News corner﹕Year of the bus

【明報專訊】2014 is the "Year of the Bus" in London. To celebrate this big event, Transport for London (倫敦交通局) has placed 40 Routemaster bus sculptures around London. It is 60 years since the iconic Routemaster double-decker bus model was created.

The bus sculptures have been painted and decorated by well-known and aspiring artists to showcase the vital role that London buses have played in London's economy and Londeners' lives. Some bus sculptures are painted with images of London landmarks like the Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace (白金漢宮). An eye-catching sculpture called "Queen's Conductor (Busby)" looks like the red-and-black costume of the Queen's Guard.

The bus sculptures are now on display in London. After the display has closed, the artworks will be auctioned to raise funds for three charities including the London Transport Museum (倫敦交通博物館).

(source: Ming Pao, Transport for London)

■Words

sculpture 雕塑

double-decker bus 雙層巴士

auction 拍賣

■Quiz

Match the description of the bus sculpture to the picture of it.

■Glossary

iconic (adj) 象徵性的

aspiring (adj) 有抱負的

showcase (v) 顯示(優點)

vital (adj) 極其重要的