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Motoring is driving a car, thought of as an activity or a subject rather than as one trip. It is a British word, and an old-fashioned one — it comes from the days when owning a car was still a pleasure and an adventure, and going out for a drive in the countryside was the whole point of the afternoon.
Motoring is driving a carmotoring是指開車,thought of as an activity or a subject是把開車當成一種活動或一個主題來看,rather than as one trip而不是指某一趟特定的行程。It is a British word, and an old-fashioned one這是個英式的詞,而且有點老派 — it comes from the days when owning a car was still a pleasure and an adventure它源自那個年代,擁有一輛車還是件樂事和冒險,and going out for a drive in the countryside was the whole point of the afternoon開車到鄉間兜風就是整個下午的重點。
Because of that history, it survives best in fixed phrases: a motoring holiday, a motoring magazine, motoring offences (traffic offences, in a court), the motoring public, a motoring correspondent on a newspaper. Nobody today says 'I was motoring to work' unless they are joking or being .
Because of that history因為這段歷史,it survives best in fixed phrases它比較常留在固定的詞組裡:a motoring holiday開車旅遊、a motoring magazine汽車雜誌、motoring offences (traffic offences, in a court)交通違規(法庭用語)、the motoring public開車的大眾、a motoring correspondent on a newspaper報紙的汽車線記者。Nobody today says 'I was motoring to work'現在沒有人會說「I was motoring to work」,unless they are joking or being posh除非是在開玩笑或故意講得很高尚。
For ordinary driving, English says driving: 'I drove to Taipei', not 'I motored to Taipei'.
For ordinary driving一般講開車,English says driving英文會說driving:'I drove to Taipei'「I drove to Taipei」,not 'I motored to Taipei'而不會說「I motored to Taipei」。
There is one other use worth knowing, informal and British: 'motoring' can mean going along fast and smoothly, or making great progress. 'By half-time they were really motoring' means the team had got going and was doing well. That use has nothing to do with cars any more — it just borrows the picture of an engine running strongly.
There is one other use worth knowing還有一個值得知道的用法,informal and British是英式口語:'motoring' can mean going along fast and smoothlymotoring可以指快速、順暢地前進,or making great progress或指進展神速。'By half-time they were really motoring'「By half-time they were really motoring」 means the team had got going and was doing well意思是這支隊伍已經進入狀況,表現很好。That use has nothing to do with cars any more這種用法已經跟車子沒關係了 — it just borrows the picture of an engine running strongly它只是借用引擎強力運轉的畫面。
組成motor + -ing. The noun motor (an engine) was turned into a verb, to motor, meaning to travel by car — and then -ing made it the name of the activity.
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法,原文照列,我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的;有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
motoringnoun
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The act of operating a motorized vehicle; especially, driving a car (motorcar).
- c. 1910, George Bernard Shaw, letter to Beatrice The afternoon was horrible; but when we struck the sea at Exmouth, and the coast, familiar to me through my Torquay motorings, became lovely in the evening. I revived & was quite jolly when I arrived.
這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形:
資料來源:英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary(CC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。