car
noun/kɑː(r)/
/kɑːr/
enlarge image(also formal motor car especially in British English)(also North American English, formal automobile)a road vehicle with an engine and four wheels that can carry a small number of passengers小汽车；轿车 - Paula got into the car and drove off.
葆拉钻进汽车后驾车而去。 - by car How did you come?’ ‘By car.’
“你怎么来的？” “开车来的。” - in a/the car Are you going in the car?
你要开车去吗？ - Her husband was driving the car at the time of the accident.
事故发生时，她的丈夫正在开车。 - Where can I park the car?
我可以在哪里停车呀？ - There were parked cars on both sides of the road.
道路两旁都停满了汽车。 - a car driver/manufacturer/dealer
汽车司机／制造商／经销商 - a car accident/crash
汽车事故；撞车 - I can't find my car keys.
我找不到我的汽车钥匙。
Collocations DrivingDrivingHaving a carsee also company car, in-car, panda car, race car, sports car, squad car, stock car- have/own/(British English) run a car
- ride a motorcycle/motorbike
- drive/prefer/use an automatic/a manual/(North American English, informal) a stick shift
- have/get your car serviced/fixed/repaired
- buy/sell a used car/(especially British English) a second-hand car
- take/pass/fail a (British English) driving test/(both North American English) driver’s test/road test
- get/obtain/have/lose/carry a/your (British English) driving licence/(North American English) driver’s license
- put on/fasten/(North American English) buckle/wear/undo your seat belt/safety belt
- put/turn/leave the key in the ignition
- start the car/engine
- (British English) change/(North American English) shift/put something into gear
- press/put your foot on the brake pedal/clutch/accelerator
- release the clutch/(especially British English) the handbrake/(both North American English) the emergency brake/the parking brake
- drive/park/reverse the car
- (British English) indicate left/right
- (especially North American English) signal that you are turning left/right
- take/miss (British English) the turning/(especially North American English) the turn
- apply/hit/slam on the brake(s)
- beep/honk/(especially British English) toot/(British English) sound your horn
- a car skids/crashes (into something)/collides (with something)
- swerve to avoid an oncoming car/a pedestrian
- crash/lose control of the car
- have/be in/be killed in/survive a car crash/a car accident/(North American English) a car wreck/a hit-and-run
- be run over/knocked down by a car/bus/truck
- dent/hit (British English) the bonnet/(North American English) the hood
- break/crack/shatter (British English) the windscreen/(North American English) the windshield
- blow/(especially British English) burst/puncture (British English) a tyre/(North American English) a tire
- get/have (British English) a flat tyre/a flat tire/a puncture
- inflate/change/fit/replace/check a tyre/tire
- be caught in/get stuck in/sit in a traffic jam
- cause congestion/tailbacks/traffic jams/gridlock
- experience/face lengthy delays
- beat/avoid the traffic/the rush hour
- break/observe/(North American English) drive the speed limit
- be caught on (British English) a speed camera
- stop somebody for/pull somebody over for/(British English, informal) be done for speeding
- (both informal) run/(British English) jump a red light/the lights
- be arrested for/charged with (British English) drink-driving/(both US English) driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI)
- be banned/(British English) disqualified from driving
Wordfinder- accelerate
- brake
- car
- commute
- driving
- licence
- motorist
- road
- road tax
- traffic
Culture drivingdrivingAmericans have long had a ‘love affair’ with the automobile (also car). Almost everybody over the age of 15 is a driver and most households have a vehicle. American life is arranged so that people can do many things from their cars. There are drive-in banks, post offices, restaurants, movie theatres and even some churches.In Britain the percentage of the population who are drivers is slightly less but, as in the US, many people prefer to use their car rather than public transport, because it is more convenient and because they like to be independent. In order to reduce pollution, the government tries to encourage people to use other forms of transport by making driving expensive. In particular, it puts a heavy tax on fuel and increases the annual road tax for cars that cause heavy pollution. Congestion charging is used to persuade people to avoid driving their cars in some city centres.To some people the make and quality of their car reflects their status in society, and it is important to them to get a smart new car every few years. In Britain since 2001 the registration number of a car shows the place and date of registration but older number plates can be used and a personalized number plate (= a plate that spells out the owner's name or initials) may also suggest status. Many people prefer to buy a small, economical car, or get a second-hand one. Cars in the US are often larger than those in Britain and though fuel is cheaper, insurance is expensive. In the US