Limousine 礼宾车

 还在看到车子就叫car吗？那你就out 了。今天跟大家一起学习又一个高大上的英文单词：Limousine。

以下内容由小编根据维基百科整理创作, 供大家一起学习。

A limousine  /ˌlɪməˈziːn/ (or limo) is a luxury sedan or saloon car generally driven by a chauffeur and with a partition between the driver and the passenger compartment. Limousines often have a lengthened wheelbase.

A lengthened wheelbase

Limousine， 简称limo, 是一个在20世纪初由法语借入的英文单词，所以仍保留着法语的拼写和发音。其中文翻译各种各样，有豪华轿车，高级轿车，轿车，礼车等，小编个人觉得翻译最到位的应属礼宾车。前面提到的其它各翻译版本总觉得非土即豪，或者土豪，而礼宾车这个翻译从声译这个角度来讲，和原单词共享了三个发音： “li”  礼，“ou/ə/”  车 和 “ine / iːn/”宾，并且都是三个音节。从意译这个角度来讲，礼宾二字更显优雅，给人以高大上的感觉。


Limousine从消费档次上来讲一直都是奢侈级别的，通常都是由私人司机驾驶。驾驶室和乘客间通常有隔板隔开，以保证乘客的隐私。其车身超长，车内设计也是应需而异。

It was originally an enclosed automobile with open driver's seat. It is named after a type of cloak and hood that was worn by the inhabitants of the Limousin region that later resembled the covering of a carriage and much later used to describe an automobile body with a permanent top that extended over the open driver's compartment.

实际上Limousine的原形是司机间敞开而乘客间闭合的。其名字源于法国利穆赞地区的居民常穿的披风和风帽。因为这类服饰和当时的Limousine形似，因而得名。

the original limousine

In modern use, a limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white. Limousines are usually liveried vehicles, driven by professional chauffeurs. As the most expensive form of automobile ground transportation, limousines are culturally associated with wealth or power and are commonly cited as examples of conspicuous consumption. Among the less wealthy, limousines are often hired during special events (most commonly weddings, proms, and bachelor parties).

在当今社会，limousine的底盘通常经过加长或加宽处理，颜色常为经典的黑白色。Limousines 通常被用为电召车，由专职的私人司机驾驶。作为最昂贵的地面交通工具，Limousines 被喻为是财富和权利的象征，在大街上拥有最土豪级别的回头率。当然不是所有坐在limousine里的都是土豪，屌丝们也可以在特别的日子里租个limousine来土豪一把，比如婚礼，毕业舞会，或者单身派对等等。

While some limousines are owned by individuals, many are owned by governments to transport senior politicians, by companies to transport executives and guests. Most stretch limousines, however, operate as livery vehicles, providing upmarket competition to taxicabs. Builders of stretch limousines purchase stock cars from manufacturers and modify them, and most are in the United States and Europe and cater mainly to limousine companies. Few stretch limousines are sold new to private individuals. In addition to luxuries, security features such as armoring and bulletproof glass are available.

土豪毕竟是社会的小部分子，大部分limousines都是归政府所有，为各高级政客服务。当然，商业上limousines也被用作为高端市场的出租车服务。大部分limousines产于欧美，专售给礼宾车公司，极少卖给个人。Limousines除了高大上的特点以外，其安全性能比如装甲设备和防弹玻璃等也可以应需配置。

In 2012, the limousine market size was over $4 billion in the United States. 

如此高大上的limousines到底得花多少两白银呢？三年前美国市场价为40亿美金，想想现在在中国得花多少毛爷爷呢？够数钱数到手抽筋级别的土豪们可以考虑考虑哦 :)

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Learn English in the context of Global Traveler's posts

chauffeur：[ ʃoʊˈfɜ:r ] N-COUNT (富人或要人的)私人司机

partition：[ pɑ:rˈtɪʃn ] N-COUNT 隔断；隔扇；隔墙；隔板

wheelbase：[ ˈwi:lbeɪs ] N-COUNT (汽车或其他交通工具前后轮之间的)轴距

cloak：[ kləʊk ] N-COUNT 斗篷;披风

hood ：[ hʊd ] N-COUNT （外衣的）风帽，兜帽

Limousin：[地名] [法国] 利穆赞（地区）

Chassis：[ ˈʃæsi ] N-COUNT (车辆的)底盘，底架，底座

Stretch：[ stretʃ ] 伸展的长度(或宽度)

liveried vehicles：电召车

conspicuous： [ kənˈspɪkjuəs ] ADJ-GRADED 显眼的;引人注目的

proms：[ prɒm ] N-COUNT （学校在学年末举行的）正式舞会

upmarket：[ ˌʌpˈmɑ:kɪt ] ADJ-GRADED （产品或服务）高端的，高档的

armoring： [ 'ɑ:mərɪŋ ] 装甲，武器