MAN: First of all, let me thank you all for coming to this public meeting, to discuss the future of our town.

男人：首先，感谢在座的各位参加这次公开会议，一起讨论我们城镇的未来。

Our first speaker is Shona Ferguson, from Barford town council. Shona.

接下来有请巴福德镇议员修纳·弗格森讲话。修纳请。

SHONA: Thank you.

修纳：非常感谢。

First I'll briefly give you some background information, then I'll be asking you for your comments on developments in the town.

首先我会简单为大家带来一些背景信息，然后我会邀请各位对这个城镇的发展发表看法。

Well, as you don't need me to tell you, Barford has changed a great deal in the last 50 years.

嗯，我想众所周知，巴福德镇在近50年变化很大。

These are some of the main changes.

有些变化意义重大。

Fifty years ago, buses linked virtually every part of the town and the neighbouring towns and villages.

在50年前，公交线路几乎是城镇与城镇以及村庄的连接线。

Most people used them frequently, but not now, because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers.

那时公交的使用频率很高。但是现在公交集团只在乘客较多的线路安排巴士。

So parts of the town are no longer served by buses.

于是城镇的很多地方都没有巴士了。

Even replacing old uncomfortable buses with smart new ones has had little impact on passenger numbers.

甚至将老旧不舒适的巴士换成新型智能巴士都不能大幅度增加乘坐率。

It's sometimes said that bus fares are too high, but in relation to average incomes, fares are not much higher than they were 50 years ago.

有时候人们认为公交车费用太高了，但根据现如今人们的平均收入水平来看，目前的费用并没有比50年前的时候高出很多。

Changes in the road network are affecting the town.

改变路线对城镇影响很大。

The centre was recently closed to traffic on a trial basis, making it much safer for pedestrians.

为了让行人更加安全，交通中心近期关闭进行内测。

The impact of this is being measured.

这项工程的影响是可预测的。

The new cycle paths, separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected, reducing traffic and improving air quality.

新主要道路中型自行车线路和机动车线路独立分开，并且使用率出乎意料。这大大缓解了交通压力，还改善了空气质量。

And although the council's attempts to have a bypass constructed have failed, we haven't given up hope of persuading the government to change its mind.

虽然市议会试图忽略这一构想，但我们并未放弃说服政府改变心意。

Shopping in the town centre has changed over the years.

镇中心的购物模式也在近几年改变了很多。

Many of us can remember when the town was crowded with people going shopping.

我们大多数人都记得原来城镇里充斥着购物的人们。

Numbers have been falling for several years, despite efforts to attract shoppers, for instance by opening new car parks.

这些年陆续有商场倒闭，尽管为了吸引顾客，有些商场开辟了新的停车场。

Some people combine shopping with visits to the town's restaurants and cafés.

有些人把购物和去城镇的旅馆和咖啡厅结合在一起。

Most shops are small independent stores, which is good, but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns, as there are so few well-known chain stores here.

很多商店是小型独立店铺，虽然也不错，但是很多人更愿意去附近大镇子的超市或是百货大楼，因为本镇知名连锁商店实在是太少了。

Turning now to medical facilities, the town is served by family doctors in several medical practices - fewer than 50 years ago, but each catering for far more patients.

现在我们把话题转向医疗设施，我们小镇居民好几种疾病都是找家庭医生来看的，虽然现在镇上家庭医生的数量比50年前要少，但是他们每个人治疗的患者数量都比那时候要多得多。

Our hospital closed 15 years ago, which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable.

我们镇医院是15年前倒闭的，也就是说去别的镇看病在所难免。

On the other hand, there are more dentists than there used to be.

另外，现在的牙科医生比原来要多很多。

Employment patterns have changed, along with almost everything else.

雇佣模式已经发生改变，而且很多事情也都在改变。

The number of schools and colleges has increased, making that the main employment sector.

学校数量增加了，成为了招聘就业的主力领域。

Services, such as website design and accountancy, have grown in importance, and surprisingly, perhaps, manufacturing hasn't seen the decline that has affected it in other parts of the country.

像网站设计和会计这样的服务业变得越来越重要。意外的是，在其他地方大受影响的制造业在这里似乎并未有什么衰退现象。