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Catch a Pod ….. to the Future! 无限大工程：个人运输荚舱

 

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Nowadays, almost everything is accessible instantly, with the click of a mouse or flick of a switch. But imagine a self-driving vehicle that takes you, and you alone, wherever you want to go at the push of a button. Does it sound futuristic? Then the future is almost here. Discovery Channel’s Mega Engineering provides a glimpse into this rapidly approaching hi-tech world.

现今几乎每样东西都只需点一下鼠标或轻弹开关就可轻易得到。但想象一下有台自动驾驶的车子，只要按个键，就会载着你独自一人到任何你想去的地方。这听起来像到了未来吗？那么，未来几乎不远了。探索频道的《无限大工程》节目让我们有机会一窥这个即将到来的高科技世界。

 

Washington, D.C. is the most congested city in the U.S. During rush hour, a million cars battle through downtown, causing miles of time-wasting, fuel-wasting traffic jams. The centuries-old city design was conceived with elegance, not practical use, in mind: and doubtless the architects could not have foreseen the automobiles that swamp D.C. today. These long-standing problems are repeated in cities the world over. Washington’s government has proposed a solution: Personal Rapid Transit.

华盛顿特区是美国最繁忙拥挤的城市之一。每到交通尖峰时间，百万车辆形成的庞大车流争相驶过市中心，造成数英里长的大塞车，既费时又耗油。这个城镇的设计已有数百年历史，当初规划时追求的是美观高雅，并非实用性，而建筑师当然也不可能预见今日华盛顿特区被车潮淹没的景况。这些存在已久的问题一直在全世界重复上演。华盛顿市政府提出了一个解决办法：个人运输荚舱（PRT）。

 

Calling for a “radical departure” from cars in densely populated cities, PRT is a system of space-age pods that run autonomously, nonstop, directly to your destination. The automated pods use solar or wind energy and are built from lightweight plastic. The PRT is faster, cheaper, and more convenient than mass transit, and many times safer than driving a car.

人潮众多的各大城市都在寻求一种与车辆完全不同的交通工具，于是个人运输荚舱系统便应运而生。这个系统有非常先进的座舱，能自动驾驶且中途不停靠直达目的地。这个自动座舱利用太阳能或风力发电运转，而且是由轻量塑料建造而成的。它比大众运输快速、便宜又方便，而且也比自己开车更为安全。

 

Currently, the only example of a functioning personal pod network in the world is also in Washington, connecting the three campuses of West Virginia University. Passengers simply swipe an ID card to board their waiting pod, select their destination, and they’re off! With 70 million rides and not a single death under its belt, surely this kind of transit service deserves serious consideration in cities worldwide. The Washington proposal will be 250 times larger than its university prototype, with 1,000 miles of guideway connecting every part of the capital.

目前世上唯一运行中的个人座舱实例也位于华盛顿，它连结了西维吉尼亚大学的三个校区。乘客只要刷身份证件便可坐上等候的座舱，选择目的地，接着就出发了！这个系统已载客7千万趟而未曾造成任何人员死亡，这样的纪录当然值得全世界其他城市好好考虑采用这项运输服务。华盛顿特区的提案将会是这个大学雏形系统的250倍大，有1,000英里的轨道连接首都里的每个角落。

 

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

 

accessible [ækˋsɛsəb!] adj. 可（或易）接近的

vehicle [ˋviɪk!] n.【尤正式】运载工具; 车辆

approaching [əˋprotʃɪŋ] adj. 逼近的，接近的

congested [kənˋdʒɛstɪd] adj. 交通拥挤的﹐车辆阻塞的; 拥塞的

conceive [kənˋsiv] v. 构想出，想象，设想

elegance [ˋɛləgəns] n.（举止、服饰、风格等的）优雅

doubtless [ˋdaʊtlɪs] adj. 无疑的；肯定的

foresee [forˋsi] v. 预见；预知

swamp [swɑmp] v.〔骤然〕淹没﹐浸没

call for 要求, 需要

radical [ˋrædɪk!] adj. 根本的；彻底的

campus [ˋkæmpəs] n. 校园，校区

deserve [dɪˋzɝv] v. 应受，该得

proposal [prəˋpoz!] n. 建议; 提议；计划

capital [ˋkæpət!] n. 首都

 

 

More Information

单词发音

 

 

flick [flɪk] n.（手指的）轻弹

futuristic [͵fjutʃɚˋɪstɪk] adj. 未来的

departure [dɪˋpɑrtʃɚ] n. 背离，违背，变更

radical departure 重大转变 a big change

space-age【非正式】太空时代的﹐ 非常现代化的

autonomously [ɔˋtɑnəməslɪ] adv. 自治地；独立自主地

pod [pɑd] n.（宇宙飞船的）分离舱

lightweight [ˋlaɪtˋwet] adj. 轻量级的

mass transit 大众运输

function [ˋfʌŋkʃən] v.（机器等）工作，运行

under one’s belt 在以往的经历中  as part of one's experience

prototype [ˋprotə͵taɪp] n.〔新型汽车﹑机器等的〕原型; 雏型

guideway 导沟, 导向槽 a channel or track for controlling the line of motion of something

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Before construction gets underway in D.C., designers may turn to London’s Heathrow Airport, where a similar state-of-the-art mode of transportation is in the works. The ULTra is a fleet of small pods that will ferry travelers between their cars and the airport terminal. It may seem contradictory, but these individual pods are, in fact, more efficient than a train or bus service because they make no intermediate stops and take the shortest possible route to the destination. As transport experts everywhere fix their eyes on Heathrow, the immediate future of the pod car industry could well depend on the success of this airport project.

