特斯拉无人驾驶出租车没有方向盘和踏板

今天上午，特斯拉正式发布无人驾驶出租车Cybercab，没有方向盘和踏板。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the primary strategic reason behind Tesla's shift toward robotics and artificial intelligence, according to the passage?

A. To comply with new international regulations on electric vehicles.

B. To address declining profitability and waning consumer interest in electric cars.

C. To diversify its product line into aerospace technologies.

D. To meet increasing demand for traditional automotive vehicles.

2. What can be inferred about the regulatory landscape for driverless cars in the U.S.?

A. It is uniform across all states, facilitating easy deployment.

B. It is inconsistent, with some states being more permissive than others.

C. Federal regulations have fully standardized autonomous vehicle laws.

D. Driverless cars are currently illegal in most U.S. states.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为华尔街日报官方译文，仅供参考

Musk Shows Off Driverless Robotaxi to Be Priced Under $30,000

From: The Wall Street Journal

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has for yearsteasedplans for a fully autonomous robotaxi that canshuttlepaying customers around town.

特斯拉（Tesla）首席执行官马斯克（Elon Musk）多年来一直在对外透露要推出一款全自动驾驶机器人出租车的计划，可以在城里接送付费乘客。

tease

tease此前在iPhone 12为啥没发布？一文中出现：Google teased two new 5G smartphones.

tease常见含义是：1）表示“嘲笑；取笑”，英文解释为“To tease someone means to laugh at them or make jokes about them in order to embarrass, annoy, or upset them.”举个🌰：He teased me mercilessly about going Hollywood. 他无情地取笑我想去好莱坞。

2）表示“梳理”，英文解释为“If someone teases their hair, they separate the individual strands from each other, for example by combing it.”举个🌰：Her hair was teased until it stood out and around her face. 她的头发被梳得直垂在脸旁。

📍貌似两个意思都和文中的解释不通，Wiktionary中最后一条释义最为贴切：To show as forthcoming, in the manner of a teaser.

tease xxx表示的是，预告，预热xxx，可以是事情/活动/产品之类的。此前在How You Like That...文中，我们就提到另一个词，teaser，意思是“前导广告，悬念式广告（含蓄而引人好奇）”，英文解释为“an advertisement for a product that does not mention the name of the product or say much about it but is intended to make people interested and likely to pay attention to later advertisements”，比如各种MV影片的“预告”，“预热”片，就可以说是teaser。

shuttle

shuttle /ˈʃʌt.əl/ 作名词，表示“往返穿梭；往返运送（人）”，英文解释为“to travel or take people regularly between the same two places”举个🌰：A bus shuttles constantly between the terminal and the runways. 一辆公共汽车往返于机场大厅和跑道之间。

作动词，表示“往返穿梭；往返运送（人）”，英文解释为“to travel or take people regularly between the same two places”举个🌰：A bus shuttles constantly between the terminal and the runways. 一辆公共汽车往返于机场大厅和跑道之间。

On Thursday night, he finally showed the world what he had in mind,unveilingtwo new vehicles: analmond-shaped Cybercab with nosteering wheelorpedals, and a Robovan, which can transport up to 20 people at a time or move cargo.

周四晚上，马斯克终于向世人展示了他的想法，发布了两款新车：一款是杏仁形的Cybercab，没有方向盘和踏板；另一款是Robovan，一次最多可以运送20人或运送货物。

unveil

unveil /ʌnˈveɪl/ 1）表示“ 为…揭幕；揭开…上的覆盖物；拉开…的帷幔”，英文解释为“to remove a cover or curtain from a painting, statue, etc. so that it can be seen in public for the first time”举个🌰：She unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the hospital. 她主持揭幕式，标志着医院正式启用。

2）表示“（首次）展示，介绍，推出；将…公之于众”，英文解释为“to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public for the first time”举个🌰：They will be unveiling their new models at the Motor Show. 他们将在汽车大展上首次推出自己的新型汽车。

🎬电影《复仇者联盟1》（The Avengers）中的台词提到：We look beyond the Earth to the greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil. 而我们则放眼地球之外 那些将被宇宙魔方开启的更广博的世界。

🎬电影《超人高校》（Sky High）中的台词提到：We can't unveil the Stronghold Three without Will. 我们不能在威尔（Will）不在场时 向大家介绍斯特朗霍德三侠（Stronghold Three）。