car license plates, commonly called tags, are given by the states. New ones must be bought when a driver moves to another state. The states use the plates to advertise themselves: Alabama plates say ‘Heart of Dixie’ and have a small heart on them, and Illinois has ‘Land of Lincoln’.In Britain, before a person can get a driving licence they must pass an official driving test, which includes a written test on a computer of the Highway Code (= the rules that all road users must obey) and a practical driving exam. Only people aged 17 or over are allowed to drive. Learner drivers who have a provisional licence must display an L-plate, a large red ‘L’, on their car, and be supervised by a qualified driver. The US has no national driver's license (NAmE), but instead licenses are issued by each state. Most require written tests, an eye test and a short practical test. The minimum age for getting a license is normally 16, although some states will issue a learner's permit to drivers as young as 14. Many states now apply a system of graduated licenses in which young drivers are first required to have an intermediate license for a period of time before being given a full license. An intermediate license may, for example, prevent driving alone at particular times of the day or require the driver to take special classes if they drive badly. Americans have to get a new driver's license if they move to another state. In both Britain and the US drivers need a special licence to drive certain types of vehicle, for example a bus, lorry or motorcycle. In Britain people drive on the left and in the US they drive on the right. Generally British and US drivers are relatively careful and polite but there is dangerous driving. In the US many of the deaths due to traffic accidents are caused by drivers who have drunk alcohol. Drink-driving (NAmE drunk driving, driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated) (= driving a car after drinking alcohol) is also a serious problem in Britain. On many British roads speed cameras have been set up to catch drivers who go too fast. In the US the main job of state highway patrols is to prevent speeding.Many drivers pay a monthly fee to their insurance company or to an automobile association, who will arrange for someone to come and help them if their car breaks down or if they are involved in an accident. In Britain the main ones are the AA (Automobile Association) and the RAC (Royal Automobile Club), and in the US the largest is the American Automobile Association (AAA).Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by car or lorrya1- He pulled his car over at a small hotel.
他把车靠边停在一家小酒店旁。 - She swerved her car sharply to the right.
她把车急速向右转向。 - Her car skidded on a patch of ice.
她的车在一片结冰的路面上打滑。 - His car hit a van coming in the opposite direction.
他的车与迎面驶来的小货车相撞。 - I lost control of the car and it spun off the road.
我开的车失控了，打着转儿冲下了路。 - The red car suddenly pulled out in front of me.
这辆红车突然从路边冲到我前面。 - I'll wait for you in the car.
我在车里等你。 - It's too far to walk. I'll take the car.
步行去太远了，我坐车去。 - The kids all piled into the car.
孩子们一窝蜂地挤上了车。 - It's very expensive to run a car these days.
现在养车很贵。 - I have to take the car in for a service.
我得把车开进去检修一下。 - The car does 55 miles per gallon.
这辆车每加仑油行驶 55 英里。 - The car was doing over 100 miles an hour.
那辆车当时正以每小时 100 多英里的速度行驶。 - The government wants more people to use public transport instead of private cars.
政府希望更多的人使用公共交通工具而不是私车。 - The number of cars on the road is increasing all the time.
路上行驶的汽车数量一直在增加。 - Police in an unmarked car had been following the stolen vehicle for several minutes.
警察驾无标志车跟踪了被盗车好几分钟了。 - The robbers abandoned their getaway car and ran off.
劫匪将逃跑用的车丢弃后逃跑了。 - The driver crashed the stolen car while being chased by the police.
司机在被警察追赶时撞坏了被盗的汽车。 - There was a line of parked cars in front of the building.
大楼前停了一排车。 - He opened the car door for her.
他为她打开了车门。 - I can put the wheelchair in the back of the car.
我可以把轮椅放在车后座。 - I decided to buy a second-hand car.
我决定买一辆二手车。 - They parked the car and walked the rest of the way.
他们把车停好，剩下的路步行。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fast
- new
- diesel
- …
- drive
- have
- own
- …
- start
- run on something
- do something
- …
- alarm
- boot
- door
- …
- by car
- in a/the car
- a brand of car
- a make of car
- a model of car
- …
- Paula got into the car and drove off.
- (also railcar both North American English)a separate section of a train
火车车厢 - Several cars went off the rails.
有几节火车车厢出轨了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- rail
- railroad
- railway
- …
- pull
- Several cars went off the rails.
- (in compounds) a car on a train of a particular type
（某种类型的）火车车厢 - a sleeping/dining car
卧铺车厢；餐车
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- rail
- railroad
- railway
- …
- pull
- a sleeping/dining car
Word Originlate Middle English (in the general sense ‘wheeled vehicle’): from Old Northern French carre, based on Latin carrum, carrus, of Celtic origin.