时代周刊:亚洲世纪之始(5)

Shifting Gears

换挡

THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE AREGREEN. BUT WILL THEY BE GOOD?

未来的工作是绿色的。但它们会是好的吗？

Wandering around the sprawling¹ 6.2 million-sq.-ft.

在这座占地620万平方英尺的巨型建筑上漫步。

Lordstown Motors assembly plant in Ohio, it's tempting² to imagine a green future that is full of jobs.

在俄亥俄州的洛兹敦汽车组装厂容易让人想象一个充满就业机会的绿色未来。

The company's signature product is a high-performing electric pickup³ truck, and around the facility workers are buzzing about, getting ready to bring it into production.

该公司的标志性产品是高性能的电动皮卡，工厂周围的工人正在忙碌，准备将其投入生产。

In one corner, according to company officials giving TIME a rare tour, the firm will build its cutting-edge motors, which will be located in each wheel.

在一个角落里，该公司的高级职员曾带领本报进行了一次难得的参观，据其称，公司将制造尖端发动机，将它们安装在每个车轮上。

A short golf-cart ride away, engineers explain how the company will assemble the lithium-ion battery packs that will power the trucks instead of diesel⁴ fuel.

经过一段高尔夫球车之旅后，工程师们解释了该公司将如何组装锂离子电池组，以取代柴油驱动卡车。

And while an army of robots sit idle, ready to be put to use assembling the vehicle, company officials insist they will soon be hiring rapidly.

尽管有一大批机器人闲置着，准备用来组装汽车，但公司官员坚称他们很快就会招人。

At full capacity, the company says, the facility will be able to churn out hundreds of thousands of trucks every year,

该公司表示，如果满负荷生产，该工厂每年将能生产数十万辆卡车，

a best-case scenario⁵ that would make Lordstown Motors a major player in the American auto⁶ industry and revitalize a part of the country that has been left behind by a series of big industrial departures.

最好的情况是，洛兹敦汽车公司将成为美国汽车工业的主要参与者，并使因一系列大规模工业迁出而衰落的美国重拾部分实力。

But there's a reason one local official calls this part of Ohio the "land of broken promises."

但一位地方官员称俄亥俄州的这部分地区为“失信之地”是有原因的。

The Lordstown Motors jobs may be green, but it's an open question whether they will be good—and how many of them there will be.

洛兹敦汽车公司的工作可能是环保的，但它们是否好以及会有多少工作还是一个悬而未决的问题。

Unlike the 10,000-plus people who used to make General Motors automobiles⁷ at this same building, Lordstown Motors employees do not belong to a union.

洛兹敦汽车公司的员工不像过去在这栋大楼里生产通用汽车的那一万多人，他们不属于工会。

Today, the plant employs only around 500 people, and it's unclear how many will ultimately work in the facility.

如今，这家工厂只雇佣了大约500名员工，目前还不清楚最终会有多少人在这里工作。

For many locals, there's an air of uncertainty⁸ brought by recent headlines: Lordstown Motors is under federal investigation⁹ for allegedly misleading investors¹⁰.

对于许多当地人来说，最近的头条新闻带来了一种不确定的气氛：洛兹敦汽车公司因涉嫌误导投资者而接受联邦调查。

The company's CEO and CFO both resigned in June.

该公司的首席执行官和首席财务官都在6月份辞职。

1 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

2 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

3 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

4 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

5 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

6 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。

7 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会