VOA慢速英语2014 高科技使汽车连接未来

 

AS IT IS 2014-06-02 Connected Cars on the Highway to the Future 高科技使汽车连接未来

Modern automobiles² and their drivers are becoming connected through wireless³ technology to entertainment and information systems. VOA recently visited the Los Angeles Auto¹ Show. We found that high-priced, luxury cars, like BMW, are attempting to become friendly to the environment.

This car, an electric i3 model, is made with lightweight carbon fiber⁴. It also has the latest electronic devices to make driving safer.

The i3 includes a camera that lets the driver see the area directly behind the car. It is equipped with automated⁵ parking assistance and collision avoidance systems.

Theresa Moriarty works for BMW. She says the i3 is equipped with automatic braking. Stopping or slowing down the car adds power to its battery.

“Any time you’re not accelerating, the regenerative braking kicks on and the car will slow, adding some energy back to your battery.”

“Blue tooth is connecting.”

Another auto-maker -- General Motors -- has developed a high-tech⁶ system for a hybrid⁷ version of its Cadillac model. Power for the car comes from gasoline, a traditional fuel, and electricity.

Stuart Fowle works for General Motors. He says the high-tech system lets the driver start the car from a distance. It also lets the driver see how the vehicle is operating from halfway⁸ arouind the world.

“(The) smart phone app we have allows you to check your tire pressures, check your oil level or your, your oil life. It allows you to check your fuel level, how much range you have on that tank of fuel.”

For operators of many vehicles, technology connects cars and trucks on the road. Joshua Turner works at a company called Sprint⁹ Velocity¹⁰, which helps create those connections.

“If, for instance, a, a fleet vehicle were to experience a flat tire, the, the system in the vehicle would be able to transmit that to the appropriate repair technician, and then also alert the fleet management when that, that vehicle was able to come back online.”

Cars can already tell drivers about nearby fuel stations and gasoline prices. Airbiquity sells online vehicle services in 50 countries. David Jumpa works for the company. He says cars will soon be able to share information with each other.

“Information that there’s ice on the road ahead, right, based on the information the previous car, you know, just passed on.”

Vehicles cannot yet talk to one another. But David Jumpa says they will be able to in the future.

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 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

4 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

5 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

6 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

7 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。

8 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

9 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

10 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。