A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray. |
A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray. The most loathed lines were in supermarkets, followed by the Post Office and airport check-in and security. Older respondents over 55 became restless in a queue nearly three minutes before younger people but those aged under 35 were more likely to take their frustration out on those around them. Two thirds of respondents said "faffing," or dawdling, by those in front of them was the thing they hated most. Most Brits would rather avoid queues entirely, with eight in 10 adults instead choosing to pay their bills online, according to the survey by the Payments Council, the body for setting payment strategy in Britain. The online poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines. "Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically," said a council spokeswoman. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
一項調(diào)查顯示,向來以喜歡排隊著稱的英國人可能正在失去耐性:英國成人平均能忍受的排隊時間僅為10分42秒,超過這個時間,他們的脾氣就變得暴躁起來。 英國人最討厭排隊的地方是超市,其次是郵局和在機場辦理登機手續(xù)及安檢。 55歲以上的被調(diào)查者在排隊時,比年輕一些的人要早三分鐘失去耐性。但是35歲以下的人更容易把情緒發(fā)泄到周圍的人身上。 三分之二的被調(diào)查者稱他們最討厭的事情就是前面的人磨蹭或拖拉。 根據(jù)英國付款委員會開展的這項調(diào)查,大多數(shù)英國人會盡量避免排隊,80%的成人會選擇在網(wǎng)上付費。該委員會負責(zé)英國付款政策的制定。 這項涵蓋了2006名成年人的在線調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn),五分之一的人在夜間購物,以避免排隊。 該委員會的一位女發(fā)言人說,“我們的調(diào)查表明,我們當(dāng)中越來越多的人正在意識到一個事實,也就是我們其實可以通過像網(wǎng)上購物、網(wǎng)上銀行和電子支付等‘排隊逃避策略’,避免排隊,節(jié)省時間和金錢?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 比利時創(chuàng)排隊上廁所人數(shù)最多世界紀(jì)錄 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 實習(xí)生強鳳華 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: fray: if somebody's nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get irritated or annoyed (使)煩躁,惱火 faff (about/around): to spend time doing things in a way that is not well organized and that does not achieve much(磨蹭) dawdle: to take a long time to do something or go somewhere(拖延;磨蹭;游蕩) dodge: to avoid doing something, especially in a dishonest way (尤指不誠實地)逃避 |