VOA标准英语2010年-Chevrolet Volt on Sale Later this Year

After emerging from bankruptcy¹ last year, Detroit automaker General Motors promised to be a more efficient company, selling more vehicles customers want to buy.  One vehicle the company is pegging³ its future success on is the gas and electric powered Chevrolet Volt⁴.  The Volt is the first in a series of such vehicles automobile⁵ manufacturers promise will provide some independence from gasoline.  While manufacturers tout⁶ the vehicles as the future of driving, the new technology and price tag may steer⁷ some drivers away.

Engineers say it can travel for 64 kilometers [40 miles] before using a single drop of petroleum⁸. It uses a state-of-the-art battery that can be charged by plugging into a standard electrical outlet⁹. General Motors hopes the allure¹⁰ of an electric-powered vehicle will make the Chevrolet Volt a best-selling car.

"The Volt really is the next generation electric vehicle," Don Hillebrand, Director of the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago said.

He says GM has a lot invested in the Volt.

"It's a big risk that General Motors is taking.  Not only to do the work and put the money that they've put into it, but the claims that they've made.  They've staked their reputation on it," he said.

In the wake of General Motors, bankruptcy, which saw the end of the Saturn¹¹, Hummer, Saab, and Pontiac brands, GM has shifted focus to its remaining brands like Cadillac, Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet.  At various Auto² Shows throughout the world this year, GM is showcasing more stylish¹², fuel-efficient vehicles it plans to sell in the coming years in an effort to win customers and compete with foreign automakers.

The Volt is at the center of GM's strategy.

Because of the costs involved in developing the battery technology that will power the Volt, the first models will be more expensive than many GM vehicles.  Chevrolet Volt Vehicle Line Director Tony Posawatz says GM hopes to market the Volt to a wide customer base.

"The Volt is a Chevrolet, so we want to eventually have it priced so that the car will sell tens of thousands of units a year in the United Sates and some sales obviously overseas," he said.

General Motors has been tight-lipped about the actual price tag, but estimates by industry analysts¹³ place the retail¹⁴ price somewhere around $35,000.

Posawatz points out the Volt qualifies for a U.S. government tax credit of $7,500,  awarded to owners of electric powered vehicles.  He also adds the annual cost of gasoline for the Volt owner should drop dramatically.

"It certainly will not be the most expensive Chevrolet, and it is conceivable, with the benefits in question, that it might net out to something under $30,000 ultimately," he stated.

Dealers¹⁵ in California and Michigan will be the first to sell the Chevrolet Volt by the end of the year.  Other states will get the new car several months later.

"The roll out will take some time," Posawatz explained. "The initial launch to make certain that we really have a robust¹⁶ product, and it does what it is supposed to do, will probably take in the order or magnitude of six months or so before there is a full rollout nationwide."

Posawatz says General Motors plans to export the Volt to China and Europe by mid¹⁷ 2011.

But the Volt will have some immediate¹⁸ competition in the United States.  Japanese automaker Nissan says it plans to have an all-electric vehicle, called the Leaf, available by the end of the year.  Nissan claims the car can travel up to 160 kilometers [100 miles] on a single charge, and points out it does not use gasoline.
 

1 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

2 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。

3 pegging   

n.外汇钉住，固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• To write a novel,one must keep pegging away at it consistently. 要写小说，必须不断辛勤劳动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was pegging the clothes out on the line to dry. 她正在把衣服夹在晒衣绳上晾干。 来自辞典例句

4 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 tout   

v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱

参考例句：

• They say it will let them tout progress in the war.他们称这将有助于鼓吹他们在战争中的成果。
• If your case studies just tout results,don't bother requiring registration to view them.如果你的案例研究只是吹捧结果，就别烦扰别人来注册访问了。

7 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

10 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

11 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

12 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

15 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

16 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

17 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

18 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。