时间:2019-01-07 作者:英语课 分类:VOA常速英语2008年(二月)


英语课
By Ernest Leong
Washington, DC
04 February 2008
 


It is winter in Washington, people bundled in heavy coats to shield themselves from the cold weather. Many seek refuge at indoor events. The recently held Washington Auto 1 Show - where visitors got an up-close view of the latest in automotive technology -- is one such event. VOA's Ernest Leong reports.


More than 700 new domestic and foreign vehicles were on display at the Washington Auto Show.


Whatever one's individual tastes -- whether it is fast sports cars, or slower, more reliable all-terrain jeep, long limos to stretch out in, or more compact vehicles -- chances are good one can find it at an auto show.


Scott Settlemire is the manager of the Chevrolet and Hummer exhibits for U.S. auto company General Motors. He explained the purpose of auto shows. "The reason we really do auto shows, if you think about it, is to allow the customer to come in and look at our products, and touch and feel them in a non-threatening atmosphere. They don't have to feel that they're under any pressure [to buy]. We actually want them to come in, open the doors, open the trunks, kick the tires and ask us questions," he said.


This setting offers auto manufacturers a chance to show off their newest cars, trucks, and sports utility vehicles [SUV's].


Some of the vehicles run on alternative fuel -- battery, ethanol, diesel 2 -- fuels that burn cleaner and more efficiently 3 than gasoline.


Virginia state resident Tom Albert, whose wife is expecting their first child, volunteered to test drive Chevrolet's Equinox, a hydrogen fuel cell electric SUV. He said, "I'll drive it to and from work, to the grocery store, to the home improvement store, and I'm sure to go buy some diapers."


Chevrolet says the Equinox can run over 300 kilometers before refueling. The company says this makes the vehicle ideal for use in short distance situations, such as running errands.


Albert says fueling the vehicle is similar to fueling gas-driven cars. "You connect the hose up. What you do, there's currently a cable that'll connect between the pump and the car. And they'll talk to one another, in order to fuel the tank."


Technological 4 advancements 5 in fuel efficiency are consistent with the U.S. government's directive to increase the number of alternative fuel vehicles on the road, and lessen 6 dependency on foreign oil. Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions 7 is one reason for seeking greater fuel efficiency.


Another is record-breaking oil prices. Some economic experts say high oil prices are a factor in the recent global stock market slump 8 [downturn].


Alexander Karsner, the Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (U.S. Department of Energy), visited the Washington Auto Show.


"That efficiency is productivity. Efficiency is competitiveness. When you get more out of using less, you are always making your economy more agile 9, more competitive, more productive, and ultimately, creating more value for your citizenry," Karsner said. 


"Engineered for the Future" is the theme of the 2008 Washington Auto Show. Some in the U.S. government and auto industry say that future needs to include more fuel-efficient vehicles.




n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车
  • 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。
n.柴油发动机,内燃机
  • We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
  • My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。
adv.高效率地,有能力地
  • The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
  • Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。
adj.技术的;工艺的
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
n.(级别的)晋升( advancement的名词复数 );前进;进展;促进
  • Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来,人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网
vt.减少,减轻;缩小
  • Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
  • They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
  • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
  • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
n.暴跌,意气消沉,(土地)下沉;vi.猛然掉落,坍塌,大幅度下跌
  • She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
  • Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。
adj.敏捷的,灵活的
  • She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧!
  • An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。
学英语单词
'prenticed
adjustment brokerage
air-look device
ammonia synthesis catalyst
animal manures
antithetic block fault
balanced-tree
basic nitril
biotic independent factor
broad tuning circuit
broadcast radio
Butlin
can hardly wait
candying
capades
caritably
cartilages
cartridge silk
cell antigen
chiliarchy
chip of stone
citric acid fermentation
class-time
cleaning agreement
cole-slaw
cololysis
competitor profiling
dialypetalous flower
diglutarate
distribution of budget
douces
epithelial wall
equal to cash
ethyldichlorosilane
fiery coal
fist jam
flexible universal joint
foot-operated
forgeries
free-field current sensitivity
free-stream direction
frequency spectrum analysis
game bag,gamebag
give no quarter quarters
golledges
hydro-geothermal
igelstromite
incremable
Indogesic
isooctyl thioglycollate
Jasonville
kakesthesia
kavapyrone
Kobresia laxa
line-production method
linoleics
lorsbach
lutes
male-elbow
mark control
meladiorite
naphtho-phenoxazine
nonis
nontwist
pin list
plum-puddings
Porto Rico
powersoft
primary dipleg
primary messenger
principal polygonometric network
projective subcone
Q10
ratio of debt to net worth
reflection plate
seasonal pasture
sedimentation period
segv
sesquialter
single-cycle boiling water reactor plant
spillover hypothesis
spoke-shave with wooden handle
stargardt's disease
stored term
suppleness
T-ga(u)ge
tax on consumption
timenoguy
torque measuring wrench
total revenue curve
transynaptic
triethyltin ethoxide
tympanic glands
upskillings
visual pairing
Wappapello Lake
water of condensation
wire pair
x-ray absorption edge
yerking
yockelson