VOA标准英语2010年-Toyota President Apologizes for Global

The president of the Japanese automaker Toyota has apologized for the company's global recall of millions of vehicles due to safety issues.  Akio Toyoda  is the grandson of Toyota's founder².

Toyota's top executive, president and CEO Akio Toyoda, offered this apology to millions of Toyota drivers Friday.

"I apologize from the bottom of my heart for all the concerns that we have given to so many customers in so many countries," said Akio Toyoda.

Toyota is recalling eight million vehicles worldwide, including the Camry and Corolla sedans, due to the accelerator getting stuck to a loose floor mat, or a design flaw in the accelerator mechanism³. The automaker is also facing a recall of 270,000 Prius hybrid⁴ gasoline-electric powered sedans in Japan and the United States, due to a flaw in the car's anti-lock braking system.

Toyoda stressed his company does not take the safety issues lightly.

"The people, people who drive Toyota, who care about Toyota, I'm a little bit worried about while they are driving, they feel a little bit cautious," he said. "But believe me, Toyota's car is safety."

Toyoda said his company is moving swiftly on the global recalls involving 4.5 million vehicles for sticking gas pedals, about half of them in the U.S.

He said dealers⁵ are scrambling⁶ to make repairs on the gas pedals that need a new steel part to prevent sticking.

Until now, the CEO had been largely silent about the controversy⁷, drawing criticism from public relations experts and analysts⁸.

Toyota says it fixed⁹ the braking problems on Prius cars shipped since last month and is deciding what to do about models sold before then. 

The automaker estimates the recalls will cost the company $2 billion in the current fiscal¹⁰ year ending March 31.
 
The problems have shaken confidence of investors¹¹ and consumers in the Japanese auto¹ giant.

Toyota's stock price has slumped¹² 22 percent in recent weeks, wiping out billions of dollars from its market value.

 

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

5 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

6 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》

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。