本期精讀來自The Economist關於美國租車市場的文章The pandemic has upended America’s rental-car market
由於疫情影響，去年美國很多租車公司遭遇了巨額虧損，很多公司不得不賣掉汽車以維持運轉。隨著疫情好轉，大眾的租車需求重新高漲，但很多人發現租車公司沒有汽車可以出租了。一些人決定另辟蹊徑，租用搬家公司的貨車進行旅行，因此文章小標題有這樣的說法：Some travellers are finding crafty alternatives（一些旅行者找到了狡猾的出行替代方式）。
下面是關於文章的詳細分析：
Hawaiians could be forgiven for bewilderment when they saw U-Haul trucks and cargo vans parked on their pristine beaches . In April Kaleo Alau, president of U-Haul in Hawaii, told the local news station that the moving company had received calls from concerned citizens who thought the vehicles’ position looked suspicious. 「 We’re like , OK, let’s go and check it out, make sure it’s not stolen,」 said Mr Alau. As it turns out, 「it’s just somebody at the beach!」 Hawaii is not the only state where Americans are resorting to unusual forms of transport to get around. The country is facing a national shortage of rental cars because of the recession and disruptions caused by the pandemic.
當夏威夷人看到U-Haul卡車和貨運車停在他們的原始海灘上時，他們的困惑是可以理解的。U-Haul夏威夷公司的總裁卡利奧·阿勞告訴當地新聞台，該搬家公司收到了一些市民的電話，這些市民認為這些車輛的位置看起來很可疑，並因此感到擔憂。阿勞先生說：「我們就回復說，好吧，讓我們去檢查一下，確保它不是偷來的"。檢查的結果發現，「只是有人在海灘上而已！」對於那些會借助不尋常交通方式來旅行的美國人來說，他們所在的夏威夷並不是唯一一個有這種情況的州。由於經濟衰退和疫情造成的混亂，這個國家正面臨著全國性的租車短缺問題。
（1）XX could be forgiven for something/doing something when they… 這是一個可以直接借鑒的句式，它的意思是：當某人……的時候，他們有某種想法或做法是可以理解的（這種想法或做法通常都是錯誤的）。
比如我們可以說：
Foreigners could be forgiven for believing that China is already a rich country when they saw hordes of Chinese tourists snap up luxury products in big cities such as Paris and London.
（2）U-Haul是美國一家著名的搬運和倉儲租賃公司，公司的服務範圍涵蓋租車、搬家服務以及倉儲服務等等。
（3）I'm / he's / she's like...是口語裏面經常出現的說法，用來進行引述，意思相當於「我/他/她是這樣說的」。
（4）get around意思相當於「到處旅行」（to go or travel to different places）
When lockdowns were imposed last spring, travel came to a standstill . The market for car-hire at airports disappeared almost overnight, says Greg Scott, a spokesman for the American Car Rental Association (acra), a trade group. ACRA members laid off or furloughed around 60,000 employees in 2020, about a third of the industry’s American workforce. Hertz, a car-hire behemoth, declared bankruptcy last May. Avis, another industry giant, saw its second-quarter revenues decline by 67% year-on-year. Companies sold off their fleets to try to stop the bleeding . They weren’t sure if or when demand would recover.
去年春天封城措施實施後，旅行陷入了停滯狀態。美國汽車租賃協會（這是一個行業組織）的發言人格雷格·史考特說，機場的汽車租賃市場幾乎在一夜之間消失了。該協會成員在2020年裁減或待崗的員工達到了約6萬名，約占該行業美國勞動力的三分之一。汽車租賃巨頭赫茲去年5月宣布破產。另一個行業巨頭艾維斯第二季度的收入同比下降了67%。公司賣掉了他們的車隊以試圖止血。他們不確定需求是否或何時會恢復。
（1）something comes to a standstill是一個固定搭配，意思相當於「某事物陷入了停滯狀態」，比如：Traffic in this city has come to a standstill because of flooding.
（2）furlough是一個在英語新聞裏面經常會出現的詞，它的意思是「（因發不出薪資而）使……暫時下崗，讓……被迫休假」。
（3）stop the bleeding是一個比較形象的說法，它的字面意思是「止血」，這裏引申為「減少損失」。
Fast forward , and the summer of 2021 seems to mark a renaissance for the great American road trip. Americans hankering for a getaway but unable to travel abroad have set their sights on Hawaii, Florida or the national parks. Demand for rental cars has rocketed. But because companies have sold off so many vehicles, there are few to be found. An Expedia search for a hire car in Honolulu next weekend showed cars costing at least $350 a day. Twitter is filled with the fulminations of aggrieved travellers who wait hours at an airport counter only to be given a minivan—or nothing at all.
