节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-21
难易度:High
关键字:accelerate, take the wheel, vein, customarily, GPS (global positioning
system), chauffeur
Hello. My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
Welcome to Studio Classroom.
Open up your magazine to the lesson entitled "Who's in the Driver's Seat?"
In today's TECHNOLOGY lesson, we'll take a closer look at the cars of the
future.
That's right, cars that drive themselves.
Have you ever wanted to just sit back and relax while driving your car?
What? Carolyn, that is dangerous.
You can either sit back and relax or drive your car, not both.
Right.
But in our world today, we are getting closer to being able to enjoy a trip in a
driverless car.
So let's get started with our lesson, Who's in the Driver's Seat?
(Music).
Who's in the Driver's Seat?
The race is on for cars that drive themselves.
Driving in traffic can be extremely stressful.
Pedestrians appear out of nowhere, cars suddenly pull out of parking spots, and
roads become slippery due to rain or snow.
Knowing when to break and when to accelerate in such situations is hard enough
for a human driver, let alone a robotic one.
But several carmakers - and a few tech companies - are working to convince
drivers to let driverless cars take the wheel.
Why make a driverless car?
Without question, the most anticipated benefit of driverless cars is improved
safety.
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
So who's in the driver's seat, you or your car?
When someone asks, "Who's in the driver's seat?" they're curious about who's in
control of the car.
Do people really ask this question, though, Carolyn?
Yes. People want to be safe, so they ask who's driving or who's in the driver's
seat.
If it's someone they don't trust or perhaps someone they think is a dangerous
driver, they won't get in the car.
Well, Carolyn, what about you?
Are you a careful or a dangerous driver?
Well, it's been a very long time since I've driven a car, Gabe.
But when I did drive, I think I was a pretty safe driver.
What about you?
I... I could be more careful when I drive.
Some people say that you can never be too careful.
I have been in one accident while driving my scooter.
But one accident is enough, trust me.
I agree.
And was anyone with you on the scooter?
Thankfully, no.
But I do tend to drive more carefully when someone is on the back of my scooter.
Well, like you said, you can never be too careful.
Something else I hear people say is that they trust you, but it's the other
drivers that they don't trust.
So that brings us to driverless cars.
If everyone had one, perhaps that would be the safest thing.
OK. Well, the race is on for cars that drive themselves.
Have you heard that phrase before, the race is on?
Here in our lesson, that means different companies are competing to see who can
create the best driverless car.
"Race" can be used in other ways, too.
Do you remember learning about the space elevator?
In that lesson we learned a little about the space race, a race between
countries to advance space technology and space travel.
And here, the race is on!
It's on?
Yes, it's already begun.
But I like that you said "It's on."
That's another phrase we use when agreeing to compete in some way.
For example, Carolyn...
Um, yes?
Let's see who can spell their own name faster.
Oh, it's on.
OK, on the count to three. One, two, three.
G-A-B-E.
C-A-R-O-L-Y-N.
I win.
Oh! But Gabe, that's not fair.
Your name is shorter.
OK, OK, you're right.
OK, how about this?
Let's see who can speak with a better British accent.
Oh, it's on.
So where do we begin?
Well, what does the first line of the lesson say?
Ah, good.
We read here: Driving in traffic can be extremely stressful.
Thank you. Your turn.
Driving in traffic can be extremely stressful.
By Jove, Gabe, I think I've won.
Indeed I think not, Carolyn.
In fact, I'm quite certain anybody from England watching our show was
laughing... or laughing because we both lost.
Yes. And there are so many British accents, not just one.
It's true.
Well, now it's your turn - not for a British accent.
Next time someone wants to compete with you, say "It's on."
Well, I agree with our lesson, driving can be stressful sometimes.
Pedestrians appear out of nowhere.
Before we continue that sentence, what does it mean to appear out of nowhere?
That means that something pops out, that you didn't even know it was there.
In this case, it's pedestrians, people whose mode of transportation is their own
two legs.
They appear out of nowhere.
Carolyn, this really bugs me.
What?
Well, sometimes when I drive, I have a fear of hitting people.
I always imagine that small children are just waiting for me to drive by so that
they can jump out and get me in trouble for running into them.
Uh, Gabe, I don't think that's what anybody wants to do.
Parents are teaching their kids to look both ways before they cross the road.
That's good.
Now, let's use that phrase "out of nowhere" in another way.
I was walking down the street when my friend came out of nowhere and gave me a
big hug.
Now that's a good thing.
You didn't expect it.
You could also say, "We were resting on the beach when, out of nowhere, it just
started raining."
Stuff seems to happen out of nowhere every now and then.
They are unexpected events.
Well, we see another thing here that causes stress: Cars suddenly pull out of
parking spots.
Yes. That's definitely something to be careful of.
A car can pull out by driving forward or it can pull out backward.
But if it pulls out backward, we can also say it is backing out of a parking
spot.
And cars pulling out or backing out, sometimes it happens suddenly.
We read another stress factor here: Roads becomes slippery due to rain or snow.
It can be quite scary to drive in rain.
While on my scooter, I felt my back tires spin on slippery surfaces.
Well, let's join Liz now as she discusses the phrase "let alone" from the
following sentence.
Hi there, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
In today's lesson we see this sentence:
Knowing when to break and when to accelerate in such situations is hard enough
for a human driver, let alone a robotic one.
Our Grammar Tip focus is on the phrase "let alone."
There are two meanings.
To let something or someone alone means to not bother something or someone,
like:
Just let him alone. He's having a bad day.
But to let alone something or someone means not to mention.
So today's sentence just means it's hard enough for a human driver to know when
to break and when to accelerate, not to mention a robotic one.
Use "let alone someone or something" to show how someone or something doesn't
even come close to a situation that's mentioned earlier.
For example: The child can't even say his name, let alone tell someone where he
lives.
Or: Thelma was so sick. She couldn't even walk to her front door, let alone to
the hospital.
So friends, give this phrase a try.
And if you want to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thanks, Liz.
Well, it seems that a lot of carmakers and tech companies are trying to convince
drivers to let driverless cars take the wheel.
Hey, when do we use that phrase?
Take the wheel?
When a driver needs to do something while driving, he'll ask the person in the
passenger seat to take the wheel sometimes.
That person will control the steering wheel while the driver is doing something
else.
Actually, Carolyn, can you take the wheel, please, while I take off these
gloves?
Oh... OK. Careful, Gabe, yes.
Thank you. All right.
All right.
Thank you, Carolyn. I'm good... I can drive now.
OK... Here you go.
Wow. Well, we have reached the end of our time for this section.
But don't go away.
We have more to enjoy right after this.