Preparing Cities for Robot Cars

The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist's dream,?

years away from materializing in the read world.

自動駕駛機器人汽車的可能性貌似看起來常常是未來主義者的夢想，在真實世界里的實現還要好幾年。

Well, the future is apparently now.

然而，未來顯然就在當下。

The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for?

companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads.

今年四月，加州機動車管理局開始發放許可證，允許各公司在公共道路上測試真正的自動駕駛汽車。

The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars,?

and for companies to operate driverless taxi services.

政府還為企業出售或出租自動駕駛汽車以及運營無人駕駛出租車服務掃清了障礙。

California, it should be noted, isn't leading the way here. Companies have been testing their

vehicles in cities across the country.

值得注意的是，加州在這方面并沒有走在最前沿。各公司一直在全國各大城市測試他們的汽車。

It's hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads.

很難預測公路上何時能遍布無人駕駛汽車。

But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation

systems and our cities, for better or for worse,

但是無論需要多長時間，這項技術都有可能改變我們的交通系統和城市，至于是好還是壞，

depending on how the transformation is regulated.

就取決于如何管理這種轉變。

While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars(and rightfully so),

雖然到目前為止大部分的討論都集中在無人駕駛汽車的安全性上（這確有道理），

policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams,

cut emissions and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options.

決策制定者也應該討論自動駕駛汽車如何幫助減少交通阻塞、減少排放，提供更便捷、更實惠的靈活性選擇。

The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.

無人駕駛汽車的到來是一個機會，能確保那些汽車是環境友好的，有更多的共享機會。

Do we want to copy-or even worsen-the traffic of today with driverless cars?

我們想通過無人駕駛汽車復制甚至惡化現在的交通狀況嗎？

Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles.

想象一下，在未來，大多數成年人都擁有自己的自動駕駛汽車。

They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can

work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread.

這樣他們就能夠忍受在擁擠的高速公路上上下班的漫長而緩慢的旅程了，因為他們可以在

路上工作、娛樂或睡覺，這也會鼓勵城市的擴張。

They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the

building to avoid paying for parking.

他們把無人駕駛汽車帶到約會的地點之后，就讓空車繞著大樓行駛，以此避免付停車費。

Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus.

他們不再步行幾個街區去接孩子或者去干洗店，只要讓無人駕駛的迷你巴士去就可以了。

The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport-

這種便利甚至會導致越來越少的人乘坐公共交通工具--

an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing services.

研究人員已經在叫車服務中發現了這種糟糕的負面效果了。

A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that

加州大學戴維斯分校的一項研究表明，

replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems

could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80%

在全球范圍內，用電動、自動駕駛和共享系統取代了汽油動力的私家車，至2050年，可以減少交通運輸

中80%的碳排放，

and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure and operations 40% by 2050.

并降低40%的交通基礎設施和運營成本。

Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing.

更少的排放和更便宜的駕駛聽起來很有吸引力。

The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services,

幾乎可以肯定的是，第一款商業化的無人駕駛汽車將在叫車服務行業誕生，

considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues.

鑒于無人駕駛技術的成本以及責任和維護問題。

But driveless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable

with the technology.

但隨著價格的下降以及越來越多的人對這項技術的舒適度上升，無人駕駛汽車的擁有率可能會提高。

Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless?

vehicles doesn't extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today.

決策制定者要開始考慮，如何確保無人駕駛汽車的出現不會加劇我們現今這個被汽車主導的交通系統的弊端。

The coming technological advancement present a chance for cities and states to develop transportation

systems designed to move more people, and more affordably.

即將到來的技術進步為城市和各州提供了發展交通系統的機會，這些交通系統旨在承載更多的人、更加便宜。

The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.

未來汽車就要來了。我們只需要做好計劃了。

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2018年北京卷B

文中單詞

單詞	釋義	單詞	釋義
self-driving	自駕	materializing	v.具體化；成為現實
apparently	adv.顯然	permits	n.許可證；執照；許可
companies	n.公司；企業	self-driving car	自動駕駛汽車
truly	adv.完全地；非常；真心地	clear the way for	為···掃清道路障礙
operate	v.操作運轉	it should be noted	值得注意的是
noted	adj.著名的	predict	v.語言；預告
potential	adj.潛在的；可能的	regulated	v.管理；調節
debate	n.討論；v.爭論	safety	adj.保障安全；n.安全
rightfully	adv.真正地；正當地	policymakers	n.決策人
traffic jams	塞車；交通擁塞	emissions	n.散發物；排放物
convenient	adj.方便的；便利的	affordable	adj.買得起的
mobility	n.活動性；靈活性	driverless	adj.無人駕駛的
environmentally friendly? 有利于環境保護的；環境友好的
shared	adj.共享的；公用的；v.分享	worsen	v.（使）變壞；（使）惡化
individual	adj.個別的；單獨的	vehicles	n.交通工具
tolerate	v.忍受；允許	entertatin	v.招待；款待
appointment	n.約會；會面	empty	n.空的；v.使成為空的
avoid	v.躲開；避開；防止	instead of	代替···，而不是···
dry cleaning	干洗	convenience	n.方便；便利設施
unwelcome	adj.不受歡迎的；討厭的	side effect	副作用
ride-hailing service	打車服務	carbon emission	碳排放
private car	私人汽車；私家車	commercially	adv.商業上
available	adj.可得到的；可利用的	driverless car	無人駕駛汽車
maintenance	n.維護；生活費	liability	n.責任;債務
ownership	n.所有權	aspects	方面；方位；外觀
advancement	n.前進；促進	presents	n.禮物

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轉載于:https://www.cnblogs.com/happyfei/p/10045053.html

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