📍词根“-veil”表示"面纱"，前缀“un-”表示“不”。联想宫殿：在宫殿的一个房间，你看到一个被面纱覆盖的新产品即将被“揭露”。近义词：reveal（揭示） 同根词：veil（面纱），常用短语：unveil a plan（公布计划）

almond

almond /ˈɑː.mənd/ 表示“杏仁；扁桃树”，英文解释为“an edible oval nut with a hard shell, or the tree that it grows on”如：ground/toasted almonds 杏仁粉/烤杏仁。

steering wheel

steering wheel /ˈstɪə.rɪŋ ˌwiːl/ 表示“方向盘”，英文解释为“a wheel in a vehicle that the driver turns in order to make the vehicle go in a particular direction”

pedal

pedal /ˈped.əl/ 表示“踏板，脚蹬子”，英文解释为“to turn or press the pedals on a bicycle or other machine”如：the brake/accelerator pedal 刹车/油门踏板，也可以作动词，表示“骑（自行车）”，英文解释为“to push the pedals of a bicycle with your feet”举个🌰：You'll have to pedal hard up this hill. 走上坡时你必须用力蹬车。

Musk said the Cybercab, a two-seatercar designed to operate as a robotaxi, could cost less than $30,000 and customers would be able to buy one.

Cybercab是一款双座无人驾驶汽车，旨在作为机器人出租车运营。马斯克说，这款车售价可能不到三万美元，客户将能购买。

-seater

-seater / -siː.tər/ 表示“有…个座位的”，英文解释为“with enough seats for the particular number of people”如：a 50,000-seater stadium 有5万个座位的体育场。

At the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif., Musk made asplashy debut, first appearing in a black leather jacket accompanied by a person wearing a SpaceX astronaut suit. He then got into the passenger side of the Cybercab, which drove him across the dark studiolot. The driverless car dropped him off near the stage, where he began his roughly half-hour presentation.

在加州伯班克的华纳兄弟（Warner Bros.）工作室，马斯克的亮相吸引了众人目光，他身穿黑色皮夹克，旁边还有一位穿着SpaceX宇航员服装的人。然后，马斯克坐上了一辆被他称为Cybercab的机器人出租车的乘客座位，这辆车载着他穿过黑暗的摄影棚停车场，在舞台附近把马斯克放下，然后他开始了演讲。

splashy

splashy /ˈsplæʃ.i/ 表示“奢华的；轰动的”，英文解释为“more expensive, exciting, etc. than necessary”举个🌰：Hollywood tends to make splashy films with lots of star actors. 好莱坞惯于拍一些耗资巨大、明星云集的大片。

debut

debut /ˈdeɪ.bju/ 作动词，表示“首演，首次登台；首次亮相”，英文解释为“to perform or be introduced to the public for the first time”举个🌰：The Broadway show debuted last year to great acclaim. 这个百老汇节目去年首次演出就受到了广泛赞扬。

作名词，表示“（演员、运动员等的）首次登台，初次亮相；新事物的问世”，英文解释为“The debut of a performer or sports player is their first public performance, appearance, or recording.”举个🌰：She made her debut in a 1937 production of "Hamlet." 她在1937年《哈姆雷特》的演出中首次登台。

lot

lot /lɒt/ 表示“一块地，场地”，英文解释为“an amount or set of things, especially when there are several of these amounts”如：a parking lot 停车场，a vacant lot (= one available to be built on or used for sth) 一块空地。

Musk has described the event, called “We, Robot”, as the company's most significant moment since therolloutof the mass-market Model 3sedanin 2017.

马斯克将此次发布描述为特斯拉自2017年推出面向大众市场的Model 3轿车以来最重要的时刻。

rollout

rollout作名词时，表示“首次提供（产品或服务）”，英文解释为“the act of making something, especially a product or service, available for the first time”举个🌰：Since its rollout in 2011, Wechat has gained billions of members. 自从2011年首次提供使用以来，微信已经吸引了数以亿计的用户。

📍2020年政府工作报告Part 12中就提到：We will support the rollout of e-commerce and express delivery services in rural areas to expand rural consumption. 支持电商、快递进农村，拓展农村消费。

📍roll out 动词短语，表示“推出（新产品或服务）”，英文解释为“If a company rolls out a new product or service, or if the product or service rolls out, it is made available to the public.”举个🌰：Microsoft rolls out its new operating system. 微软推出了它的新操作系统。

📍此外，roll out还有另一个含义，表示“将…轧平”，英文解释为“to make sth flat by pushing sth over it”举个🌰：Roll out the pastry. 将油酥面团擀平。

🎬电影《老爸上战场》（Dad's Army）中刚好有这个例句：Shall I roll out the pastry?  我要把面团轧平吗？

sedan

sedan /sɪˈdæn/ 表示“小轿车；（三厢）四门轿车”，英文解释为“a car with four doors and a boot/trunk (= space at the back for carrying things) which is separated from the part where the driver and passengers sit”如：a five-seater family sedan 五座家庭式轿车。

The billionaire entrepreneur is betting the company's future on apivotto robotics and artificial intelligence, a shift that comes as Tesla'sprofitabilityhasslippedand broader consumer interest in electric cars has cooled within the past couple years.

