2018年经济学人 自由交流:“无人驾驶”带来巨大商机(2)

 

That might lead to a different kind of dystopia (also with historical antecedents): one in which fast, functional¹ transport is available only to those who can pay.

这可能会去往一个不同的非理想之地（也有历史先例）：在那里，快速实用的运输仅供那些付了钱的人使用。

Luckily, history also suggests a solution: mass transit².

幸运的是，历史也给出了一个解决办法：公共交通。

Ride-hailing services might introduce multi-passenger vehicles and split travel costs across riders (they could call them “buses”).

拼车服务可能会引入多个乘客乘坐同一车辆，并在乘客中分配出行成本（乘客可以称它们们为“公共汽车”）。

Or, as Daniel Rauch and David Schleicher of Yale University argue, governments might instead co-optthe new transport ecosystem³ for their own purposes.

或者，像耶鲁大学DR和DS所说的，政府可以借鉴这种新的运输生态系统达到他们自己的目的。

They might subsidise the travel of low-income workers, or take over such systems entirely⁴ (a common fate for mass-transit systems which begin life as private enterprises, including the NewYork subway).

他们可以补贴低收入工人的交通出行，或者完全接管这样的系统（开始作为私人企业对公共交通的统一收费，包括纽约地铁）。

Municipal networks of driverless cars might prove less efficient than private ones, particularly if cars are rationed⁵ on a first-come-first-served basis rather than by price.

无人驾驶汽车的市政网络可能被证实比私人企业更为低效，尤其汽车是在先到先得的基础上实现配给，而不是价格。

But in the past city governments have felt that providing equal-opportunity access to centres of economic activity was worth the cost.

但是，在过去，城市政府感到为可以参与市中心的经济活动提供相同的机会是值得这样的代价。

Should congestion⁶ prove ineradicablein a driverless world, people will continue to hope for technological⁷ solutions, like the long-promised flying cars.

如果在无人驾驶的世界拥堵经验证无法根除，人们将继续对技术方法寄予希望，比如早就承诺的飞行汽车。

While we wait for that—and the clotted⁸ skyways that would soon follow—governments would be wise to keep their underground systems in good working order.

当我们等待这些时——以及不久随之而来的空中拥堵——政府应该明智的维持地下系统良好运转。

1 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 rationed   

限量供应，配给供应( ration的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We were rationed to two eggs a day. 每天配给我们两个鸡蛋。
• The army is well rationed. 部队给养良好。

6 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

7 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• 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。

8 clotted   

adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
• Perspiration clotted his hair. 汗水使他的头发粘在一起。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》