Preparing Cities for Robot Cars【城市准备迎接自动驾驶汽车】

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.

自动驾驶机器人汽车的可能性貌似看起来常常是未来主义者的梦想，在真实世界里的实现还要好几年。

Well, the future is apparently now.

然而，未来显然就在当下。

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，加州机动车管理局开始发放许可证，允许各公司在公共道路上测试真正的自动驾驶汽车。

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

and for companies to operate driverless taxi services.

政府还为企业出售或出租自动驾驶汽车以及运营无人驾驶出租车服务扫清了障碍。

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，加州在这方面并没有走在最前沿。各公司一直在全国各大城市测试他们的汽车。

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

很难预测公路上何时能遍布无人驾驶汽车。

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

systems and our cities, for better or for worse,

但是无论需要多长时间，这项技术都有可能改变我们的交通系统和城市，至于是好还是坏，

depending on how the transformation is regulated.

就取决于如何管理这种转变。

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

虽然到目前为止大部分的讨论都集中在无人驾驶汽车的安全性上（这确有道理），

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

cut emissions and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options.

决策制定者也应该讨论自动驾驶汽车如何帮助减少交通阻塞、减少排放，提供更便捷、更实惠的灵活性选择。

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

无人驾驶汽车的到来是一个机会，能确保那些汽车是环境友好的，有更多的共享机会。

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

我们想通过无人驾驶汽车复制甚至恶化现在的交通状况吗？

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

想象一下，在未来，大多数成年人都拥有自己的自动驾驶汽车。

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.

这样他们就能够忍受在拥挤的高速公路上上下班的漫长而缓慢的旅程了，因为他们可以在

路上工作、娱乐或睡觉，这也会鼓励城市的扩张。

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

building to avoid paying for parking.

他们把无人驾驶汽车带到约会的地点之后，就让空车绕着大楼行驶，以此避免付停车费。

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

他们不再步行几个街区去接孩子或者去干洗店，只要让无人驾驶的迷你巴士去就可以了。

The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport-

这种便利甚至会导致越来越少的人乘坐公共交通工具--

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

研究人员已经在叫车服务中发现了这种糟糕的负面效果了。

A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that

加州大学戴维斯分校的一项研究表明，

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

could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80%

在全球范围内，用电动、自动驾驶和共享系统取代了汽油动力的私家车，至2050年，可以减少交通运输

中80%的碳排放，

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

并降低40%的交通基础设施和运营成本。

Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing.

更少的排放和更便宜的驾驶听起来很有吸引力。

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

几乎可以肯定的是，第一款商业化的无人驾驶汽车将在叫车服务行业诞生，

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

鉴于无人驾驶技术的成本以及责任和维护问题。

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

with the technology.

但随着价格的下降以及越来越多的人对这项技术的舒适度上升，无人驾驶汽车的拥有率可能会提高。

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.

决策制定者要开始考虑，如何确保无人驾驶汽车的出现不会加剧我们现今这个被汽车主导的交通系统的弊端。

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

systems designed to move more people, and more affordably.

即将到来的技术进步为城市和各州提供了发展交通系统的机会，这些交通系统旨在承载更多的人、更加便宜。

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

未来汽车就要来了。我们只需要做好计划了。

2018年北京卷B

文中单词

单词	释义	单词	释义
self-driving	自驾	materializing	v.具体化；成为现实
apparently	adv.显然	permits	n.许可证；执照；许可
companies	n.公司；企业	self-driving car	自动驾驶汽车
truly	adv.完全地；非常；真心地	clear the way for	为···扫清道路障碍
operate	v.操作运转	it should be noted	值得注意的是
noted	adj.著名的	predict	v.语言；预告
potential	adj.潜在的；可能的	regulated	v.管理；调节
debate	n.讨论；v.争论	safety	adj.保障安全；n.安全
rightfully	adv.真正地；正当地	policymakers	n.决策人
traffic jams	塞车；交通拥塞	emissions	n.散发物；排放物
convenient	adj.方便的；便利的	affordable	adj.买得起的
mobility	n.活动性；灵活性	driverless	adj.无人驾驶的
environmentally friendly  有利于环境保护的；环境友好的
shared	adj.共享的；公用的；v.分享	worsen	v.（使）变坏；（使）恶化
individual	adj.个别的；单独的	vehicles	n.交通工具
tolerate	v.忍受；允许	entertatin	v.招待；款待
appointment	n.约会；会面	empty	n.空的；v.使成为空的
avoid	v.躲开；避开；防止	instead of	代替···，而不是···
dry cleaning	干洗	convenience	n.方便；便利设施
unwelcome	adj.不受欢迎的；讨厌的	side effect	副作用
ride-hailing service	打车服务	carbon emission	碳排放
private car	私人汽车；私家车	commercially	adv.商业上
available	adj.可得到的；可利用的	driverless car	无人驾驶汽车
maintenance	n.维护；生活费	liability	n.责任;债务
ownership	n.所有权	aspects	方面；方位；外观
advancement	n.前进；促进	presents	n.礼物