这位亿万富翁企业家将特斯拉的未来押注于向机器人和AI转向，而这一转变正值该公司盈利能力下滑、消费者对电动汽车的兴趣在过去两年内降温之际。

pivot

pivot /ˈpɪvət/ 可以作名词，也可作动词，表示“（使）在枢轴上旋转（或转动）；转动；扭曲”，英文解释为“to turn or balance on a central point (= a pivot ) ; to make sth do this”举个🌰：Windows that pivot from a central point are easy to clean. 沿中轴转动的窗子容易擦洗。

🎬电影《奎迪》（Creed）中的台词提到：I can't pivot fast enough. 我转得还不够快。

profitability

profitability /ˌprɒf.ɪ.təˈbɪl.ə.ti/ 表示“盈利，赢利”，英文解释为“the fact that something produces or is likely to produce a profit”举个🌰：The company needs to return to profitability very soon. 公司需要尽快恢复盈利。

Musk has said such technologies could help boost Tesla's market value to as much as $30 trillion, nearly 40 times its current worth.

马斯克曾表示这些技术可以帮助特斯拉的市值提升至30万亿美元，几乎是当前市值的40倍。

Tesla's stock hasralliedahead of the presentation with shares up 52% since Musk announced it in early April.

特斯拉股价在这次发布会之前一路上涨，自马斯克4月初宣布将发布新车的消息以来已累计上涨52%。

rally

rally /ˈræl.i/ 作动词，1）表示“召集；集合”，英文解释为“to come together or bring people together in order to help or support sb/sth”举个🌰：Many national newspapers rallied to his support. 许多全国性报纸一致对他表示支持。

2）表示“恢复；复原；重新振作；好转”，英文解释为“to return to a better condition; an improvement”举个🌰：The team played badly in the first half of the game but rallied in the second. 球队在上半场比赛中表现很糟糕，但在下半场重整旗鼓，表现很好。Share prices fell again today after yesterday's rally. 股票价格在昨天回升后再次下跌。

📍在体育比赛中，它通常用来描述一个队伍或运动员在落后或遭受打击后，通过集中精力和努力，反击或反超对手的情况。3）作名词，表示“（尤指为表明支持某种主张的）集会，群众大会”，英文解释为“a public meeting of a large group of people, especially supporters of a particular opinion”

Some analysts were cautious leading up to the event, noting that the CEO has a pattern of overpromising andunder-delivering, particularly when it comes to autonomous vehicles.

一些分析师在活动前仍持谨慎态度，指出马斯克总是言过其实，往往不能完全兑现承诺，尤其是在自动驾驶汽车方面。

under-delivering

表示“未按承诺兑现，未按预期达成；未能实现承诺的目标或未达到预期的成果”，英文解释为“fail to fulfil an expectation or promise”

“We believe the Robotaxi event will be long on vision, and short on immediate deliverables orincrementalrevenue drivers,” said Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi.

Bernstein分析师Toni Sacconaghi表示：“我们认为，这场自动驾驶出租车的发布活动将重在愿景，而欠缺短期内可交付的成果或增量收入驱动因素。”

incremental

incremental /ˌɪŋ.krəˈmen.təl/ 表示“增加的；递增的；小的”，英文解释为“in a series of amounts”举个🌰：Most research proceeds by small incremental advances. 大多数的研究是渐进式的。

Tesla firstfloatedthe idea of a robotaxi last decade with Musk describing a shared fleet of autonomous Teslas that owners couldleaseout to strangers for extra income. In the years that followed, he said every Tesla sold since late 2016 has the hardware to function as a robotaxi,implyingthat once the software catches up, most Tesla drivers would be able to participate in the program.

特斯拉早在2016年就提出了自动驾驶出租车的想法，根据马斯克当时的描述，这些自动驾驶特斯拉汽车可以共享，车主可以将汽车出租给陌生人以赚取额外收入。在随后的几年里，马斯克表示，自2016年底以来售出的每一辆特斯拉都配置了可以作为自动驾驶出租车运行的硬件，这意味着一旦软件跟上，大多数特斯拉司机都将能够参与该计划。

float

float /fləʊt/ 作名词，表示“彩车，花车”，英文解释为“a large vehicle with a flat surface that is decorated and used in festivals”如：carnival floats 狂欢节彩车。

作动词，1）表示“漂浮”，英文解释为“to stay on the surface of a liquid and not sink”举个🌰：An empty bottle will float. 空瓶子能浮起来。

2）表示“（使）漂流；（使）浮动；（使）飘动；（使）飘移”，英文解释为“to (cause to) move easily through, or along the surface of a liquid, or to (cause to) move easily through air”举个🌰：We spent a lazy afternoon floating down/along the river. 我们沿河漂流而下，懒洋洋的度过了一个下午。

3）熟词僻义，表示“提出，提请考虑（想法或计划）”，英文解释为“to suggest an idea or a plan for other people to consider”举个🌰：They floated the idea of increased taxes on alcohol. 他们建议提高酒税。

🎬电影《阿罗哈》（Aloha）中的台词提到：And frankly, just floating the idea of you and me as a couple... 坦白讲 只要随便想想如果我们成了一对的话...

