英国新闻听力 沃尔沃召集志愿者体验无人驾驶

It used to be a far-flung idea more at home in the world of science fiction,

无人驾驶--科幻小说里才会出现的漫无边际的想法，

but the Swedish car maker¹ Volvo is bringing driverless cars a step closer by recruiting a hundred people to travel to work next year in computer controlled vehicles.

但是瑞典汽车制造商沃尔沃要进一步实现这一理想。为此，沃尔沃招募了一百名志愿者明年体验坐计算机控制的汽车去上班。

That's not all. The trial requires the volunteers to read a book, sent texts and e-mails or even watch TV while sitting behind the wheel.

这还不够，试验要求志愿者坐在方向盘后面看书、发信息、邮件或看电视。

The company says the cars will be designed to deal with any emergency so that human won't have to. Richard Wesker has been giving the technology a try.

该公司称，设计这款汽车的目的就是为了代替司机应对一切紧急情况。理查德·韦斯克尝试了这一技术。

To start with, Volvo's volunteers will only use selected commuter³ routes.

首先，沃尔沃的志愿者只会在精选路线上开车，

They've been picked because they don't allow cyclists, pedestrians⁴.

因为这些路线禁止自行车和步行。

And bear in mind, it's Sweden, because they are regularly cleared of snow, the computer needs to see white lines.

另外记住，在瑞典，路上的雪是定期清扫的，电脑需要看到白线。

As we drove along amongst the lorries and buses, the man behind the technology pushed the button, let go of the wheel and started telling me about how it will work.

我们在卡车和巴士中穿行，这项科技的创始人按下按钮，让车轮转起来，然后开始跟我讲述它的工作原理。

I mean, no one wants to say it out loud but computers can crash as well as humans, can't they?

这话说出来不好听，但是计算机也会像人一样出车祸，对吧？

Oh yeah, computers can crash. So when we designed the system, we designed it with backup computers, with double breaking systems, double steering⁵ systems.

没错。计算机也会出车祸。所以我们在设计系统的时候，顺带设计了备用计算机、双刹车系统和双转向系统。

So the cars are gonna do this.

所以汽车会做各种操作。

The driver may be sitting relaxed, reading. We can not count on him or her, so the car has to do it.

司机可以放松地坐着看书。我们不能指望司机，只能靠汽车。

Will anyone actually want to do it?

会有人真的愿意尝试吗？

Will they want to commute² in the morning with their hands off the steering wheel?

愿意早上不握方向盘开车上班？

Do you think it's gonna be popular here, the idea of self driving cars?

你觉得这个想法，就是自动驾驶汽车的想法在这儿会受欢迎吗？

No, not for us. I don't think people trust them.

不，不适合我们。我觉得大家不会相信这种车。

I think that it would be more safe if all the cars were driverless cars because then you take out the human factor.

我觉得如果所有车都是无人驾驶汽车会更安全，因为排除了人的因素。

Would you volunteer to try out the driverless car?

你愿意做志愿者尝试无人驾驶汽车吗？

Yeah, why not?

好啊，有何不可？

I think they will be a bit scary to not be like able to, yeah, you don't know where it's gonna turn.

我认为这种汽车会有点吓人，不能……嗯，你不知道它会往哪儿拐。

It could still take a decade or two, but eventually children will marvel⁶ at the idea that people actually used to drive their own cars.

可能还需要10年20年的时间才能让大家接受，但最终小孩们会为人类曾驾驶自己的汽车感到吃惊。

What choices are there for men in Sweden who don't want to be fathers if their partner is pregnant?

在瑞典，如果男人不想要即将出生的孩子，可以怎么办呢？

Well, the youth wing of Sweden's Liberty Party is proposing that men, like women, should have the right to decide whether or not to have a baby.

听好了，瑞典自由党青年羽翼提议，男性应该像女性一样有权利决定孩子的出生。

This would allow them to opt⁷ out of paternity until the 18th week of pregnancy⁸, the last week, in which a woman in the country can have a legal abortion⁹.

这就意味着他们可以在孕期第18周选择不做父亲，第18周是瑞典女性可以合法堕胎的最后一周。

We are proposing that a man can do legal abortion on paper and then he has no obligation to pay maintenance to the woman.

我们提议，男性可以书面申请合法堕胎，同时解除给女人生活费用的义务，

And then he won't have either obligations or duties or any rights against the child or the woman.

即男性对孩子和产妇没有任何义务和责任。

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

3 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

4 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• 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。

6 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

7 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

8 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

9 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。