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PaulMoller_2004-_飞天车_
Many of you could ask the question, you know, why is a flying car, or maybe more accurately , a rotable aircraft , possible at this time? 很多人会问: 为什么会飞的汽车,或者更准确地讲, 一种可旋转的飞行器,能在当今成为可能？
accurately:adv.精确地,准确地; aircraft:n.飞机,航空器;
A number of years ago, 许多年前,
Mr. Ford predicted that flying cars of some form would be available. 福特先生（福特汽车创始人）就预见了 会飞的汽车迟早会出现。
Ford:n.福特[姓氏];浅滩;v.涉(水);渡河;津渡; predicted:v.预言;预告;预报;(predict的过去分词和过去式)
Now, 60 years later, 现在,60年过去了
I'm here to tell you why it's possible. 我在这里告诉大家,为什么会飞的汽车可能成为现实。
When I was about five years old, not very much -- about a year after 当我大概是5岁的时候, 不久,就1年以后,
Mr. Ford made his predictions , 福特先生预见了飞天车的出现。
predictions:n.预测,预言(prediction复数形式);
I was living in a rural part of Canada, on the side of a mountain in a very isolated area. 那时我生活在加拿大的郊区, 在一座山旁边,那是一个很偏僻的地方。
rural:adj.农村的,乡下的;田园的,有乡村风味的; on the side of:拥护…;站在…一边;赞助; isolated:adj.偏远的; v.隔离,孤立,脱离;
Getting to school, for a kid that was actually pretty short for his age, through the Canadian winter, was not a pleasant experience. 在寒冷的加拿大冬天, 去上学可不是一件愉快的事情。
It was a trying and scary thing for a young kid to be going through. 对一个小孩子来说, 那简直就是一件必须去尝试的恐怖的事情。
At the end of my first year in school, in the summer of that year, 在我一年级末的那个夏天
I discovered a couple hummingbirds that were caught in a shed near my home. 在我们家附近的一个库房里 我发现了一些被困住的蜂鸟
hummingbirds:n.[鸟]蜂鸟(hummingbird的复数形式); shed:v.摆脱;去除;蜕;落;n.工棚;简易房;剪羊毛棚;挤奶棚;
They'd worn themselves out, beating themselves against the window, and, well, they were easy to capture . 它们使出浑身的力气 往窗户上撞 所以它们很容易被捉住
capture:v.俘虏;捕获;攻占;夺得;刻画,描述;n.(被)捕获;(被)俘获
I took them outside and as I let them go, that split second , even though they were very tired, that second I let them go they hovered for a second, then zipped off into the distance. 但是当我把它们放出来的时候,虽然它们已经很疲惫了, 它们用不到一秒钟的时间里飞出来,盘旋一下 然后猛地一转身,消失在我的视线里。
split second:adj.霎那间发生的,瞬间发生的; hovered:vi.盘旋,翱翔;徘徊;n.徘徊;盘旋;犹豫;vt.孵;徘徊在…近旁;
I thought, what a great way to get to school. 当时我想,天啊,这是多么好的方式去上学啊！
(Laughter) （笑声）
For a kid at that age, this was like infinite speed, disappearing , and I was very inspired by that. 对那个年龄的小孩来说,那个速度真的是超级快！ 我的灵感就来源于此。
infinite:adj.无限的,无穷的; n.无限; disappearing:v.消失;不复存在;灭绝;丢失(disappear的现在分词) inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式)
And so the next -- over the next six decades, believe it or not, 所以,在后来的 60年里
I've built a number of aircraft, with the goal of creating something that could do for you, or me, what the hummingbird does, and give you that flexibility . 我造了很多飞行器, 希望创造某种交通工具可以带给你,或者我, 像蜂鸟一样的速度 和灵活性。
flexibility:n.灵活性;弹性;适应性;
I've called this vehicle , generically , a helicop -- a volantor, after the Latin word "volant," meaning, to fly in a light, nimble manner. 给这种交通工具我起名叫——沃蓝特 源于拉丁语“volant”,意思是 像光一般灵活的飞行。
vehicle:n.[车辆]车辆;工具;交通工具;运载工具;传播媒介;媒介物; generically:adv.一般地;属类地; Latin:adj.拉丁语的;用拉丁语写成的;n.拉丁语; nimble:adj.敏捷的;聪明的;敏感的;
Volantor-like helicopter, perhaps. 或者说光一般灵活飞行的直升机。
The FAA, the controlling body above all, calls it a "powerlift aircraft." 联邦航空管理局,管理空中飞行和飞行器的组织 把它叫做“动力提升的飞行器”
