VOA慢速英语2020 维珍超级高铁完成首次载人测试

The American company Virgin¹ Hyperloop says the high-speed transportation system it is developing has passed its first test with passengers.

美国维珍超级高铁公司称其正在开发的高速运输系统已经通过了首次载人测试。

The company said the successful test was carried out on November 8 at its 500-meter DevLoop test area in Las Vegas, Nevada.

该公司表示，这次成功的测试于11月8日在该公司位于内华达州拉斯维加斯市一段500米长的DevLoop测试区进行。

The Hyperloop system is based on a technology called magnetic levitation². It uses magnetic fields to create a floating effect for a transportation vehicle and push it forward.

超级高铁系统是基于一种被称为磁悬浮的技术。它利用磁场为运输车辆产生漂浮效果并推动其前进。

Some high-speed trains also use this technology. But unlike trains, Hyperloop is designed to operate within pressurized tubes. It uses electric propulsion to move vehicles, called pods, through the tubes at high speeds.

一些高速列车也采用了这项技术。但是跟列车不同的是，超级高铁被设计成在增压管道内运行。它利用电力推动被称为“胶囊舱”的车辆高速通过这些管道。

The recent test involved two members of Virgin Hyperloop's leadership team. The pod carrying them reached speeds of up to 172 kilometers an hour, the company said.

最近这次测试搭载了维珍超级高铁公司领导团队的两位成员。该公司表示，胶囊舱搭载着他们达到了172公里每小时的速度。

Sara Luchian, the company's Director of Passenger Experience, was one of the passengers. Luchian told the BBC she felt the trip was "exhilarating - both psychologically and physically³."

该公司的乘客体验总监萨拉·卢基安是其中一名乘客。卢基安对英国 广播公司表示，她觉得这次旅行“在精神和身体上都令人振奋。”

Sultan Ahmed Bin⁴ Sulayem is the chairman of Virgin Hyperloop. "I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes," he said in a statement, after watching the test. Bin Sulayem added that he felt he had witnessed "the first new mode of mass transportation in over 100 years come to life."

苏尔坦·艾哈迈德·本·苏莱姆是维珍超级高铁公司的董事长。他在观看了这次测试后发表声明称：“我非常高兴自己亲眼见证了历史。”本·苏莱姆还说，他觉得自己见证了“一百多年来首个全新模式的大规模运输方式的诞生。”

Hyperloop says it has already run over 400 tests without passengers at its Nevada site. But the company said the latest test shows that it had successfully developed the technology into a safe transportation system.

维珍超级高铁公司表示，它在内华达州的试验场已经进行了400多次无人测试。但是该公司表示，最近这次测试表明，它已经成功将该技术开发成为一种安全的运输系统。

Jay Walder is the CEO of Virgin Hyperloop. "I can't tell you how often I get asked ‘is Hyperloop safe?,'" he said. "With today's passenger testing, we have successfully answered this question."

杰·沃德是维珍超级高铁公司的首席执行官。他说：“我没法告诉你我有多少次被问到‘超级高铁安全吗？’通过今天的载人测试，我们已经成功地回答了这个问题。”

A two-person car was specially⁵ developed for the test. Virgin Hyperloop says the actual production vehicle, when completed, will carry up to 28 passengers.

该公司为这次测试专门开发了两人座的车辆。维珍超级高铁公司表示，最终的量产车将能够搭载28名乘客。

Los Angeles-based Hyperloop envisions a future in which its floating pods would carry passengers and cargo⁶ at speeds of up to 966 kilometers an hour.

总部位于洛杉矶市的维珍超级高铁公司设想了一个未来，其漂浮胶囊舱将能以每小时966公里的速度搭载乘客和货物。

The system offers near silent travel and will release no carbon emissions⁷. The company says the pods could complete a trip between New York and Washington, D.C. in just 30 minutes. That would be twice as fast as a jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.

该系统的行驶过程近似无声，并且没有碳排放。该公司表示，这种胶囊舱可以在30分钟内完成从纽约到华盛顿的行程。那将是喷气式飞机飞行速度的两倍，是高速列车的4倍。

The test comes a month after it was reported that Virgin Hyperloop plans to build a $500 million certification and testing center in West Virginia.

在这次测试的一个月前，有报道称维珍超级高铁公司计划在西弗吉尼亚州建设一个价值5亿美元的认证和测试中心。

The company has said it is working to get a safety certification by the year 2025 and aims to launch transportation services by 2030.

该公司表示，它正致力于在2025年前获得安全认证，并计划在2030年推出运输服务。

Virgin Hyperloop has raised more than $400 million, largely from Virgin Group chief Richard Branson and the port operations company DP World, which is owned by the Dubai government. Virgin is one of several companies working to develop the technology.

维珍超级高铁公司已经筹集了超过4亿美元资金，其中大部分来自于维珍集团首席执行官理查德·布兰森和迪拜政府国有的迪拜环球港务集团。维珍集团是致力于开发这种技术的几个公司之一。

1 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

2 levitation   

n.升空，漂浮；浮起

参考例句：

• We are particularly interested in phenomena such as telepathy and levitation. 我们对心灵感应及空中漂浮这样的现象特别有兴趣。 来自辞典例句
• This paper presents a magnetic levitation system control using the gain-scheduling controller. 本文以增益程序控制器针对磁浮系统进行控制。 来自互联网

3 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

4 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

5 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

6 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。