【955-958】纽约开车很快会更贵&英政治斗争使交易员负担过重&在乌干达被绑架美国人和司机获释&对边境安全愤怒致尼尔森辞职
AS IT IS
Driving in New York City Will Soon Cost Much More
April 08, 2019
In this March 28, 2019 photo, traffic makes its way into Manhattan from Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge in New York. A congestion toll that would charge drivers to enter New York City's central business district is a first for an American city. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York City is set to become the first major American city to make drivers pay money to get into its most crowded areas. The purpose of the new toll is to reduce traffic, cut pollution and encourage more people to use public transportation.
Several cities around the world have tried a similar plan. It seems to have worked in places like London, Singapore and Stockholm. Each now has a “congestion pricing” system like the one New York City is planning.
After the systems were put in place, each of the cities experienced less traffic and better air quality. At the same time, the cities got more money to support public transportation and building projects.
John Rennie Short is a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He said, “New York is a prime example of cities where it tends to work, which is very high density, with relatively good public transportation.”
Details are not completed
Experts say there are still important questions to answer about how the plan will work in New York’s busiest area, Manhattan. The officials have not yet decided on many details. The plan would use a network of license plate readers to charge vehicles money for using surface roads anywhere in Manhattan south of Central Park. That includes the cost of the toll to cross a bridge into the city.
Mitchell Moss is director of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University. He thinks the plan will not do very much, and that the city will experience only a small reduction in traffic. That is because people will either accept the cost and keep driving, or instead choose to use ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, he said.
“We’re not going to see people abandon their cars to get into the subway,” Moss said.
Public transportation improvements
This month, New York state lawmakers approved a plan for the tolling system. The new system adds to an existing network of bridge and tunnel tolls that charge $9.50 to $15 for vehicles coming into Manhattan. There are tolls on seven of the 20 bridges and tunnels leading into the island.
That money will help may for much-needed repairs and updates to the city’s public transportation system. Moss called that a “terrific victory.”
Learning from London
New York could learn how to avoid problems with the tolls by looking at what happened in London. A similar system has operated there since 2003. At first, London charged drivers 5 pounds, or about $6.50, to come into the central part of the city during the work week.
There was a big effect in its first year: congestion dropped 30 percent, buses got six percent faster and emissions went down by 12 percent.
Over time, however, congestion has gotten worse, even though the toll cost rose to 11.5 pounds, about $15, per day. Officials say that was because of ride-sharing vehicles like Uber, which did not have to pay the tolls.
Starting this week, however, London will make ride-sharing vehicles pay, too.
In Stockholm, an experimental program has worked so well that residents voted in 2007 to make it permanent. Singapore’s system has been around since the 1970s.
Researchers say a congestion pricing plan with an $11.52 toll could reduce traffic on Manhattan by 13 percent and raise about $1.1 billion a year.
Kate Slevin is senior vice president of state programs and promotion at Regional Plan Association, an organization that supports the congestion toll.
She said, “Even a small reduction in traffic can have a substantial impact on the larger traffic network.”
Some wonder if New York's old transit system could deal with a large increase in passengers. Slevin says transit officials have almost two years to take needed steps, like changing current bus routes.
Lawmakers in San Francisco, California, are also considering a congestion pricing system to help with its traffic problems.
I’m Jill Robbins.
David Klepper reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
What do you think of New York's plan to charge drivers coming into the city? Would you like to see this in your own city? Write to us in the Comments Section.
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Words in This Story
toll – n. an amount of money that you are required to pay for the use of a road or bridge
encourage – v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident
congestion - n. the state of being too full or crowded with something
prime – adj. of the highest quality or value; excellent
license plate - n. a metal plate on a vehicle that shows a series of numbers and letters that are used to identify the vehicle
abandon – v. to stop doing or having (something) or to give up (something) completely
terrific – adj. informal : extremely good
substantial - adj. large in amount, size, or number
(mass) transit - n. the system that is used for moving large numbers of people on buses and trains
route – n. a way that someone or something regularly travels along
AS IT IS
Britain’s Political Struggles Overload Financial Traders
April 08, 2019
FILE - A person walks past pro-Brexit protesters outside the Houses of Parliament, April 4, 2019.
As Britain tries to withdraw from the European Union, the move is presenting complex problems for some in the financial industry.
Computer trading systems in the international currency markets are struggling to make sense of all the hourly information. This overload, some say, is making it more costly and risky to trade the British currency, the pound.
Prime Minister Theresa May has failed three times to get a deal approved by the British parliament to leave the EU.
Last week, she sent a letter to the European Council. She asked for a delay of Britain’s proposed withdrawal. European Council President Donald Tusk reacted by suggesting a delay of one year.
No one knows when, how or if Britain will truly complete “Brexit,” the British exit from the group.
Britain’s government is divided over the issue, and the number of people who can influence events has grown very large. This has caused problems for computers with “reading algorithms,” or algos. These algos are designed to consider the most recent words of important people before making investment decisions.
Usually computers evaluate people’s words by simply deciding how important they are, or how many times they have been spoken. Neil Jones is the head of currency sales at Mizuho, a Japanese bank in London. Brexit has so many people making important decisions and then talking about them that the computers are unable to keep up, he said.