And they've actually issued a pilot's license -- a powerlift pilot's license -- for this type of aircraft. 而且,联邦航空管理局已经颁发了特殊的飞行执照 “动力提升飞行员执照”——专门为这种飞行器。
issued:v.宣布;公布;发出;将…诉诸法律;(issue的过去分词和过去式) license:v.许可;批准;
It's closer than you think. It's kind of remarkable when you consider that there are no operational powerlift aircraft. 事实上飞天车的发展远比你们想象地要快。试想一下: 现在还没有可以操纵和投入飞行的“动力提升飞行器”。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; operational:adj.操作的;运作的;
So for once, perhaps, the government is ahead of itself. 所以,可以说,政府的这一步是超前的。
The press calls my particular volantor a "Skycar." 媒体把我设计的沃蓝特叫做“飞天车”。
This is a little bit earlier version of it, that's why it's given the X designation , but it's a four-passenger aircraft that could take off vertically , like a helicopter -- therefore it doesn't need an airfield . 这是一个早期的飞天车 所以它的标号有X 它是一个可以容纳4人的飞行器 而且可以垂直起飞,就像直升飞机 所以它不需要机场
designation:n.指定;名称;指示;选派; vertically:adv.垂直地; airfield:n.飞机场;
On the ground, it's powered electrically . 当在陆地上是,它是电力驱动的。
electrically:adv.电力地;有关电地;
It's actually classified as a motorcycle because of the three wheels, which is a great asset because it allows you, theoretically , to use this on the highways in most states, and actually in all cities. 事实上,它的确被划分为机动车 因为它有3个轮子 理论上可以在高速公路上行驶 在美国大部分州和所有城市。
classified:adj.机密的; v.将…分类; (classify的过去分词和过去式) asset:n.资产;优点;有用的东西;有利条件;财产;有价值的人或物; theoretically:adv.理论地;理论上;
So that's an asset because if you've got to deal with the crash protection issues of the automobile , forget it -- you're never going to fly it. 所以它是一个优点,如果你考虑给汽车买保险的话 算了,你永远不会用它来飞行。
issues:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;(issue的第三人称单数和复数) automobile:n.汽车;v.开汽车;坐汽车;adj.自动的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
One could say that a helicopter does pretty much what the hummingbird does, and gets around in much the same way, and it's true, but a helicopter is a very complex device . 有人会说直升飞机 正是模拟了蜂鸟的飞行 并且像蜂鸟一样到处飞,的确如此 但是,直升飞机是一个非常复杂的设备。
complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施; device:n.装置;策略;图案;
It's expensive -- so expensive that very few people could own or use it. 第一,昂贵 如此昂贵所以很少人买得起或者用得起。
It's often been described because of its fragile nature and its complexity , as a series of parts -- a large number of parts -- flying in formation . 第二,复杂但脆弱 有人说直升飞机就是一大堆零件 的编队飞行。
described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) fragile:adj.脆的;易碎的; complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势 series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; formation:n.形成;编队;组成;队形;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Another difference, and I have to describe this, because it's very personal , another great difference between the helicopter and the volantor -- in my case the Skycar volantor -- is the experience that I've had in flying both of those. 飞天车和直升飞机的另一个不同之处在于,这一点我必须指出 飞天车是个人交通工具,非常私人的东西。 还有一个不同,直升飞机 和沃蓝特 我的飞天车 就是乘坐时的不同体验 我有幸坐过直升飞机和飞天车。
personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
In a helicopter you feel -- and it's still a remarkable sensation -- you feel like you're being hauled up from above by a vibrating crane . 在直升飞机里 - 乘坐直升飞机能仍然给人不寻常的感受 你感觉你是被旋转的螺旋桨 从上面提起来的
