英國人排隊10分42秒就抓狂
A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray.
The most loathed lines were in supermarkets, followed by the Post Office and airport check-in and security.
Older respondents over 55 became restless in a queue nearly three minutes before younger people but those aged under 35 were more likely to take their frustration out on those around them.
Two thirds of respondents said "faffing," or dawdling, by those in front of them was the thing they hated most.
Most Brits would rather avoid queues entirely, with eight in 10 adults instead choosing to pay their bills online, according to the survey by the Payments Council, the body for setting payment strategy in Britain.
The online poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines.
"Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically," said a council spokeswoman.
一項調查顯示，向來以喜歡排隊著稱的英國人可能正在失去耐性：英國成人平均能忍受的排隊時間僅爲10分42秒，超過這個時間，他們的脾氣就變得暴躁起來。
英國人最討厭排隊的地方是超市，其次是郵局和在機場辦理登機手續及安檢。
55歲以上的被調查者在排隊時，比年輕一些的人要早三分鐘失去耐性。但是35歲以下的人更容易把情緒發泄到周圍的人身上。
三分之二的被調查者稱他們最討厭的事情就是前面的人磨蹭或拖拉。
根據英國付款委員會開展的這項調查，大多數英國人會盡量避免排隊，80%的成人會選擇在網上付費。該委員會負責英國付款政策的制定。
這項涵蓋了2006名成年人的在線調查發現，五分之一的人在夜間購物，以避免排隊。
該委員會的一位女發言人說，“我們的調查表明，我們當中越來越多的人正在意識到一個事實，也就是我們其實可以通過像網上購物、網上銀行和電子支付等‘排隊逃避策略’，避免排隊，節省時間和金錢。”
Vocabulary:
fray: if somebody's nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get irritated or annoyed （使）煩躁，惱火
faff (about/around): to spend time doing things in a way that is not well organized and that does not achieve much（磨蹭）
dawdle: to take a long time to do something or go somewhere（拖延；磨蹭；遊蕩）
dodge: to avoid doing something, especially in a dishonest way （尤指不誠實地）逃避
