更新时间：2018-07-29 16:14作者：王华老师
Ifwetendtoignorethesignificanceofelevators,itmightbebecauseridinginthemtendstobesuchabrief,boring,andevenawkwardexperience—onethatcaninvolveunexpectedlymeetingpeoplewithwhomwehavenothingincommon,andanunpleasantawarenessofthefactthatwe’rehangingfromacableinalongpassage.
Inanewbook,Lifted,GermanjournalistandculturalstudiesprofessorAndreasBernarddirectedallhisattentiontothisexperience,studyingtheoriginsofelevatoranditsrelationshiptohumankindandfindingthatridinginanelevatorhasneverbeenatotalcomfortableexperience,“After150years,wearestillnotusedtoit,”Bernardsaid,“Westillhavenotexactlylearnedtocopewiththemixtureofclosenessanddispleasure.”Thatmixture,accordingtoBernard,setstheelevatorrideapartfromjustabouteveryothersituationwefindourselvesinaswegoaboutourlives.
Today,astheworld’surbanpopulationexplodes,andcitiesbecomemorecrowded,taller,andmorecrowded,America’stotalnumberofelevators—900,000atlastcount,accordingtoElevatorWorldmagazine’s“2012VerticalTransportationIndustry”—areaforcethat’sbecomingmoreimportantthanever.Andforthepeoplewhoreally,reallylovethem,itseemslikehightimethatwelookedseriouslyatjustwhatkindofforcetheyare.