News reading algos are a part of a revolution in investment banking and money management. Machines have replaced the humans who once decided what to buy and what to sell. Costs are lower and decisions are made more quickly by the computers.
At first, reading algos evaluated economic information or central bank policy. But they have grown more intelligent. For example, they can evaluate information that comes from Twitter in a matter of seconds and decide whether or not to invest in a currency.
The problem for the computers is that Brexit is simply creating too much information. Reuters has published up to 400 news stories on Brexit each day in recent weeks. Before Brexit, there were about 15 British political stories.
Bloomberg, another news group, has published up to 1000 stories a day, their spokesman said.
All of this proves that computers, which are logical, may never understand human beings, especially when they are foolish.
I’m John Russell.
The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
currency – n. the money that a country uses
algorithm – n. a set of steps that are followed to solve a mathematical problem or complete a computer process
evaluate – v. to judge the value or condition of something carefully or thoughtfully
logical –adj. of or relating to the formal processes used in thinking and
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AS IT IS
Kidnapped American and Driver Freed in Uganda
April 08, 2019
Police Spokesman Fred Enanga addressing a news Conference at the Police headquarters Monday, April 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Ronald Kabuubi)
The president of Uganda says people should not be afraid to visit the country after an American woman and her driver were kidnapped.
Ugandan officials announced Sunday the two had been rescued and were unharmed.
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped American Kimberly Sue Endicott and her driver, Jean-Paul, last week near a wilderness camp inside Queen Elizabeth National Park. The kidnappers later demanded a $500,000 ransom in exchange for the safe release of the two.
Ugandan police said on Twitter the two had been freed “in good health” and were “in the safe hands” of security officials.
The Reuters news agency reported a deal had been reached with the kidnappers to free the pair.
“A negotiated settlement was arranged with the assistance of the American government,” a spokesman for the company that organized Endicott’s trip told Reuters. The spokesperson did not provide additional details.
A Uganda police spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether a ransom had been paid.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wrote on Twitter Monday that his country is committed to finding and punishing those responsible. "However, I want to reassure the country and our tourists that Uganda is safe and we shall continue to improve the security in our parks. Come and enjoy the Pearl of Africa," he tweeted.
U.S. President Donald Trump also tweeted about the kidnapping. “Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!” he wrote.
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Two other people were robbed but not seized and reported the kidnapping to police. The American and her driver were taken in the Ishasha part of the park, which sits near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular stops for foreigners. It contains many kinds of wildlife, including lions, hippopotamus and crocodiles.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
ransom – n. money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped
arrange – v. makes plans or prepare for something
committed – adj. loyal and willing to give time and energy to something
tourist – n. someone who travels for recreation or pleasure
AS IT IS
Anger Over Border Security Leads to Nielsen Resignation
April 08, 2019
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (C) and commissioner for Customs and Border Patrol Kevin McAleenan (L) walk with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to a section of the border wall in Calexico California, U.S., April 5, 2019.
The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security resigned on Sunday.
As Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen was the government official responsible for border security. Her resignation comes at a time when President Donald Trump is angry over the number of Central Americans crossing the U.S. border from Mexico.
Trump announced on Sunday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will be acting head of Homeland Security. McAleenan is well respected by many members of Congress and the president’s administration.
The decision to name a top immigration officer to the job shows how important the issue of border security is to Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security is a relatively new federal agency. It was created after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“It is the right time for me to step aside,” Nielsen wrote in her letter of resignation. The Associated Press (AP) reports that her resignation was not expected.
Just two days before she resigned, Nielsen traveled to the U.S. southern border with Trump. They met with border officers and local law enforcement.
During the meeting, Nielsen agreed with Trump’s comments that there was a crisis at the border. Later, she and the president visited part of a rebuilt barrier along the border. She returned to Washington immediately after the visit, while Trump continued on to California and Nevada.
Nielsen has been frustrated by what she saw as a lack of support from other government offices, The Associated Press reported. The AP story also said she was also angered by Trump aides interfering with her leadership decisions.
Nielsen went into the White House on Sunday to meet with Trump. At that meeting, she resigned. People speaking with the AP say she was not forced to resign. She has said she will leave her position on Wednesday.
Nielsen led Homeland Security since December 2017.
McAleenan has helped shape many of the Trump administration’s policies on immigration. He is said to be liked by congressional leaders, the administration and Homeland Security officials. It is unclear, however, if he will have much more of an effect on issues at the border.
Efforts by the Trump administration to remake border security have been overturned by court rulings.
Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, called McAleenan’s appointment “deeply disturbing.”
Castro, a member of the Democratic Party, said that McAleenan’s support for Trump policies hurt “families and children at the border.”
Arrests along the southern border have increased sharply over the past few months. Border agents are estimated to have made 100,000 arrests and denials of entry at the border in March. More than half were families with children.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
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Words in This Story
frustrate –v. to cause (someone) to feel angry, discouraged, or upset because of not being able to do something
disturb – v.to interfere with the normal operation of something