2005年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-'Consumer Reports' Gives Hybrid Car Its T

On Mondays, we report on the business of technology.

Record oil prices and record gas prices are inspiring some Americans to rethink the technology they use in their transportation. People who must drive do have alternatives to the gasguzzling SUV and in fact the number of alternatives is growing. To learn more, we call David Champion, the senior director of Auto¹ Testing for Consumer Reports. That magazine gave its top rating to a new model of hybrid² cars - part gas, part electric. It beat out a number of conventional sedans.

It's the new Honda Accord hybrid. And it's the first time we've seen a hybrid vehicle really go mainstream³. The family sedan category is the biggest selling category in the United States. And it's the biggest category that we test. Previously⁴ we've seen hybrid vehicles relatively⁵ small, somewhat slower types of vehicles getting excellent gas mileage⁶. But here we have normal five-passenger family sedan that gets 25 miles per gallon which is good, but also has a rather startling acceleration⁷.

The EPA onetime was predicting that hybrid cars would consistently have 50 miles-per-gallon ratings. Is that happening?

No, I think people are looking at hybrid technology in different ways. The balancing, the act between more power and better fuel economy.

There's a lot of talk about car companies putting out hydrogen cell technology, not this year, next year, but maybe a decade from now. A hydrogen fuel cell works, how, exactly?

Basically you take hydrogen gas, mix it with air that contains oxygen. And when the hydrogen, the oxygen mix, it gives off electricity. That electricity is like a battery, and that powers an electric motor which drives the vehicle. They're very impressive to drive around the streets. The big issue is the storage of hydrogen and how you refuel it, and how you build up an infrastructure⁸ to refuel these vehicles.

David Champion could you give us your very well-educated guess here, of what kind of car do you think you'll be driving in ten years?

In ten years, I think there will be some hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and they're mainly for fleet use. So maybe buses and taxi cabs and things like that. I think we're gonna see many more hybrid vehicles. And we're gonna see much more work done in reducing the weights of the vehicles that we drive, you know, the big heavy SUVs that are currently on the road. A lot of that energy that you're using is dragging that weight along and accelerating that weight.

David Champion is a senior director of Auto Testing for Consumer Reports. Thanks very much.

My pleasure, thank you.

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

3 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

7 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。