在华盛顿特区的工程开始进行前，设计师们或许可以先参考正在运作中的伦敦希斯洛机场内类似的先进运输系统。这套ULTra系统有小座舱车队，载送旅客们往来于停车场与机场航站间。这或许听起来很矛盾，但这些单人座舱其实比火车或公交车更有效率，因为它们中途不停靠，而且会走最近的路到目的地。各地的运输专家们都将目光集中在希斯洛机场时，个人座舱系统工程接下来或许便可倚靠这个机场系统的成功经验。

 

Nevertheless, the Washington PRT would be of far larger scale and complexity. A powerful, central computer would be required to oversee the PRT in its entirety. At the same time, to ensure unquestionable safety standards, every single pod car would need to be equipped with its own technology, allowing it to “think” independently.

然而，华盛顿特区的个人运输荚舱系统规模更大，复杂度更高，一部能监控整个系统的强大中央计算机将不可或缺。同时，为了确保安全标准毫无疑虑，每一部座舱还要有单独的设备，让他可以独立「思考」。

 

The model for this actually comes from Kiva robots, which are capable of mapping paths to collect objects in a warehouse. These revolutionary robots function on a two-fold technology. A central server issues orders to individual robots and monitors their movements, and independent computers in each robot take charge of picking the specific route, maneuvering, and avoiding obstacles. The personal transportation network would work on this premise.

这个设计其实是来自Kiva机器人，它们能规划出在仓库中收集货物的路线。这些革命性的机器人备有具双重功能的新科技。中央服务器发号施令给每部独立的机器人，并监督它们的动作，而每部机器人上的独立计算机则负责选定路线、灵活运作并避开障碍物。个人运输系统网络便是在此前提下运作。

 

This pioneering project could have considerable effects, and the advantages of pod travel could be tremendous. With automobiles obsolete, the environment would certainly benefit. And, on a personal level, in our personal pods, we’d be traveling more safely and more quickly. Your destination would be the push of a button away, and the world could change forever.

这项具开拓性的工程计划可能会带来相当大的影响，且个人座舱这种交通方式也可能会极占优势。若车辆被淘汰，环境一定能受益。而且，就个人而言，我们通勤时就会较安全也较快速。你将只要按个钮就能到达目的地，而世界也会因此而永远改变。

 

−by Alice Davis

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

 

construction [kənˋstrʌkʃən] n. 建设

get underway 开始

mode [mod] n. 模式

contradictory [͵kɑntrəˋdɪktərɪ] adj. 矛盾的

intermediate [͵ɪntɚˋmidɪət] adj. 中间的

nevertheless [͵nɛvɚðəˋlɛs] adv. 尽管如此

complexity [kəmˋplɛksətɪ] n. 复杂性

oversee [ˋovɚˋsi] v. 监视；监督

warehouse [ˋwɛr͵haʊs] n. 仓库

issue [ˋɪʃjʊ] n. 问题；争论；争议

monitor [ˋmɑnətɚ] v. 监控

take charge of 管理; 负责 to take (over) control of someone or something

obstacle [ˋɑbstək!] n. 障碍（物）

considerable [kənˋsɪdərəb!] adj. 相当大的

tremendous [trɪˋmɛndəs] adj. 巨大的，极大的

 

More Information

单词发音

 

 

Heathrow Airport（英国伦敦的）希思罗机场

in the works 正在进行, 正在准备

ferry [ˋfɛrɪ] v. 运送; 用渡船运送

could well 很可能 used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility

be of 固有; 导致 belong to; have

entirety [ɪnˋtaɪrtɪ] n.【正式】整体﹐全部

unquestionable [ʌnˋkwɛstʃənəb!] adj. 无可置疑的; 确实的

maneuver [məˋnuvɚ] v. 巧妙地操纵（或处理）; 实施调动

premise [ˋprɛmɪs] n. 假设；前提

obsolete [ˋɑbsə͵lit] adj. 过时的

 

 

Reading Questions

 

1. How is the PRT system best described?

A. It is a pod system that gives its users complete control.

B. It is a new way to travel that is more expensive than mass transit.

C. It is a space-age technology that is powered by gasoline.

D. It is an efficient transportation system built mainly from plastic.

 

2. Which of the following statements about Washington, D.C. is true?

A. The city was originally designed to look nice.

B. The number of cars in D.C. has decreased in recent years.

C. The current highway system helps to conserve fuel.

D. Traffic jams are a relatively new problem for D.C.

 

3. Why is the ULTra pod system faster than trains or buses?

A. It has the ability to travel at much higher speeds.

B. It runs more frequently than trains or buses do.

C. It is more fuel efficient and caused less pollution.

D. It doesn’t make any stops on the way to its destination.

 

4. What is the overall tone of this article?

A. Cautious.

B. Optimistic.

C. Cynical.

D. Regretful.

 

personal rapid transit (PRT) synchrotrain (en)

 

Personal Rapid Transit and Masdar City PRT

 

Personal Rapid Transit at WVU

 

PRT Heathrow

 

ULTra PRT sustainable transit

 

more videos: 

Warehouse Robots at Work

A Day in the Life of a Kiva Robot

 

 

 

Answer

1. ( D )

2. ( A )

3. ( D )

4. ( B )