2006年VOA标准英语-High Gasoline Prices, Fuel Efficiency Drive Cha

By Mil Arcega
Washington, DC
27 July 2006
 
watch Green Vehicle report

The cost of gas at the pump keeps going up  
  
The high price of gasoline is changing the way we drive.  And there are more concerns about the environment. Car manufacturers say those factors have led to increased competition. VOA's Mil Arcega reports the race to develop the "greenest," most fuel-efficient cars is driving an evolution in automobile² design.

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Total car sales in the U.S. have not declined but the market for larger sport utility vehicles has.

Dealers³ say new car buyers are turning to hybrids⁵ that run on gasoline and electricity. Others are turning to smaller vehicles, some, to those that can go places larger cars cannot.

But Saab Automobile Managing Director Jan Ake says the future does not necessarily mean smaller, slower cars.  "This is our Saab 'Aero X' concept car, powered by 100 percent ethanol, a renewable energy source, and [it] generates about 400 horsepower.  A little bit over 500 newton meter [a system that measures engine torque] with a top speed close to 300 kilometers an hour."

The Aero X was on display at the British International Motor Show. It is still a few years away from production.

Many car dealers are turning to markets where fuel-efficient models are already in production.

Jim Tirrel is managing director of the British arm of Mitsubishi. He wants to introduce the Mitsubishi "I" to the United Kingdom -- an ultra compact four-seat hybrid⁴.

Jim Tirrel   
  
"From an environmental point of view the engine falls into the lowest category for emissions⁶ and is very efficient.  In terms of fuel economy, we have not measured it yet but we think it's more than 60 miles [96 kilometers] to the gallon."

A small car rental⁷ company in California is carving⁸ a niche⁹ market by acquiring the largest fleet of hybrids in the United States.  Cecil Claybrook at Fox Rent-a-Car says hybrids cost the same to rent as regular cars, but produce fewer emissions and save money.

"People that are taking trips to Los Angeles, or the Las Vegas trips or the Reno trips, they're cutting their fuel consumption down by a quarter," says Claybrook.

But for the ultimate in fuel economy, a Swiss-based company says the "Verde" is hard to beat.  The three-wheeled hybrid produces no pollutants¹⁰ and gets the equivalent of more than 700 kilometers per gallon.  Verde owner Walt Breitinger says there's just one catch -- you have to pedal part of the time.

Walt Breitinger  
  
"At slow speeds, it's a bicycle with electric assist.  But most of the time, if I'm going over 25 miles per hour [40 kilometers per hour], it's primarily an electric car with human power assist."

Auto¹ industry analysts¹¹ say extreme vehicles such as the Verde -- which means ‘green' in Spanish -- may take longer to catch on.  But some say the automobile manufacturing industry is already at a crossroads.  Ford¹² Motor Company relies heavily on sales of trucks and S.U.V.'s. It has reported net losses of more than $100 million for the first half of this year, compared to a profit of more than $900 million last year.  The company blames high gasoline prices.

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

4 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

5 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

8 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

9 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

10 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。