sensation:n.感觉;轰动;感动; hauled:v.(用力)拖,拉,拽;强迫(某人)去某处;(haul的过去分词和过去式) vibrating:v.(使)振动,颤动,摆动(vibrate的现在分词) crane:n.吊车,起重机;鹤;vi.伸着脖子看;迟疑,踌躇;vt.用起重机起吊;伸长脖子;
When you get in the Skycar -- and I can tell you, there's only one other person that's flown it, but he had the same sensation -- you really feel like you're being lifted up by a magic carpet , without any vibration whatsoever . The sensation is unbelievable . 但是你如果在飞天车里——我可以告诉你 只有一位其他的人坐过飞天车,但他也有相同的体验 你会感觉你是被举起来的 被一种充满魔力的地毯 绝对没有震动。那种感觉简直让人难以置信。
magic carpet:n.(可载人飞行的)魔毯; vibration:n.振动;犹豫;心灵感应; whatsoever:pron.无论什么; unbelievable:adj.(非正式)难以置信的;不可信的
And it's been a great motivator . 这种感觉也是我研究飞天车的一个很大的动力。
motivator:n.动力;激励因素;
I only get to fly this vehicle occasionally , and only when I can persuade my stockholders to let me do so, but it's still one of those wonderful experiences that reward you for all that time. 我也只是偶尔飞一下飞天车 只有得到我的股东们 同意我飞行。 但是,那种飞行的体验太棒了 让我觉得花在飞天车上所有的时间都是值得的。
occasionally:adv.偶尔;有时候;偶然; persuade:v.说服;劝说;使信服;使相信; stockholders:n.股票持有人;股东;(stockholder的复数) reward:n.[劳经]报酬;报答;酬谢;v.[劳经]奖励;奖赏; for all that:尽管;虽然如此;
What we really need is something to replace the automobile for those 50-plus-mile trips. 其实我们真正需要的是一种交通工具来替代汽车 完成50英里以上的交通出行。
Very few people realise that 50-mile-plus trips make up 85 percent of the miles traveled in America. 很少人意识到在美国50英里以上的交通出行 占据了85%以上的出行里程。
If we can get rid of that, then the highways will now be useful to you, as contrasted by what's happening in many parts of the world today. 如果我们可以不用汽车完成50英里以上的出行 那么高速公路会是非常有用的, 而不是现在 世界很多地方正在发生的那样（拥堵）。
contrasted:比较;对比;
On this next slide, is an interesting history of what we really have seen in infrastructure , because whether I give you a perfect Skycar, the perfect vehicle for use, it's going to have very little value to you unless you've got a system to use it in. 下一张幻灯片是一个很有趣的故事 这是交通基础设施的发展历史, 因为不管我是否给你一辆完美的飞天车 它都将是无用的 除非我们有这样的交通基础设施来供我们使用。
infrastructure:n.基础设施;公共建设;下部构造;
I'm sure any of you have asked the question, yeah, are there great things up there -- what am I going to do, get up there? 肯定你们都有这样一个问题: 有什么东西吸引我把汽车开到空中？
It's bad enough on a highway, what's it going to be like to be in the air? 在高速路上已经够糟糕了,空中交通会是什么样子？
This world that you're going to be talking about tomorrow is going to be completely integrated . You're not going to be a pilot, you're going to be a passenger . 我们在这里讨论的未来交通 将会是完全整合了的交通。你不用成为飞行员 你将只是乘客。
integrated:adj.综合的; v.整合; (integrate的过去式和过去分词) passenger:n.旅客;乘客;白吃饭的人;闲散人员;
And it's the infrastructure that really determines whether this process goes forward. 交通基础设施将决定飞天车是否能得到发展。
determines:v.查明;测定;准确算出;决定;裁决;安排;(determine的第三人称单数) process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的;
I can tell you, technically we can build Skycars -- my God, we went to the moon! 我可以说,技术上我们完全可以制造飞天车—— 天呢,我们已经登上过月球了！
The technology there was much more difficult than what I'm dealing with here. 交通设施的建设将会比我发明飞天车要难得多。
technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
But we have to have these priority changes, we have to have infrastructure to go with this. 但是我们必须要思考这个问题, 我们必须在研究飞天车的同时建设与之相适应的基础设施。
priority:n.优先;优先权;[数]优先次序;优先考虑的事;
