VOA慢速英语2017--飞行汽车即将到来?

 

Two weeks ago, we reported about developments with electric planes and flying cars. That technology could bring change to commercial and personal travel.

Last week, two companies, Kitty Hawk¹ and Uber, announced their plans to bring flying cars to reality very soon.

Sooner than you think, flying cars may appear in the skies. Imagine never having to worry about traffic, stoplights, or road construction. A flying car could get somewhere much faster than one traveling by road.

On the other hand, imagine having to avoid drones and other flying cars. Also, what if your battery dies when you are in the air? And, how will you know where to land?

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk is a start-up tech company supported by Google co-founder, Larry Page. Kitty Hawk president, Sebastian Thrun, helped start Google's self-driving car project.

Thrun announced Kitty Hawk's flying car plans last Monday in a tweet.

The car is electric-powered and moved by eight rotor blades. Kitty Hawk wants people to be able to buy its flying car by the end of 2017.

According to the Kitty Hawk website, the car will be able to travel at speeds up to 40 kilometers an hour. It says under US aviation² law such a machine "does not require registration³ or a pilot’s license⁴ and may be flown in uncongested areas for recreational purposes." As of now, the car can only be flown over fresh water.

Kitty Hawk is making a list of people interested in buying the flying car. They must pay a deposit⁵ of $100. Those who get their names on the list early will receive $2000 off the final cost of the car. However, Kitty Hawk has not yet announced the price.

Kitty Hawk expects its first flying cars will go on sale by the end of this year.

Uber Flying Taxis

At a conference last week, Uber announced plans for flying taxis to begin carrying passengers. The company expects to launch flying fleets in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, US and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates by 2020.

Unlike the Kitty Hawk company, Uber does not plan to build its flying cars. Instead, it will use the resources of partner companies.

Like the Kitty Hawk car, Uber flying taxis will use electric power.

Uber says its flying taxis could travel up to 241 kilometers an hour. The company said that could reduce the travel time between San Francisco and San Jose, California from 2 hours on the road to 15 minutes in the air.

Riders could use the Uber app to book a flying taxi to take them to their destinations. The company has not yet said how costly⁶ air taxi travel would be compared to road taxi travel.

Poll⁷

Would you like to ride in a flying car? Vote in the poll:

Words in This Story

commercial - adj. concerned with earning money

construction - n. the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)

drone - n. a type of small aircraft that flies without a pilot

start-up - n. a new business

rotor blade - n. a part of a machine that turns around a central point?

aviation ?- n. the business or practice of flying airplanes, helicopters, etc.

uncongested - adj. not full or crowded with something (such as vehicles or people)

recreational ?- adj. done for enjoyment⁸

deposit - n. money that you give someone when you agree to buy something (such as a house or car)

fleet - n. a group of ships or vehicles that move or work together or that are controlled or owned by one company

destination - n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

1 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

2 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 deposit   

n.定金，存款，矿藏；vt.使沉淀，寄存，储蓄

参考例句：

• There is too much deposit in a bottle of wine.酒瓶里有太多的沉淀物。
• The hotel requires a deposit for all advance bookings.旅馆规定凡预订房间都要先付订金。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 poll   

n.民意测验，民意调查，选举投票

参考例句：

• The result of the poll won't be known until midnight.选举结果要到午夜才能揭晓。
• They expected a heavy poll.他们期望会有很高的投票数。

8 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。