大學英語綜合教程學生用書 Searching fora Uniform Sign Language

[00:00.00] Searching fora Uniform Sign Language [00:05.88]A picture can be worth far than a thousand words, [00:12.12]at least when it comes to guiding travelers. [00:17.58]That was the reason behind an experimental project [00:24.32]by the U.S.Department of Transportation. [00:29.39]The Department wanted to test the efficiency [00:35.42]of thirty-four graphic symbols in air terminals [00:41.48]and other public places in several American cities [00:47.54]-as an aid to Americans and their guests from abroad. [00:53.60]William R.Meyers,who directs the project, [00:58.75]requires that the signs be clear,uniform and easy to comprehend. [01:06.90]"This means,above all,signs that world overcome [01:13.06]the language barrier,"Meyers explains. [01:18.00]"Far too many foreign visitors [01:23.17]find themselves in strange and confusing surroundings, [01:29.81]not knowing the language of the country [01:34.17]and uncertain as to where to go obtain help." [01:40.62]In the past,there has been no uniform sign system, [01:47.57]and a number of organizations worldwide [01:53.63]have posted widely varying signs for guiding the public. [02:00.97]For example,the sign for a telephone [02:06.01]at the Merico Olympic Games was a telephone dial; [02:11.87]at the Tokyo Olympics,a telephone and dial; [02:17.61]in most other sign systems,a telephone headest. [02:23.46]After considering all the various telephone symbols [02:29.84]as to their instant communication value, [02:34.67]experts selected a stylized telephone handest. [02:41.65]Pictures for the signs were created [02:46.37]by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in New York City. [02:53.32]The creators fo the graphic symbols [02:58.08]wanted to find a unifoum sign language [03:03.43]that people everywhere would comprehend easily. [03:09.18]For example,they decided that the back view [03:14.93]of an envelope indicates a mail facility [03:20.28]more clearly than front or "side"view. [03:25.84]To communicate a currency exchange, [03:31.28]the creators creators developed a uniform symbol [03:36.82]that shows a rectangle with figures for [03:42.46]a dollar,pound,france,and yen depicted on it. [03:48.70]Also,a martini with an olive became the uniform sign for a bar, [03:55.96]not because the martini was judged the most popular cocktail [04:02.91]but because the shape of the glass is distinctive, [04:08.06]and other cocktail glasser can easily be confused with a water glass. [04:15.61]Several years ago,representatives from all over Europe [04:22.37]met in Geneva to agree upon a uniform code of highway markings. [04:30.81]When these were posted,it became possible [04:36.24]for motorists from all over the world [04:40.89]to drive with greater safety even though they didn't know the language [04:47.95]of the country that they were visiting. [04:53.12]In the future,the uniform highway signs [04:58.87]from Europe may appear along major roads [05:04.40]in many other countries as well. [05:09.34]Once the signs are posted throughout the world, [05:14.91]a knife and fork will mean a restaurant, [05:19.95]a suitcase will indicate baggage,and a car under a key,a car rental. [05:28.10]And if anyone has questions about the whole proposition, [05:34.65]he can simply go the information desk under the sign [05:41.11]that has a big question mark within a circle.

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