VOA科学技术2024--Hyperloop Center Aims to Develop Transport Technology

Hyperloop Center Aims to Develop Transport Technology

　　A 420-meter white steel tube running alongside a railway line in the northern Netherlands could be the start of a new kind of transportation for people and goods.

　　The tube is the heart of the new European Hyperloop Center that opened recently in Veendam. Developers will be testing the changing technology there over the coming years.

　　Hyperloop technology was once supported by business leader Elon Musk¹. It involves capsules that float on magnetic fields that move at speeds of around 700 kilometers per hour through low-pressure tubes. Its supporters say it is far more efficient than short flights, high-speed rail, and trucks.

　　When Musk first presented the idea, he said it could transport people the nearly 645 kilometers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 30 minutes. But since then, progress has been slow to get from an idea to the real world.

　　Sascha Lamme is the center's director. He expects to have the first hyperloop route by 2030. He predicts it might be about five kilometers and will transport people. He said, "There's already preparations being done for such routes in for example Italy or India."

　　Not everybody shares such hopeful thoughts about Hyperloop's future.

　　Robert Noland is a professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in New Jersey². He told The Associated Press that policy makers³ chase after big ideas of the future but they should invest in simpler transportation structures.

　　He added, "It costs too much to build."

　　Lamme said non-believers should come and take a look for themselves. He said, "We built the European Hyperloop Center and from what we have built, we know that we can be competitive with high-speed rail." And he noted⁴ that they have not added all of the ways they can reduce costs over the next ten years.

　　The test center's tube is made up of 34 separate sections mostly 2 and a half meters wide. A piece of equipment next to the tube removes air in the tube to reduce the pressure inside the tube. That reduces air resistance and permits capsules to travel at such high speeds.

　　A capsule built by Dutch hyperloop company Hardt Hyperloop will be tested next month. It receives financial support from private investments, local and national governments, and the European Commission.

　　The Veendam tube has a switch where it splits into two separate tubes that capsules can go through. Marinus van der Meijs is Hardt's technology and engineering director. He said switching is very important for hyperloop because it permits capsules to travel anywhere on a real-life network.

　　While testing continues in Veendam, hyperloop developers hope that routes for their technology will be coming.

　　Lamme said the main difficulty is finding government approval to build routes. And he said finding new financial support to test and show the technology is what is needed to make this happen.

　　Words in This Story

　　capsule – n. a small pressurized compartment⁵ or vehicle (as for space flight)

　　efficient – adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy

　　route – n. a way to get from one place to another place

　　section – n. one of the parts that form something

　　switch – adj. feeling that you are turning around in circles and are going to fall although you are standing still

1 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。