VOA慢速英语2019 美国企业计划用无人机运输食品和药品（在线收听）

People in some parts of the United States could soon have medications and other products flown directly to their homes.

美国部分地区的居民可能很快就可以收到直接空运到家的药品和其他产品。

CVS Health Corporation is partnering with international shipping company UPS to set up a product delivery service for CVS customers. The service will involve drone aircraft.

西维斯健康公司正在与国际运输公司联合包裹服务公司（UPS）合作，目标是为西维斯客户提供产品运送服务。这项服务涵盖无人机运输。

The two companies announced plans to develop and test the system last week.

上周，两家公司宣布了开发并测试这一系统的计划。

The service is expected to begin tests in one or two U.S. cities in the coming weeks, Reuters news agency reported. UPS said the program would involve direct drone deliveries of prescription drugs and other products to homes of CVS customers.

据路透社报道，该服务将于未来几周在美国一到两个城市进行测试。UPS公司表示，这个项目包括用无人机直接将处方药和其他产品送到西维斯客户的家中。

The new partnership marks the latest expansion of the UPS drone company Flight Forward. Flight Forward has been operating about 10 drone flights a day to deliver medical materials on the grounds of WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some of the flights involved emergency blood supplies.

这一新的合作关系是UPS Flight Forward无人机物流公司开展的最新扩张行动。Flight Forward公司每天在北卡罗莱纳州罗利市的WakeMed Hospital医院执行约10次医疗物品运送服务。部分飞行运输会涉及紧急血液供应。

This month, Flight Forward received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to operate as the first U.S. "air carrier" with drone delivery services. After the approval, UPS announced plans to expand Flight Forward's drone deliveries from healthcare to other industries.

本月，Flight Forward公司获得了美国联邦航空管理局（简称FAA）的许可，成为美国首个提供无人机运送服务的“运输公司”。在获得批准后，UPS宣布计划将 Flight Forward公司的无人机运送服务从医疗保健扩大至其他行业。

Other businesses that have sought FAA approval for drove delivery services include online seller Amazon and Google's parent company Alphabet.

寻求FAA批准无人机运送服务的其他企业包括在线销售商亚马逊和谷歌母公司阿法贝。

Alphabet's drone company Wing received federal approval earlier this year to fly delivery drones. Last week, Wing announced it had launched a test program that delivers non-prescription medications and other products to people in a Virginia town.

阿法贝旗下的无人机公司Wing在今年早些时候获得了飞行运输无人机的联邦许可。上周，Wing公司宣布启动测试项目，计划在弗吉尼亚州一座城镇运送非处方药和其他产品。

Wing's project is a partnership with international shipper FedEx and Walgreens Boots Alliance, the owner of Walgreens drugstores. Walgreens customers in the town can order from a list of more than 100 products and get them delivered to their home by drone.

Wing公司的项目将与国际运输公司联邦快递和沃尔格林药店的母公司沃尔格林联合博姿集团合作。该城镇的沃尔格林客户可以订购的产品有100余种，随后无人机会将产品送到顾客家中。

The first test flights involved drones that flew about seven kilometers from a Wing storage center to nearby houses. Each aircraft is able to travel as far as 19 kilometers on a single flight. The company says it plans to expand travel distances in the future.

首批测试飞行从Wing公司的一个仓储中心飞到附近房屋，飞行距离约为7公里。每架无人机单次飞行的最远距离为19公里。Wing公司表示，他们计划未来延长运送距离。

In January, the FAA proposed rules that would permit drones to operate over populated areas. But final federal rules for drone use are not expected to be finalized until at least 2021.

今年1月，FAA提出新规，允许无人机在人口密集地区作业。但是，无人机应用的最终联邦规定至少要到2021年才能确定。

Another company that has been testing drone deliveries is Uber. The ride-sharing company has experimented with food deliveries for its online food ordering business Uber Eats.

另一家一直在测试无人机运送服务的公司是优步。这家共乘车公司旗下的在线点餐公司Uber Eats已经试行了食品运送服务。

Uber received permission from the FAA last year to test food deliveries by air in San Diego, California. The company said the first tests involved food orders from McDonald's restaurants.

优步在去年获得了FAA的许可，可以在加州圣地亚哥测试空运食品服务。该公司表示，首批测试包括顾客从麦当劳预订的快餐。

During testing, food orders are sent through the Uber Eats app to one of the restaurants. Workers load the food into a box, which is connected to the delivery aircraft. The drone is then programmed to fly to a special landing area. From there, an Uber worker takes the box and completes the rest of the trip on the ground.

在测试过程中，顾客通过Uber Eats的应用程序将所订餐单传到餐厅。工作人员将食物装进与运输无人机相连的盒子里。随后无人机会按计划飞往一个特别着陆地区。一名优步工作人员取下盒子，完成接下来的地面运送工作。

In the future, the company plans to land drones on top of parked vehicles that Uber drivers would then use to deliver the food to customers. The company is planning also to use self-driving cars to support its future drone delivery services.

优步公司计划未来将无人机降落在停放车辆的车顶，然后优步司机就能开车将食物送到客户手中。该公司还计划用自动驾驶车辆支持未来的无人机运送服务。

Luke Fischer is head of Uber Elevate, which is developing the service's flight operations. He says the company is still experimenting with possible methods that would permit the drone to complete the whole delivery by itself.

卢克·费希尔是开发飞行业务的Uber Elevate项目的负责人。他表示，优步公司仍在测试可行的方法，希望让无人机完成所有运送流程。

These could involve drone landings on specially-designed mailboxes or use of parachutes to drop products close to customers' homes. But Fischer said these methods would be difficult in most big city environments.

这可能包括让无人机降落在特别设计的邮箱上，或用降落伞将产品投送到客户住宅附近。但费希尔表示，这些方法在大多数大城市难以实行。

It is not known when Uber will receive permission to expand its testing and delivery services to other parts of the country. But this week, the company released a photo of a newly-designed Uber Eats delivery drone. The company says it expects the new aircraft to take flight before the end of the year.

目前并不清楚优步何时能获得批准，继而将测试和运送服务扩大到美国其他地区。但本周，优步公布了一张Uber Eats无人机的新设计图。该公司表示，这架新无人机将在今年年底前执飞。

Words in This Story

delivery – n. the act of taking goods to a person or place

customer – n. a person who buys goods or services from a business

drone – n. an unmanned aircraft guided by computers or human operators from a distance

prescription – n. an order written by a doctor that says a patient can be given a medicine or treatment

app – n. a program for a smartphone or other electronic device that performs a special operation

park – v. to bring a vehicle to a halt and leave it

photo – n. short for photograph; an image or picture