📍2020年，侃爷宣布竞选美国总统文中卫报（The Guardian）也用了这个词：Indeed, the rapper has floated the idea of running for president before. 事实上，这位说唱歌手之前就提出过竞选总统的想法。

lease

lease /liːs/ 表示“租约，租契”，英文解释为“a legal agreement in which you pay money in order to use a building, piece of land, vehicle, etc. for a period”一般用法lease sth (from) sb / lease sth (out) (to sb)，举个🌰：It was agreed they would lease the apartment to him/lease him the apartment. 按照约定他们要把公寓租给他。

imply

imply /ɪmˈplaɪ/ 表示“暗指，暗示”，英文解释为“to communicate an idea or feeling without saying it directly”举个🌰：Are you implying (that) I'm fat? 你是在暗示我长得胖吗？

His plans will continue to face technological and regulatoryhurdles. While some states have taken ahands-offapproach to regulating driverless cars, the rules remain apatchwork.

但马斯克的计划仍面临技术和监管方面的障碍。虽然美国一些州对无人驾驶汽车的监管非常宽松，但各地的监管规定仍不统一。

hurdle

hurdle /ˈhɜː.dəl/ 在文中作名词表示“难关；障碍”，英文解释为“a problem or difficulty that must be solved or dealt with before you can achieve sth.”

它还有另一个常见意思是“栏架，跨栏”，英文解释为each of a series of vertical frames that a person or horse jumps over in a race. 复数形式 hurdles 即表示“跨栏比赛”，如：the 400-metre hurdles 400米跨栏比赛。

hands-off

hands-off /ˌhændˈzɒf/ 表示“放手的，不干涉的，不插手的”，英文解释为“Someone who has a hands-off way of organizing or dealing with something allows other people to make decisions about how things should be done and avoids becoming directly involved.”举个🌰：She has a hands-off style of management. 她采取一种不干涉的管理方法。

patchwork

patchwork /ˈpætʃ.wɜːk/ 表示“拼缀物，拼凑的东西，杂烩”，英文解释为“a mixture of different things”举个🌰：We looked out of the aircraft window down onto the patchwork of fields below. 我们从飞机的舷窗俯视下面纵横交错的田地。

remain a patchwork是一种比喻性的写作手法。它用“patchwork”（拼布、拼缝物）来形象地描述某事物缺乏统一性，由不同部分拼凑而成。

Tesla also needs to makeleapsin advancing its own driver-assist software, which today is considered a “level 2” system. Its most advanced version, a feature Tesla refers to as “Full Self-Driving （Supervised）,” requires the driver to remain alert and ready to take over, and it doesn't make the cars autonomous.

此外，特斯拉还需要在自身的驾驶辅助软件开发方面取得突破，该软件目前被认为属于L2级别。被特斯拉称为“完全自动驾驶（监督）”的最先进版本要求驾驶员保持警惕并随时准备接管汽车，该系统下汽车无法实现自动驾驶。

leap

leap /liːp/ 作名词，常指“跳，跳跃；突然的动作”，也可以表示“巨变；激增；提高”，英文解释为“a big change, increase, or improvement”如：a leap in profits 利润激增。

也可以直接作动词，表示“激增；猛涨；快速提高”，英文解释为“to increase, improve, or grow very quickly”举个🌰：Shares in the company leaped 250 percent. 公司的股票大涨250%。

By contrast, Waymo has achieved “level 4” autonomy on its cars, which means it can operate them without a human driver in most circumstances.

相比之下，Waymo自动驾驶系统已经达到L4级别，这意味着在大多数情况下，汽车可以在没有人类驾驶员的情况下运行。

Waymo, the market leader in the technology, hasfleets circulatingwithin limited areas in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin, Texas.

作为自动驾驶技术的市场领导者，Waymo的车队在旧金山、洛杉矶、凤凰城和得克萨斯州奥斯汀的有限区域内往来。

fleet

fleet /fliːt/ 1）表示“（由某人或某机构调度的）车队，机群”，英文解释为“a number of buses, aircraft, etc. under the control of one person or organization”举个🌰：He owns a fleet of taxis. 他拥有一个出租车队。

2）表示“船队；（一国的）全部舰队，海军”，英文解释为“a group of ships, or all of the ships in a country's navy”如：a fleet of 10 sailing ships 一支由10艘帆船组成的船队。

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