Historically you see that we got around 200 years ago by canals, and as that system disappeared , were replaced by railroads. 历史上, 200年前我们使用航运, 后来铁路代替了航运,
Historically:adv.历史上地;从历史观点上说; disappeared:adj.消失的;消失了的;v.消失,失踪;(disappear的过去式和过去分词)
As that disappeared we came in with highways. 在后来高速公路代替了铁路。
But if you look at that top corner -- the highway system -- you see where we are today. Highways are no longer being built, and that's a fact. You won't see any additional highways in the next 10 years. 但是如果你注意到右上角——高速公路系统—— 你看到我们现在的位置。现在我们已经不再建设新的高速公路了。 这是一个事实。你将不会看到任何新的高速公路的建设 在未来10年里都不会。
additional:adj.附加的,额外的;
However, the next 10 years, if like the last 10 years, we're going to see 30 percent more traffic. 但是,在未来10年内,就像过去的10年一样, 会有30%的交通量增长。
And where is that going to lead you to? 这会带给我们什么？
So the issue then, I've often asked, is when is it going to happen? 因此,我常常问, 飞天车的时代何时来临？
When are we going to be able to have these vehicles ? 什么时候我们将开始拥有和使用这样的飞天车？
vehicles:n.车辆;飞行器;运行工具;(vehicles是vehicle的复数)
And of course, if you ask me, I'm going to give you a really optimistic view. 当然如果你问我,我会给你一个很乐观的估计。
optimistic:adj.乐观的;乐观主义的;
After all, I've been spending 60 years here believing it's going to happen tomorrow. 毕竟,过去60年里我都一直坚信飞天车的时代就在明天。
So, I'm not going to quote myself on this. 所以,我的观点不具有代表性。
quote:v.引用;报价;举例说明;开价;为(企业的股份)上市;n.引用;
I'd prefer to quote someone else, who testified with me before Congress , and in his position as head of NASA, put forward this particular vision of the future of this type of aircraft. 我得引用别人的话来回答这个问题。 这个人和我一起在国会参加过听证会, 他当时是国家航空和宇宙航行局局长。 他也预见 飞天车将是未来的发展趋势。
prefer:v.更喜欢;宁愿;提出;提升; testified:v.(尤指出庭)作证;证实;证明;见证;(testify的过去式和过去分词) Congress:n.国会;代表大会;会议;社交; put forward:v.提出;拿出;放出;推举出; vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见;
Now I would argue, actually, if you look at the fact that on the highways today, you're only averaging about 30 miles per hour -- on average, according to the DoT -- the Skycar travels at over 300 miles an hour, up to 25,000 feet. 所以我要指出的是,如果你看一看公路交通的现状—— 平均时速只有30英里每小时 根据交通部的数据—— 而飞天车的速度可以超过300英里每小时, 飞行高度可以达到25000英尺。
according to:根据,据说;
And so, in effect, you could see perhaps a tenfold increase in the ability to get around as far as speed is concerned . 所以,飞天车可以带给我们10倍于现在的 交通能力 如果仅从从速度上来讲的话。
tenfold:adj.十倍的;十重的;adv.十倍地;成十倍;n.十倍; get around:到处走走;逃避;说服;传开来(等于getround);有办法应付;有办法应付局面; as far as:至于…; concerned:adj.有关的;关心的;v.关心;与…有关;(concern的过去时和过去分词)
Unbeknownst to many of you the highway in the sky that I'm talking about here has been under construction for 10 years. 很多人都不知道 其实我所说的“空中之路” 已经被建设了10年。
Unbeknownst:adv.不知地;adj.不知的; construction:n.建设;建筑物;解释;造句;
It makes use of the GPS -- you're familiar with GPS in your automobile, but you may not be familiar with the fact that there's a GPS U.S., there's a Russian GPS, and there's a new GPS system going to Europe, called Galileo. 空中之路利用GPS——你们很熟悉汽车使用的GPS 但是你们可能不熟悉这样的事实:不仅有美国GPS 还有俄罗斯GPS, 另外有一个新的GPS系统 即欧洲的伽利略GPS系统。
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友;
