男人宁走冤枉路也不愿问路 50年多走1400多公里

Men are so reluctant to ask for directions that they will clock up an unnecessary 900 miles – the distance from Land's End to John O'Groats – over a lifetime, researchers say.

研究人员指出，男人因为不愿问路，一辈子会走足足900英里(约合1448.41公里)的冤枉路，相当于从英国南端的兰兹角到北端的约翰欧格罗茨的距离。

On realising they are lost, only 6 per cent check a map or ask for help to avoid extra mileage, a survey showed.

一项调查显示，当发现自己迷路时，只有6%的男人会去查地图或者向他人问路，以免走冤枉路。

And 14 per cent are so stubborn that they soldier on until they find an alternative route, rather than admit they are wrong.

14%的男人很固执，他们宁可硬撑着走下去，直到找到另一条路线，也不愿承认自己走错路了。

Wrong turns and a lack of common sense means that the average British man will needlessly travel an extra 1.5 miles per month before correcting his mistake, clocking up an extra 18 miles per year.

因为转错弯和缺乏常识，英国男性在迷途知返以前平均每月要多走1.5英里，每年则会累计多走18英里。

Over 50 years, that adds up to 13,500 minutes, or 225 hours, wasted needlessly pounding the pavement.

这样白费力气的四处奔走50年下来会累计浪费13500分钟，合225个小时。

Of the nearly 1,000 respondents, 94 per cent said women were generally better at navigation even though men are often reluctant to admit it.

将近1000名调查对象中，94%的人认为一般说来女性的方向感更好，尽管男人常常不愿承认这一点。

One in three said they react angrily to a partner's bad sense of direction which 'typically leads to an argument'.

三分之一的人称，自己的伴侣如果方向感很糟糕的话，他们会很生气，经常会因此“引起争执。

After getting lost, 14 per cent said they refuse to stop on the basis that 'all roads eventually lead to the same place' with over half of the men surveyed guessing their poor sense of direction adds up to 20 extra minutes to their journey.

一旦迷路，14%的人拒绝停下来，理由是“所有的路最后总会到达同一地点，超半数的男性被调查者猜测自己那不靠谱的方向感会导致他们的行程多花20分钟的时间。

TrekAce, makers of a navigational aid for walkers, which carried out the poll, found the average British man will needlessly travel an additional 900 miles over 50 years.

这项调查由步行者导航设备制造商TrekAce公司开展，调查发现平均每个英国男性在50年的时间里本来不必走而多走的路程达900英里。

A spokesman for the firm said: 'It's incredible to think that we waste so much of our precious time getting lost.

该公司的发言人说：“我们居然因为迷路浪费了这么多的宝贵时间，真是难以置信。

'The results of this survey reinforce what many have believed for years that men are not the best navigators.

“调查结果进一步证实了许多人多年以来的认识，那就是男人并不是最好的带路人。

'But it also shows the extreme lengths that men are going to avoid asking for directions, or going the right way in the first place.

“不过调查结果还显示，男人们无论如何都不愿去问路或是第一时间走对路。

'It is clear we still need a bit of a helping hand when it comes to tacking unfamiliar and even familiar territory.'

“显然，在不熟悉的地方，即便是熟悉的地方，准备换个方向走的时候，我们还是需要那么一点别人的帮助的。

Vocabulary

clock up：(某一数量) 达到

soldier on：坚持着做

tack：改变航向