Have you ever been trapped in a traffic jam even when there are no signs of any accidents or roadwork? This strange phenomenon is known as a phantom traffic jam. It is caused by minor changes in traffic flow like sudden braking. When a driver brakes on a busy highway, each driver behind him or her in the line of traffic then hits their brakes as well. This results in a wave of braking that can continue for kilometers. However, this situation is much less likely to happen on less crowded roads.
即使沒有任何事故或道路施工的跡象，你是否也曾被困在車陣之中？這個奇怪的現象被稱為幽靈塞車。它是由像急煞等車流中的微小變化所引起的。當一名駕駛在繁忙的高速公路煞車，在其後車陣中的每一位駕駛也會接著踩煞車。這導致可以持續數公里的一波波煞車潮。然而，這種情況在較不壅塞的路上發生的可能性小很多。
生活必備字詞：
invisible a. 隱形的，看不見的
be trapped in... 被困在……
brake vi. & n. 煞車
hit one’s / the brakes 踩煞車
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本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見十一月號。
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