VOA慢速英语2016--无人驾驶技术将怎样改变我们的生活
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：2016年VOA慢速英语(七)月
AS IT IS 2016-07-11 How Will Driverless Technology Change Our Lives? 无人驾驶技术将怎样改变我们的生活
Almost every day, we hear about a new development in the world of driverless technology. But how will this technology change our lives when cars no longer need humans to drive them?
Major automakers are now researching and testing driverless cars.
Technology companies like Apple, Google and Uber are also working to bring driverless technology to market.
James Anderson is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is also an expert on driverless transportation. He said the first stage of the technology is already here. The technology allows cars to change lanes, control speed and warn drivers of hazards.
“The idea is that drivers first use these, and then become more confident to use the technology more,” he said. “But the risk of that is that research suggests people tend to over rely on the equipment, and may or may not be able to jump back in and take over on short notice.”
Setback 1 for driverless technology
In May, a driver was killed while using the “Autopilot” feature on a Tesla car. It was the first known U.S. death involving a car operating in self-drive mode.
Officials said the crash happened in Florida when a tractor-trailer turned in front of the Tesla Model S. Investigators 2 said it appeared the car’s cameras failed to differentiate 3 between the large white side of the tractor-trailer and the brightly lit sky.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating the accident, as well as the design and performance of Tesla’s Autopilot system.
The driver of the truck told the Associated Press the driver of the car was “playing Harry 4 Potter on the TV screen” before the crash.
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed it found a portable DVD player in the car after the accident. But it could not confirm whether a movie was playing at the time of the crash.
Tesla’s founder 5, Elon Musk 6, expressed condolences for the accident. Tesla said it was the first known death in more than 200 million kilometers driven with its Autopilot system.
Autopilot allows the car to steer 7 itself in a lane, change lanes, and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic. Tesla said the system is designed only to assist drivers, who must manually turn it on.
The company tells drivers that even when using Autopilot, they need to keep both hands on the steering 8 wheel at all times.
“Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert,” Tesla said.
Despite these dangers, autonomous 9 cars are expected to greatly reduce accidents. Currently, about 90 percent of crashes are caused by human error.
James Anderson said the big automakers have pledged to add anti-crash devices on all vehicles within five years.
Driverless technology leads to disruption
Even though few accidents is good, Anderson said this would cause a lot of economic disruption. “There’s a whole crash economy that is dependent on the regular occurrence of automobile 10 crashes.” He said job losses would come in the insurance industry and in hospitals where crash victims are treated.
In addition, other driving-related jobs would be hurt. There are millions of truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, and other driving-related jobs in the U.S. “A lot of those jobs are likely to disappear,” he said.
A California company already has plans to sell driverless kits 11 for tractor-trailer trucks. The company, Otto, was started by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski.
Just the thought of an 18-wheel truck speeding down the highway fully 12 loaded with cargo 13 makes many drivers nervous. But Levandowski said the technology is very safe. He says the goal is to make trucks drive as much like humans as possible, but with the reliability 14 of machines.
How will technology change our lives?
Carlo Ratti heads the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lab studies how digital technologies are changing cities and how this will change how people get around in the future.
“The most exciting thing about a self-driving car is not really the fact that you don’t need to keep your hands on the steering wheel. For us, the most exciting thing is that it’s going to have a profound impact on mobility 15 in our cities.”
Ratti said cars are now only being used about 5 percent of the time. Most of the time they are parked and using up valuable city space.
In the future, a self-driving car could give you a ride to work in the morning. But then the same car could be used throughout the day to take other people around the city. This car-sharing model would blur 16 the lines between private and public transportation, Ratti said.
“We could potentially share cars and rides better. That means a city where you could theoretically make everybody’s destination in Washington or New York, or Singapore – a big city or a small city – with 20 percent of the cars we have today.”
He said another major change could be the removal of traffic intersections 17. “At that point, you could think about autonomous intersections. Intersections where vehicles don’t need to stop at a junction 18, but they can keep going and simply avoid bumping into each other.”
Ratti said he believes driverless technology will lead to more efficient and sustainable transportation. But it will also leave questions about who will truly benefit.
“When you think about building a shared infrastructure 19, the question is, who’s going to charge or bill other people? Who’s going to enact 20 different transportation policies? So it really becomes much more about how we’re going to distribute the benefits of this new transportation system across society.”
Another big question is how ready the public is, or will be, to use driverless technology.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania are reporting positive results with self-driving vehicles.
Lead researcher, Professor Raj Rajkumar, said it really does not take long for people to trust the car enough to let go of the wheel.
“They begin to see that the vehicle is exact, very rational, drives safely, and then they begin to relax,” he said.
U.S.-based Local Motors has even used 3-D printing technology to produce self-driving vehicles. It recently introduced a new minibus called “Olli” that can carry up to 12 people.
The vehicle allows passengers to call for rides with a mobile app similar to Uber. The company says about 75 percent of the entire vehicle can currently be 3-D printed, and it can be fully assembled in 11 hours.
Words in This Story
tractor-trailer – n. large truck with a trailer attached to the back
disruption – n. an interruption in normal progress
blur – v. to make unclear or confused
theoretically – adv. related to something that is possible, but not yet known to be true
sustainable – adj. able to be maintained at a certain rate or level
rational – adj. based on facts or reason and not emotions or feelings
- Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
- She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。
- This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
- The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
- He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
- He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
- According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
- Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
- She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。
- 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。
- He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
- Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。
- They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
- This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。
- 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。
- Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
- Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
- The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
- A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
- We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
- I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。
- The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
- Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。
- The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
- If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。
- Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
- Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句
- There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
- You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。
- 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。