With those three systems, you have what is always necessary -- a level of redundancy that says, if one system fails, you'll still have a way to make sure that you're being controlled. 用这3套系统, 你就有了空中交通所必须的 某种程度上的冗余度 就是说,如果一套系统失效,你还有其他系统 来保证你的飞天车得到控制
redundancy:n.[计][数]冗余(等于redundance);裁员;人浮于事;
Because if you're in this world, where computers are controlling what you're doing, it's going to be very critical that something can't fail on you. 因为在这个用计算机控制一切的世界 可靠性至关重要。
critical:adj.鉴定的;[核]临界的;批评的,爱挑剔的;危险的;决定性的;评论的;
How would a trip in a Skycar work? 那么,用飞天车怎样出行？
Well, you can't right now take off from your home because it's too noisy. 当然,现在你还不能够 在家里起飞,因为噪音太大
I mean to be able to take off from your home, you'd have to be extremely quiet. 我的意思是说,如果要从家里起飞的话,必须非常安静
extremely:adv.非常,极其;极端地;
But it's still fairly quiet. 其实飞天车也没有太大的噪音。
fairly:adv.相当地;公平地;简直;
You'd motor, electrically, to a vertiport, which may be a few blocks, maybe even a few miles away. 起飞,首先需要把飞天车开到一个供垂直升降的机场 可能要过几条街,或者几英里外
This is clearly, as I said earlier, a rotable aircraft, and you're not going to spend that much time on the road. 我已经说过,飞天车是一种可以旋转的飞行器, 因此你并不希望花太多的时间在公路上
as I said:正如我所说的
After all, if you can fly like that, why are you going to drive around on a highway? 毕竟,如果你可以飞, 为什么还要在陆地上驾驶？
Go to a local vertiport, plug in your destination, delivered almost like a passenger. 到附近的一个机场 输入你的目的地 你就像一个乘客一样（不需要驾驶）
plug:n.插头;塞子;栓;v.塞住;用插头将与电源接通;
You can play computer games, you can sleep, you can read on the way. 在途中你可以玩电子游戏,睡觉,或者读书。
This is the world -- there won't be you as a pilot. And I know the pilots in the audience aren't going to like that -- and I've had a lot of bad feedback from people who want to be up there, flying around and experiencing that. 这是一个不需要飞行员的世界。——我知道飞行员们不喜欢我听到这个消息 我也的确听到了一些不好的反馈 因为有些人想“驾驶”飞天车 去体验在空中开车的感觉。
feedback:n.反馈;反馈意见;回授;[电子]反馈;
And of course, I suppose like recreational parks you can still do that. 当然,我想将来会有一些像游乐场一样的地方允许你“驾驶”飞天车。
suppose:v.推断:假定:假设:设想: recreational:adj.娱乐的,消遣的;休养的;
But the vehicle itself is going to be a very, very controlled environment. 但是飞天车本身就是一个非常先进的控制系统
Or it's going to have no use to you as a person who might use such a system. 或者说飞天车将是非常容易操作的。
We flew the first vehicle for the international press in 1965, when I really got it started. 我们第一次试飞是为国际传媒 那是1965年,我刚开始设计飞天车。
I was a professor at the UC Davis System, and I got a lot of excitement around this, and I was able to fund the initiation of the program back in that time. 我当时是加州大学戴维斯分校的教授, 第一次飞行令我兴奋不已 而且我争取到了资金来启动这个项目。
excitement:n.兴奋;刺激;令人兴奋的事物; fund:n.基金;资金;存款;v.投资;资助; initiation:n.启蒙,传授;开始;入会;
And then through the various years we invented various vehicles. 在后来的许多年里 我们又发明了各种各样的飞天车。
Actually the critical point was in 1989, when we demonstrated the stability of this vehicle -- how completely stable it was in all circumstances , which is of course very critical. 事实上,1989年是重要的一年 我们证明了飞天车的稳定性—— 在各种不同条件下完全稳定, 这非常重要。
demonstrated:v.证明;证实;论证;说明;表达;(demonstrate的过去分词和过去式) stability:n.稳定性;坚定,恒心; stable:n.马厩;牛棚;adj.稳定的;牢固的;坚定的;vi.被关在马厩;赶入马房; circumstances:n.情况;环境;情形;(circumstance的复数)
Still not a practical vehicle during all of this, but moving in the right direction, we believe. 虽然飞天车还没有到可以商业化操作的阶段, 但我们相信我们在向正确的方向前进。
practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课;
