VOA慢速英语2015 学生自制摩托车在肯尼亚火热上市分享到:

AS IT IS 2015-10-29 Student-Built Motorbikes Hit the Road in Kenya 学生自制摩托车在肯尼亚火热上市分享到:

The number of buses, taxis and other vehicles on Kenya’s roads is growing every day.

肯尼亚道路上的公交车、出租车及其他交通工具的数量每天都在增加。

Now, the country’s first electric-powered motorbike is being made.The bike is designed to cut down on pollution and aimed at low-income communities.

如今，肯尼亚制造出了第一辆电动摩托车。该车旨在削减污染，针对的用户主要是低收入人群。

Most motorbikes used in Kenya depend on gasoline as fuel.But not this new motorbike.Its energy comes from sunlight.

过去肯尼亚的摩托车都以汽油为燃料。而不像新款摩托车，它以太阳能为动力。

Three university students developed the new ecotran bike.It captures the sun’s energy, stores it in batteries and uses it to charge the electric motor.

三名大学生发明了这款环保摩托车。该款摩托车能够捕捉太阳能，将能量储存在电池板，用于给电摩充电。

Robert Achoge is one of the student inventors.

Robert Achoge是发明者之一。

"Our hope is that by the fifth year, we will be able to cover the whole of Kenya with the electric motorcycle so as to conserve¹ the environment and provide affordable² transport."

“我们希望五年后，这种电动摩托车可以覆盖整个肯尼亚，既保护了环境，也能保证每个人都买得起。”

The students have set up a ‘fueling’ station for the motorbikes in Nairobi.Riders can plug the bikes into any electrical outlet³.The small battery can run for 70 kilometers when fully⁴ charged.Once the power is used up, the motorbike has to return to the fueling station while another charged battery is connected to the bike.

学生们在内罗毕建立了电摩“加油站”。车友们可以在这里连接插头给车充电。容量最小的电池充满后可以骑行70公里。电力用完后，摩托车要回到加油站，换上另一块充好的电池。

The U.S. African Development Foundation is providing financing for two solar-powered charging stations in the Kenyan port of Kisumu.

美国非洲发展基金为肯尼亚基苏姆港口的太阳能充电站提供资金。

Each ecotran bike costs about $700.One motorcycle taxi operator says the new bike costs less to operate than bikes running on traditional fuel.

每辆环保电摩售价700美元。一名摩托车出租车运营商表示新型电摩比依靠传统燃料的摩托车便宜很多。

“When it comes to buying fuel that is not need.It’s basically good for various errands.Even though you won’t carry quite a heavy load, you can go with it anywhere."

“人们不需要再购买燃料。出差办事也很方便。你不需要负重（沉重的汽油），就可以去往任何地方。”

A Nairobi dealership⁵ is selling the ecotran bikes.Businessman Kennedy Kusimba hopes they will become popular.

内罗毕代理商如今大力推销该款环保电摩。代理商Kennedy Kusimba希望未来可以普及该款电摩。

"We also know they are more reliable compared to the gas-powered bikes.They are more efficient and they tend to last longer."

“我们也知道环保电摩比那些依靠汽油的机车靠谱。更有效率，行驶路程更远。”

Ecotran plans to go to market with 40 bikes in 2016.

2016年会有40辆环保电摩面世。

Words in This Story

motobike– n. a small motorcycle

income – n. money that is earned from work, investments, business

gasoline – n. liquid made from petroleum⁶ and used as a fuel for engines

batteries – n. a device that is placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity

conserve – v. to use something carefully in order to prevent loss or waste

affordable – v. to be able to pay for something

outlet – n. a device in a wall into which an electric cord can be plugged in order to provide electricity

basically – adv. In a general or basic way

various – adj. different from each other

errand –n. a short journey that you take to do or get something

quite – adv. to a very noticeable degree

1 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

6 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。