快進到今年，2021年的夏天似乎標誌著全美公路旅行的復興。渴望出遊但無法出國的美國人把目光投向了夏威夷、佛羅裏達或國家公園。對租車的需求急劇上升，但由於租車公司已經賣掉了很多車輛，所以可供租賃的車輛很少。在Expedia搜尋下周末在檀香山的租車，上面顯示價格至少是350美元一天。推特上充斥著不滿的旅行者的抱怨，他們在機場櫃台前等了幾個小時，卻只等到了一輛小麵包車，或者根本租不到車。
（1）fast forward同樣是地道英文中很常見的一個用法，它的字面意思是「（使錄像帶或錄音帶）快進」，引申為「跳到某個時間點，快進到某個時間點」。
（2）hanker for something意思是「渴望某事」，比如：She hankered for a new life in a different country. 她渴望在異國開始新的生活。
（3）Expedia是美國一個線上票務以及租車平台，類似於國內的攜程以及飛豬。
（4）…only to do something意思類似於「結果只是」，我們可以用該短語來說明某事的結果讓人感到失望或者不快，比如可以說：I ran to the station only to find that I had missed the train. 我沖到車站，結果卻發現我錯過了列車。
For rental-car companies, rebuilding fleets will take time. An international shortage of semiconductors, which are used in cars’ electronic systems, has slowed manufacturing. A lack of new cars and, perhaps, a hesitancy to return to public transport have pushed up second-hand car sales by 30% in the past year. Things aren’t all bad, however. Barclays, a bank, suggests high prices are helping firms recoup their losses .
對於租車公司來說，重建車隊需要時間。半導體的國際性短缺已經減慢了汽車生產的速度（這些半導體用在汽車的電子系統上）。新車的缺乏以及人們可能不願意重新使用公共交通這兩個因素推動了二手車銷量的增加。在過去一年中。二手車銷量增加了30%。然而，這些並不全是壞事。巴克雷銀行表示，高價格正在幫助企業挽回損失。
（1）lack這個單詞的用法要特別註意，當它作為名詞時，單詞的搭配一般為a lack of something，比如：There is a relative lack of research into this medical condition. 當它作為動詞時，單詞的搭配是：somebody lacks something，但是不能說：somebody lacks of something
（2）recoup somebody’s losses是個常見搭配，意思是「挽回某人的損失」，比如：Insurance companies are trying to recoup their losses by increasing premiums. 保險公司正試圖透過提高保費來彌補損失。
All this explains the curious case of the U-Haul on the beach. But the firm is not the only alternative to rental cars. Lyft launched its own car-hire service in 2019, though it too admits that the chip shortage has hurt growth. Some are turning to ride-hailing apps, but prices per ride have spiked because of a lack of drivers. Outdoorsy, an RV rental platform, has seen bookings for its smaller offerings—such as Jeeps and trucks—increase by 10% year-on-year. It seems that the rental car market would have to get even tighter for Americans to fall in love with public transport.
所有這些都解釋了海灘上出現U-Haul汽車的奇怪情況。但該公司並不是租車的唯一替代選擇。Lyft在2019年推出了自己的租車服務，盡管它也承認，芯片的短缺影響了業務增長。一些人正在轉向打車軟體，但由於缺乏司機，每次出行的價格已經飆升。房車租賃平台Outdoorsy上面的小型汽車（如吉普車和卡車）的預訂量同比增長了10%。看來租車市場必須變得更加緊張，美國人才會愛上公共交通。
（1）case在這裏的意思類似於「情況，狀況」（a situation that exists, especially as it affects a particular person or group）
（2）It seems that…would have to get even…for XX to do something是一個寫作中可以模仿的句型，它意思相當於「看來某事物必須變得更加……XX才會做某事」，比如在環境話題中我們可以說：
Despite facing heavy fines, many factories still discharge industrial waste into the river. It seems that the environmental laws would have to get even more stringent for these factory owners to clean up their act.
本篇文章我們學習了以下表達：
(1) XX could be forgiven for something/doing something when they…
(2) something comes to a standstill
(3) hanker for something
(4) …only to do something
(5) It seems that…would have to get even…for XX to do something
推薦各位同學使用這些表達造句以加深印象。
