words and their uses.    Feifei:  You are welcome. I have a suggestion. 说起交通用语，美式英语和英式英语有好些词的用法都不一样。我们今天在这里就简单说一下吧。What do you think?

Helen:  I think that's an excellent idea. We'll keep it simple for everyone. Here are a few of the common ones.    Insert     Where do pedestrian's walk?     They walk on a sidewalk.   In Britain pedestrians walk on a pavement.    Feifei:  Pedestrian 行人当然应该走人行道了。在美国是 sidewalk, 在英国是pavement.   Insert     The quickest and cheapest way to travel around cities like London, New York and   Shanghai is …     On the subway, that's the easiest way to get around in New York.    On the underground or the tube.    Feifei:  地铁在很多城市都是最方便的公共交通工具。在美国我们说 the subway，而在英国我们说the underground 或者是 the tube.   Insert     What's another word for taxi in the UK?   Cab. London is famous for its black cabs, they're very spacious and comfortable to sit in.    Feifei:      出租车taxi 在世界各地都通用，但是在英国我们也可以说 cab.  Helen:  Sadly we have run of time on this programme. It's been interesting explaining some of the differences between American and British English.    Feifei:  感谢大家收听，我们下次节目再见。  Helen:  Bye bye. 

All these three words end with 'way', and we can be certain they all have something to do with transport and they have similar meanings. The key difference is where and how they are used.

In America, highway and freeway are main roads which connect two towns; they are frequently used in daily conversations. But in the UK, the equivalent is motorway.

In this programme, Helen and Feifei explain these three words and their uses in detail.

After listening to the programme why not test your knowledge on transport words in American English and British English.

1. What do Americans call the underground?

2. In the UK, pedestrians usually walk on the ________.

3. New York is famous for its big fleet of yellow ________.

If you have a question for our team, send it to us at [email protected] and we might answer it on this programme.