VOA标准英语2015--社交新媒体应用公共机构还需完善

Social Media Apps Help Public Agencies, But Raise Questions 社交新媒体应用公共机构还需完善

LOS ANGELES—

Social media are changing the ways that police departments and other public agencies do business.  New media are helping¹ monitor police and keeping the traffic moving on congested highways. But they are also raising questions.

At the Los Angeles public transit² system known as LA Metro³, workers monitor banks of video screens showing buses on their routes  and busy intersections⁴, looking for delays or other signs of trouble.   The system uses information from its cameras and sensors⁵, and will soon use data from the social media application Waze, sent by drivers who note real-time traffic conditions.

Kali Fogel of LA Metro says the transit system must have up-to-date information.

“Data is king, so to have a lot of data is very important.  We have a lot of infrastructure⁶ data. What crowd-sourcing and apps like Waze allow us to do is to fill in the gaps," said Fogel.

Waze, owned by Google, has partnered with cities from Rio to Jakarta to better understand urban traffic patterns.

Drivers like Freda Sideroff of Los Angeles rely on Google Maps and other navigation apps to get through the traffic.

“It is so useful, I use it every day," said Sideroff.

The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, also communicates with drivers - through message signs on freeways, its highway mapping  site called QuickMap, and social media sites like Twitter.  Caltrans spokesman Patrick Chandler says traffic managers see millions of trips each day.

“But the system is old.  It’s 60, 70-years-old, so we try different things to maximize capacity beyond just building new freeways or interchanges or widen the freeways. We try to inform travelers of the conditions that are ahead of them," said Chandler.

Police departments are using social media to communicate with the public.  

But following protests in many American cities over the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police, and the killing⁷ of several officers in separate incidents, some police are worried that applications like Waze that identify police locations can pose a danger to officers.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck expressed this concern to Google in December.  A Google spokeswoman did not respond directly to his concern, saying only that  the company works with police to keep officers and citizens safer.

Meanwhile, civil liberties groups are using their social apps to encourage citizens to monitor police, including applications being distributed in New York and California.  

These developments underscore the growing importance of social media for the public, police and other public agencies to communicate and gather information. 

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

4 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句

5 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。