VOA常速英语2014--Google Buys Drone Company 谷歌收购无人机公司

 

Google Buys Drone Company 谷歌收购无人机公司

In its latest purchase of high-tech¹ companies, Google has acquired a manufacturer of solar-powered drones that can stay in the air almost indefinitely, relaying broadband Internet connection to remote areas. It is seen as yet another step in the U.S.-based Web giant’s bid to bring Internet to the whole world.

Even as it experiments with self-driving cars on the ground, Google has been acquiring companies that manufacture pilotless flying vehicles-aircraft that can stay aloft for very long periods of time, such as solar-powered balloons and drones.

即使进行了地面上自动驾驶汽车的测试,谷歌也一直在收购研制无人机的公司,这种飞行器可以在空中停留很长时间,比如太阳能气球和无人机。

The Internet giant aims to bring Web access to remote areas of the world, which it says could help speed disaster relief or monitor environmental damage. And it says atmospheric² satellites could also provide high-resolution aerial images for its Google Earth service.

这家互联网巨头旨在将互联网普及到世界偏远地区,帮助加快灾害援助或监测环境破坏程度。而且谷歌表示大气卫星还可以为自家的地图服务提供高分辨率航空影像。

Its newest acquisition, the 20-employee, New Mexico-based company Titan Aerospace³, plans to manufacture a larger version of its successful solar-powered drone Solara.

而谷歌最新收购的这家具有20名员工名为泰坦航空位于墨西哥的新公司计划生产使其大获成功的太阳能无人机Solara的新型号。

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Chief Technical Officer, Maximus Yaney, says it will be as efficient as a satellite, but much less expensive to operate-just one-hundredth of the cost.

首席技术官马克西姆斯·亚尼表示它的功能和卫星一模一样,但实施起来要便宜得多—只需要卫星成本的百分之一。

“What we're focusing on from a capability⁴ perspective is being able to provide these kinds of services as an alternate or adding to satellite platform capabilities⁵.”

“我们专注于从功能的角度作为一种替代或增加卫星平台功能能够提供这些服务。”

He says the new drone, Solara 50, will be able to fly almost 20 kilometers above the earth, providing the Internet signal in a radius⁶ of almost 420 kilometers...and stay aloft for almost five years.

他表示这一新的无人机Solara 50可以在地球上空飞行将近20公里,于半径几乎420公里范围内提供互联网信号…而且能够在空中停留将近5年。

“Solar-powered, you have the capability of staying up there effectively indefinitely, you're simply limited by the rechargeable batteries.”

“有了太阳能,你就有了无限支持下去的能力,唯一的局限就是在于可充电电池这个问题上。”

Other technology companies are also interested in the potential of drones. Earlier this year, Internet-based giant Facebook acquired the British drone manufacturer Ascenta, while the Internet retail⁷ company Amazon is experimenting with drones for package deliveries.

 

其它科技公司对于无人机的潜力也非常感兴趣。今年早些时候互联网巨头脸书收购了英国无人驾驶飞机制造商Ascenta,而网络零售公司亚马逊正在试验无人机的包裹送递服务。

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

3 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

4 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

5 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 radius   

n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限

参考例句：

• He has visited every shop within a radius of two miles.周围两英里以内的店铺他都去过。
• We are measuring the radius of the circle.我们正在测量圆的半径。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。