Finally , in the early part of -- or actually the middle of 2002, we flew the 400 -- M400, which was the four-passenger vehicle. 最后, 在2002年初 或者是2002年中 我们试飞了M400——容纳4人的飞天车。
Finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地;
In this case here, we're flying it remotely , as we always did at the beginning . 这一次,我们仍然是遥控飞行（在试验初期我们一般采取这种方法）
remotely:adv.遥远地;偏僻地;(程度)极微地,极轻地; at the beginning:首先;从一开始;起初;从头开始;
And we had very small powerplants in it at this time. 那时我们的动力装置功率很小。
We are now installing larger powerplants, which will make it possible for me to get back on board. 现在我们正在安装更大功率的动力装置, 希望下次飞行时我可以坐上飞天车。
installing:v.安装;设置;建立(程序);(install的现在分词)
A vertical-takeoff aircraft is not the safest vehicle during the test flight program. 垂直升降的飞行器 不是最安全的,这点已经在试飞阶段得到验证。
test flight:n.(飞机的)试飞;
There's an old adage that applied for the years between 1950s and 1970s, when every aeronautical company was working on vertical-takeoff aircraft. 有一句格言 在1950年到1970年被广为流传。 当时每一家航空公司 都在研究垂直起飞的飞机。
adage:n.格言,谚语;箴言; applied:adj.应用的;实用的;v.应用;使用;申请,请求;(apply的过去分词和过去式) aeronautical:adj.航空的;航空学的;飞机驾驶员的(等于aeronautic);
A vertical-takeoff aircraft needs an artificial stabilization system -- that's essential . 垂直起飞的飞行器 需要一套平衡稳定系统 这非常重要。
artificial:adj.人造的;仿造的;虚伪的;非原产地的;武断的; stabilization:n.稳定;稳定化; essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的;
At least for the hover, and the low-speed flight. 至少是对直升机 和低速飞行的飞机。
If that single-stability system, that brain that flies that aircraft, fails, or if the engine fails, that vehicle crashes. There is no option to that. 如果这套唯一的平衡稳定系统, 或者说控制飞行器的大脑不工作了,或者引擎失灵了 那么飞机必然坠毁。别无选择。
option:n.选择;可选择的东西;
And the adage that I'm referring to, that applied at that time, was that nothing comes down faster than a VTOL aircraft upside down . 我说的这句格言 应用于那个时候的格言 就是:没有任何东西 比一架失灵的垂直升降飞机坠得快！
referring:v.引用;提到;将…归因于…;把…提交;(refer的现在分词) upside down:adj.颠倒的;乱七八糟的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
That's a macabre comment because we lost a lot of pilots. 那是一句可怕的格言,因为我们为此失去了很多飞行员。
macabre:adj.可怕的;以死亡为主题的;令人毛骨悚然的(等于macaber);
In fact, the aircraft companies gave up on vertical-takeoff aircraft more or less for a number of years. 事实上,飞机制造公司一度放弃了 垂直升降飞机 差不多几十年。
more or less:或多或少;
And there's really only one operational aircraft in the world today, that's a vertical-takeoff aircraft -- as distinct from a helicopter -- and that's the Hawker Harrier jump jet . 现在世界上投入运行的 可以垂直升降的飞机——不算直升飞机—— 只有一种,就是“鹞”式飞机。
distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的; Hawker:n.叫卖小贩;饲鹰者; Harrier:n.猎兔犬;越野竞走者;抢劫者,侵略者; jump jet:n.垂直起降喷气机;
A vertical-takeoff aircraft, like the hummingbird, has a very high metabolism , which means it requires a lot of energy. 垂直升降飞机, 就像蜂鸟一样 新陈代谢速度非常快 这意味着它们需要很多能量。
metabolism:n.[生理]新陈代谢;
Getting that energy is very, very difficult. It all comes down to that power plant -- how to get a large amount of power in a small package. 要获得这么多能量非常困难。 这一切都归结到发动机——如何在那么小的空间里提供那么大的动力。
power plant:n.发电厂;发电站;
Fortunately , Dr. Felix Wankel invented the rotary engine. 幸运地是,Felix Wankel 博士(一位德国工程师） 发明了旋转引擎。
Fortunately:adv.幸运地; rotary:adj.旋转的,转动的;轮流的;n.旋转式机器;[动力]转缸式发动机;
