One thing you probably always wondered about is why Americans drive on a different side of the road than their British cousins. It might seem strange that U.K. drivers stay on the left, but they are not alone. Around 35 percent of the world population does the same, including people in Ireland, Japan, and some Caribbean islands.
It is said that originally almost everybody traveled on the left side of the road. However their mode of transport was quite different from today: Think four legs instead of four wheels. For Medieval swordsmen (剑客) on horseback, it made sense to keep to the left to have their right arms closer to their opponents. Also, it was easier to get on and off a horse from its left side than its right side.
Things changed in the late 1700s when large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses were used to transport farm products in France and the United States. In the absence of a driver’s seat inside the wagon, the driver sat on the back left horse, with his right arm free to use his whip (鞭子) to keep the horses moving. Since he was sitting on the left, he wanted other wagons to pass on his left, so he kept to the right side of the road.
The British Government refused to give up their left-hand driving ways and made laws to encourage driving on the left. Meanwhile post-revolution France, under their left-handed ruler Napoleon, accepted a permanent move to the right side of the road. During all this driving confusion, the British and the French were giving up their power across the globe, and as part of their rapid colonization (殖民化) they insisted that the countries they took over drive on the same side of the road. This explains why former British colonies (殖民地) such as Australia, New Zealand, and India drive on the left, while former French colonies like Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Senegal drive on the right.
【小题1】How do the Japanese drive on the road?| A．They drive on the left side of the road. |
| B．They drive on the right side of the road. |
| C．They drive on both sides of the road. |
| D．They tend to stay in the middle of the road. |
| A．They are mostly left-handed drivers. |
| B．They follow their driving tradition. |
| C．They were influenced by the French. |
| D．They want to differ from Americans. |
| A．Partners. | B．Followers. | C．Assistants. | D．Challengers. |
| A．The British insisted on driving on the right. |
| B．The French changed their driving practice. |
| C．Colonization influenced the driving habits. |
| D．Former colonies don’t drive as they used to. |
