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According to official statistics, Thailand’s annual road death rate is almost double the global average.
据官方统计，泰国的年道路死亡率几乎是全球平均水平的两倍。
Thai people know that their roads are dangerous, but they don’t know this could easily be changed.
泰国人知道他们的道路很危险，但他们不知道这是很容易改变的。
Globally, road accidents kill more people every year than any infectious disease.
在全球范围内，交通事故每年造成的死亡人数超过任何传染病。
Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in America put the death toll in 2017 at 1.24 million.
美国健康指标和评估研究所的研究人员称，2017年的死亡人数为124万人。
According to the institute, the overall number of deaths has been more or less static since the turn of the century.
据该研究所称，自本世纪以来，死亡总人数或多或少保持不变。
But that disguises a lot of changes in individual countries.
但这掩盖了个别国家的许多变化。
In many poor countries, road accidents are killing more people than ever before.
在许多贫穷的国家，交通事故造成的死亡人数比以往任何时候都多。
Those countries have swelling, young populations are fast-growing fleet of cars and motorbikes and a limited supply of surgeons.
那些年轻人口迅速增加的国家有着快速增长的汽车和摩托车数量，而外科医生的供给却很有限。
It is impossible to know for sure, because official statistics are so inadequate.
由于官方统计数据非常不充分，所以无法确切了解。
But deaths are thought to have risen by 40% since 1990 in many low income countries.
但自1990年以来，许多低收入国家的死亡率被认为上升了40%。
In many rich countries, by contrast, roads are becoming even safer.
相比之下，在许多富裕国家，道路正变得更加安全。
In Estonia and Ireland, for example, the number of deaths has fallen by about two thirds since the late 1990s.
例如，在爱沙尼亚和爱尔兰，自1990年代末以来，死亡人数下降了约三分之二。
But the most important and intriguing changes are taking place in middle income countries, which contain most of the world’s people.
但最重要也最引人注意的变化正发生在中等收入国家，这些国家拥有世界上最多的人口。
And have some of the most dangerous roads.
也拥有一些最危险的道路。
According to researchers, in China and South Africa, traffic deaths have been falling since 2000,
据研究人员称，自2000年以来，中国和南非的交通事故死亡人数一直在下降。
and in India since 2012, and the Philippines reached its peak four years ago.
印度自2012年开始下降，菲律宾四年前开始下降。
The question is whether Thailand can soon follow suit.
问题是泰国是否能很快地效仿。
Rob Mckinney, head of the International Road Assessment Program, says that all countries tend to go through three phases.
国际道路评估项目负责人罗布·麦金尼说，所有国家往往要经历三个阶段。
They begin with poor, slow roads.
他们从糟糕的、缓慢的道路开始。
In the second phase, as they grow wealthier, they pave the roads, allowing traffic to move faster and pushing up the death rate.
到第二个阶段，随着他们变得富裕，他们铺路使交通速度更快，从而推高了死亡率。
Lastly, in the third phase, countries act to make their roads safer.
最后，在第三阶段，各国采取行动使道路更加安全。
The trick, then, is to reach the third stage sooner by focusing earlier and more closely on fatal accidents.
因此，关键在于通过更早、更密切地关注致命事故，尽早达到第三阶段。
How to do that?
怎么做到呢？
The solution lies not just in better infrastructure, but in better social incentives.
解决方法不仅在于改善基础设施，还在于改善社会激励机制。
Safe driving habits are practices which people know they should follow that often don’t.
人们知道应该遵循安全驾驶习惯，却往往不去遵循。
Dangerous driving is not a fixed cultural trait, as some imagine.
正如人们想的那样，危险驾驶并不是一种固定的文化特征。
People respond to incentives such as traffic laws that are actually enforced.
人们会对实际执行的交通法规等激励措施做出反应。
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
问题22到25基于刚才你所听到的那段录音。
Q22: What does the speaker say about traffic accidents in Thailand?
问题22：关于泰国的交通事故，说话人说了什么?
Q23: What do we learn from an American institutes statistics regarding road deaths?
问题23：我们从美国研究机构关于道路死亡的统计数据中学到了什么?
Q24: What is said about middle income countries?
问题24：关于中等收入国家，文章说了什么?
Q25: What else could be done to reduce fatal road accidents in addition to safer roads?
问题25：除了更安全的道路之外，还可以做什么来减少致命的交通事故?