A very unique engine -- it's round, it's small, it's vibration-free. 一种非常特别的引擎——圆形, 体积小,没有震动。
unique:adj.独特的,稀罕的;[数]唯一的;n.独一无二的人或物;
It fits exactly where we need to fit it, right in the center of the hubs of the ducts in the system -- very critical. In fact that engine -- for those who are into the automobile -- know that it recently is applied to the RX8 -- the Mazda. 旋转引擎正好适合飞天车, 安装在轮毂的中央 这非常重要。事实上这种引擎—— 熟悉汽车行业的人知道—— 最近被应用在了RX8上 RX8是马自达赛车。
hubs:n.枢纽;中心(hub的复数);毂; ducts:n.[建]管道(duct的复数);通风管道; recently:adv.最近;新近;
And that sportscar won Sportscar of the Year. 而且正是这辆赛车被评为“年度最佳赛车”。
Wonderful engine. 旋转引擎是非常棒的引擎。
In that application , it generates one horsepower per pound, which is twice as good as your car engine today, but only half of what we need. 应用在马自达赛车上的引擎提供1马力/磅 那是现在普通汽车马力的两倍, 但是也只提供了我们需要的马力的一半。
application:n.应用;申请;应用程序;敷用; generates:[计]生成;发生; horsepower:n.马力(功率单位);
My company has spent 35 years and many millions of dollars taking that rotary engine, which was invented in the late '50s, and getting it to the point that we get over two horsepower per pound, reliably , and critical. 我的公司花了35年 和数百万美元来研究旋转引擎 把这个50年代末发明的东西改造成我们需要的 能够提供超过2马力/磅,可靠的引擎。
reliably:adv.可靠地;确实地;
We actually get 175 horsepower into one cubic foot. 我们已经能够得到每立方英尺 175 马力。
cubic:adj.立方体的,立方的;
We have eight engines in this vehicle. 我们安装了8台这样的引擎在这辆飞天车上。
We have four computers. We have two parachutes . 同时安装了4台电脑,2个降落伞。
parachutes:n.[航]降落伞(parachute的复数形式); v.跳伞(parachute的第三人称单数);
Redundancy is the critical issue here. 在这里冗余度非常重要。
If you want to stay alive you've got to have backups . 如果你不想发生任何意外的话你必须要有后备计划。
backups:n.[计]备份;
And we have actually flown this vehicle and lost an engine, and continued to hover. 实际上我们在飞行过程中的确有一个引擎失灵, 但是我们仍然可以飞行。
The computers back up each other. There's a voting system -- if one computer is not agreeing with the other three, it's kicked out of the system. 4台计算机可以相互补充。这里还有一套投票系统—— 如果一台计算机不同意其他3天, 那么这台计算机就被系统否决了。
And then you have three -- you still have the triple redundancy. 然后你还有3台计算机——3倍冗余。
triple:adj.三部分的; n.三倍的数[量]; v.成为三倍;
If one of those fails, you still have a second chance. 如果3台中又有一台失灵了,你还有第二次机会。
If you stick around , then good luck. 如果你被滞留在空中了,那么我只能说祝你好运了。
stick around:v.逗留;在附近徘徊;
There won't be a third chance. 不会再有第三次机会。
The parachutes are there -- hopefully, more for psychological than real reasons, but they will be an ultimate backup if it comes to that. 当然还有降落伞 其实降落伞更多是心理上给人安全感 那将是最后的选择,到万不得已的时候才用。
psychological:adj.心理的;心理学的;精神上的; ultimate:adj.最终的;极限的;根本的;n.终极;根本;基本原则;
(Laughter) （笑声）
I'd like to show you an animation in this next one, which is one element of the Skycar's use, but it's one that demonstrates how it could be used. 下面我要给大家看一个动画 这也是飞天车的 用途之一。 动画演示了如何应用飞天车。
animation:n.活泼,生气;激励;卡通片绘制; element:n.元素;要素;原理;成分;自然环境; demonstrates:v.证明;证实;论证;说明;演示;(demonstrate的第三人称单数)
You could think of it personally in your own terms, of how you might use it. 你可以试想如果你有一辆飞天车 你将如何使用它。
personally:adv.个人;亲自;本人;就本人而言;
Skycar dispatched , launch rescue vehicle for San Francisco. 飞天车被派出,到旧金山执行营救任务。
dispatched:v.派遣;调遣;派出;发出,发送;(dispatch的过去式和过去分词) launch:v.发射(导弹,火箭等); n.发射; rescue:n.救援;抢救;营救;获救;v.抢救;营救;援救;
