PBS高端访谈:大众汽车是如何被抓到作弊的呢?

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And now the scandal enveloping¹ Volkswagen.

　　Today, the company said it would recall 11 million diesel² cars worldwide, after admitting they had been rigged to cheat emissions³ tests. The company's stock price continues to plummet⁴. Last week, its CEO resigned. And this week, German prosecutors⁵ said they were considering criminal charges against him.

　　William Brangham has more on the unlikely way it all began.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We take a closer look at how Volkswagen got caught, and what it all means, with one of the engineers who helped catch the automaker.

　　John German is a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a nonprofit dedicated⁶ to improving vehicle emissions and one that provides research to regulators all over the world.

　　So, John German, I wonder if you would just start off by telling me, how did this revelation come about?

　　JOHN GERMAN, International Council on Clean Transportation: Well, we were actually just going routine testing.

　　This is an outgrowth of our work in Europe. And it's been known in Europe for five to 10 years that diesel cars have high in-use NOx emissions.

　　ICCT has been working with some other groups to — on this. We have done some testing there. And our director of our European office, Peter Mock, had the bright idea that we should test some vehicles in the U.S. And our thought was, because the U.S. has the most stringent⁷ emissions standards in the world, and because EPA and CARB have a lot of legal authority and experience and do effective enforcement, that the diesel cars in the U.S. would be clean, and that we would take this data back to Europe and say, hey, they can do it in the U.S., how come you can't do it in Europe?

　　So, we were as surprised as anybody when we got the results.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So, Volkswagen installed this software that turned on the emissions system when the computer was being tested — when the car was being tested, and then shut it off when the car was out on the road and a regular driver was driving it.

　　Now, I understand there is a great deal of complexity⁸ in the computer systems in our cars today, but how does it know? How did the software know that it was being tested?

　　JOHN GERMAN: There's no way for us to know exactly what V.W. did, but there's a lot of potential ways that a computer can recognize that it's on a test.

　　The tests are run in a laboratory, and the vehicle is strapped⁹ down and run on some rollers. So, it's stationary¹⁰. The rear wheels don't turn. Well, if it's a front-wheel drive car, the non-drive wheels don't turn. The steering¹¹ rack never turns, because the vehicle doesn't turn. It's bolted down.

　　The test is always run at the same temperature. The test is always run when the engine is cold at the start. And another way is that the test, it always follows a prescribed drive cycle. So, in other words, the speed, every second is known. And the computer can look for that, too.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Is there a concern in your mind that this could be a bigger issue than just Volkswagen?

　　JOHN GERMAN: Yes.

　　The — there is — we have no data, we have no information that suggests that any other manufacturer has been doing the same thing, but it's the right question to ask, especially since the U.S. has the best regulators and the most stringent standards in the world.

　　So, we definitely think that government agencies worldwide need to investigate to see if other manufacturers are doing the same thing.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In your mind, is this a sense of the fox guarding the henhouse? I mean, I understand that the complexity of these systems seem to me to allow the carmakers to get away with more and more nefarious¹² activity. I mean, is that a concern of yours?

　　JOHN GERMAN: It would be in any country that doesn't have good legal authority and enforcement.

　　As you say, V.W. got away with this for a while in the U.S., but look at the repercussions¹³ once they got caught. And so it's just — the sheer magnitude of the fines and penalties and public opinion that they could face, that is the real deterrent¹⁵. The agencies just have to — worldwide just have to do enough to make sure that there is some chance that they could get caught.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, are you confident at all that this, the blowback from this scandal will deter¹⁴ other automakers from trying to cheat like this?

　　JOHN GERMAN: Absolutely.

　　And you already have other manufacturers scrambling¹⁶ to make sure that they're not accused of the same thing.

　　WILLIAM BRANGHAM: John German, the International Council on Clean Transportation, thank you very much for joining us.

　　JOHN GERMAN: Right. You're welcome. Thank you.

1 enveloping   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. 那眼睛总是死死盯着你，那声音总是紧紧围着你。 来自英汉文学
• The only barrier was a mosquito net, enveloping the entire bed. 唯一的障碍是那顶蚊帐罩住整个床。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 plummet   

vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物

参考例句：

• Mengniu and Yili have seen their shares plummet since the incident broke.自事件发生以来，蒙牛和伊利的股票大幅下跌。
• Even if rice prices were to plummet,other brakes on poverty alleviation remain.就算大米价格下跌，其它阻止导致贫困的因素仍然存在。

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

8 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

9 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

11 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

12 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。

13 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

15 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

16 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》