【英语时差8,16】智能轮子

Ya?l: My car is stupid, Don.

D: What do you mean, Ya?l?

Y: I turn the key, the engine ignites. I turn the steering¹ wheel, the wheels move. And      that's it.

D: Well, what do you expect? That's how a car works.

Y: I know, but cars are so rigidly² mechanical, you know? It's like when we removed the      horses to make horseless carriages, they took away the only intelligent part of the      carriage.

D: So you want to go back to the horse and buggy days?

Y: No. But it would be cool if cars were more intelligent.

D: You mean like being able to sense things and react to them, like a horse might?

Y: Right. Actually, there are designers and engineers at MIT working on a new kind of      three-wheeled car---a new kind of wheel actually. It's a sort of "smart" wheel that      contains most of the mechanical parts of the car---drive train, suspension, and      braking. And the wheels have artificial intelligence---they can sense obstructions³ and      potholes in the road. And since these smart wheels can communicate with each      other, they could allow cars in cities to move in flocks, like birds or sheep. Also, the      wheels can turn 360 degrees, so the car can move in any direction.

D: That sounds kinda futuristic. Do these cars actually exist?

Y: Sort of. There are computer models and a few prototypes, but it's not like you can      buy one at a car dealership⁴.

D: Well, let me know when you can. 

1 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。

2 rigidly   

adv.刻板地，僵化地

参考例句：

• Life today is rigidly compartmentalized into work and leisure. 当今的生活被严格划分为工作和休闲两部分。
• The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. 自儿童时起即已开始有严格的课程设置。

3 obstructions   

n.障碍物( obstruction的名词复数 )；阻碍物；阻碍；阻挠

参考例句：

• The absence of obstructions is of course an idealization. 没有障碍物的情况当然是一种理想化的情况。 来自辞典例句
• These obstructions could take some weeks to clear from these canals. 这些障碍物可能要花几周时间才能从运河中清除掉。 来自辞典例句

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。