I believe that personal transportation in something like the Skycar, probably in another volantor form as well, will be a significant part of our lives, as Dr. Goldin says, within the next 10 years. 我相信私人交通工具 就像飞天车这样 或者其他形式的飞天车, 将会是我们生活中一个重要的部分 就在未来10年内,如Goldin博士所预见。
transportation:n.运输;运输系统;运输工具;流放; significant:adj.重大的;有效的;有意义的;值得注意的;意味深长的;n.象征;有意义的事物;
And it's going to change the demographics in a very significant way. 到那时,飞天车将大大地改变人口的分布。
demographics:n.人口统计资料;
If you can live 75 miles from San Francisco and get there in 15 minutes, you're going to sell your 700,000-dollar apartment, buy an upscale home on the side of a mountain, buy a Skycar, which I think would be priced at that time perhaps in the area of 100,000 dollars, put money in the bank ... 试想:如果你可以住在离旧金山75英里外的地方并且在15分钟内到达旧金山, 你肯定会卖掉价值70万美元的公寓, 在山边买一套房子 和一辆飞天车, 我想到那时的价格总共只需要 10万美元,然后把其他的钱存进银行。
upscale:adj.迎合高层次消费者的;质优价高的;vt.升高一级;
that's a very significant incentive for getting out of San Francisco. 这将成为你存钱在银行的动机。。。
incentive:n.动机;刺激;adj.激励的;刺激的;
But you better be the first one out of town as the real estate values go to hell. 但是你得是第一个搬出来的人,在房价飞涨之前。
real estate:n.房地产;不动产;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Developing the Skycar has been a real challenge. 飞天车的研究是一个非常大的挑战。
Obviously I'm dependent on a lot of other people believing in what I'm doing -- both financially and in technical help. 很明显我依靠许多人 那些相信飞天车的人——经济上和技术上的帮助。
dependent on:依赖于;依靠; financially:adv.财政上;金融上; technical:adj.工艺的,科技的;技术上的;专门的;
And that has -- you run into situations where you have this great acceptance of what you're doing, and a lot of rejection of the same kind of thing. 同时 你也会发现你处于一种境地:很多人支持你的想法, 也有很多人反对你得想法。
acceptance:n.验收;接受;认可;承认; rejection:n.抛弃;拒绝;被抛弃的东西;盖帽;
I characterized this emerging technology in an aphorism , as it's described, which really talks about what I've experienced, and I'm sure what other people may have experienced in emerging technologies . 关于新兴科技 我有一句格言 它的内容 真正反映了我的经历 我肯定它也反映了其他很多人的经历 研究新兴科技的经历。
characterized:adj.以…为特点的; emerging:adj.新兴的;v.出现,浮现,露出;暴露;(emerge的现在分词) aphorism:n.格言;警句; technologies:n.技术;科技(technology的复数);
There's an interesting poll that came out recently under NAS -- 最近有一项很有趣的民意调查 国家科学院的调查
poll:n.投票; v.获得(票数); adj.当事人一方作成的;
I think it's MSNBC -- in which they asked the question, "Are you in the market for a volantor?" 我想是微软国家广播公司做的调查 调查中问到: “你会买飞天车吗？”
23 percent said, "Yes, as soon as possible." 23%的人回答“是,越快越好”
as soon as:一…就;
47 percent -- yes, as soon as they could -- price could come down. 47%的人回答“是,等价格降下来后”
23 percent said, "As soon as it's proven safe." 23%的人回答:“等到安全性被证明后”
Only 7 percent said that they wouldn't consider buying a Skycar. 只有7%的人说 他们绝对不会买飞天车。
I'm encouraged by that. At least it makes me feel like, to some extent , it is becoming self-evident . 这个调查大大地鼓励了我。至少它让我感觉到 飞天车从某种程度上讲是无须怀疑的趋势。
extent:n.程度;范围;长度; self-evident:adj.不言而喻的;不证自明的;
That we need an alternative to the automobile, at least for those 50-mile trips and more, so that the highways become usable in today's world. 我们的确需要一种交通工具来替代汽车 至少是代替50英里以上的出行 那样的话公路交通会更加有效
alternative:adj.供选择的;选择性的;交替的;n.二中择一;供替代的选择;
Thank you. 谢谢大家