新奇事件簿 亚马逊快递无人机（在线收听）

The online store Amazon is testing a new method of delivering parcels. It wants to start using drones to get packages to customers, in just 30 minutes. The drones are small, remote-controlled helicopters called 'octocopters'. They look like toys. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos talked about them on the American TV show '60 Minutes'. He said: "I know this looks like science fiction. It's not." He added: "We can do half-hour delivery...and we can carry objects, we think, up to 2.3kg, which covers 86 per cent of the items that we deliver." He joked that Amazon would not be able to deliver some things. He said: "It won't work for everything. We're not going to deliver kayaks, or table saws this way."

网上商城亚马逊正在对全新配送方式进行检测。亚马逊希望在30分钟内利用无人机向客户运送货物。这种无人机体积小，是一种名叫“octocopters”的远程直升机。看起来就像是玩具。亚马逊首席执行官杰夫·贝佐斯在美国电视节目“60分钟”里谈论了此事。他说：“我知道这看起来有点科幻，但是这是真实的。”他还说：“我们将会在30分钟内送达，我们可以运输物品，最大重量能够达到2.3公斤，覆盖了所有货物的86%。”他开玩笑地说我们不是什么都能送达的。他说：“无人机不能运输所有的物品，例如皮船，或是桌子。”

The new delivery system is going to be called 'Prime Air'. It could be in operation before the year 2018. Mr Bezos believes it will be good for the environment. "It's very green and it's better than driving trucks around," he said. The project still needs the green light from the U.S. government. The company is making sure the 'octocopter' meets all of the country's flying safety standards. Bezos only has one concern with his 'octocopters'. He said: "This thing can't land on somebody's head while they're walking around their neighborhood." He said Amazon needed to keep finding new ways to stay ahead. He knows that companies can have a short life span and that other businesses can overtake them, especially those using technology.

新的配送系统叫作“PrimeAir”。它将在2018年之前投入使用。贝佐斯先生相信这将有利于环境保护。他说：“这比开着卡车去送货要好得多，非常环保。”这一项目仍然需要美国政府的许可。公司将确保“octocopter”能够达到美国飞行安全的规定。贝佐斯对它只有一点担心。他说：“飞机在社区中飞行时，绝对不能降落到他人的头顶上。”他说只有找寻新方法，亚马逊才能走在前面。他明白公司的存在很有可能是短暂的，其他产业也有可能战胜他们，特别是利用技术的公司。