VOA标准英语2010年-Toyota CEO Apologizes for Safety Lapse

Akio Toyoda entered a packed congressional hearing room to deliver a simple message:

"I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced," said Akio Toyoda.

The Toyota CEO acknowledged that the public's confidence in the company that bears his family name has been shaken, and said he takes "full responsibility" for the problems that have emerged. Toyoda said the phenomenon of sudden acceleration¹ in some Toyota vehicles has been identified and corrected, and that the corporation remains² fully³ committed to safety.

He also offered a hypothesis as to how problems arose for the world's top carmaker, saying the company's priorities, as he put it, "became confused" in the midst of vigorous sales growth in the United States and elsewhere.

"Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly," he said. "Quite frankly⁴, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick."

Later, Toyoda responded to questions from U.S. representatives as to how Toyota executives in Japan learned of safety issues and how they responded to them. In 2007, Toyota initially⁵ blamed sudden acceleration on floor mats. The company later faulted sticky gas pedals. A current theory holds that the problem arises from an electrical malfunction⁶ in computer-controlled acceleration devices.

The CEO was also pressed on measures the company is taking to fix recalled vehicles, and compensation that will be provided to crash victims and their families.

Earlier in the day, the congressional committee heard from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who oversees⁷ the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Several representatives accused the agency, which is tasked with ensuring automobile⁸ safety in the United States, of being slow to act on complaints regarding Toyota vehicles.

Democratic Congressman⁹ Edolphus Towns is chairman of the House Oversight¹⁰ and Government Reform Committee:

"The way these complaints were handled indicates problems at both NHTSA and Toyota," said Edolphus Towns. "There is a serious question of whether NHTSA used all of its regulatory tools to thoroughly¹¹ investigate this issue."

LaHood defended NHTSA, calling it the most effective automotive investigative agency in the world.

"Over just the last three years, NHTSA's defect and compliance¹² investigations¹³ have resulted in 524 recalls involving 23 million vehicles," said Ray LaHood. "We have not been sitting around on our hands. When people complain, we investigate."

LaHood said that NHTSA continues to gather documentation from Toyota about problems with runaway¹⁴ cars and the company's responses to it.

Wednesday, Toyota reached an agreement with the state of New York to pick up recalled vehicles and provide drivers free rental¹⁵ cars during repairs. At the congressional hearing, the head of Toyota's North American operations, Yoshimi Inaba, said the program would be extended nationwide.

 

1 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 malfunction   

vi.发生功能故障，发生故障，显示机能失常

参考例句：

• There must have been a computer malfunction.一定是出了电脑故障。
• Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer.由于电脑发生故障，计算结果推迟了。

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

11 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

12 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

15 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。