Dubai plans to use Chinese-made drones as self-flying air taxis

湖北宜昌天問學(xué)校 王 晶

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迪拜官員表示，他們計(jì)劃使用中國(guó)制造的無(wú)人機(jī)，以推出自動(dòng)飛行的空中出租車業(yè)務(wù)。中國(guó)制造的億航184無(wú)人機(jī)，擁有四組旋翼，可攜帶一名最高達(dá)100公斤的乘客以及一小件行李。

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Dubai officials said they plan to use Chinesemade drones(遙控飛機(jī))to launch a self-flying air taxi in the near future.The Chinese-made EHang 184 drone has four propeller(螺旋槳)wings.It is designed to transport one passenger—weighing up to 100 kilograms—and a small piece of luggage.

The head of Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Authority said the autonomous taxi has already been tested in the city-state.He said regular service is expected to begin by July.The egg-shaped aircraft can reach a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour.It can operate for up to 30 minutes on a single battery charge,with a flying range of 50 kilometers.

A video demonstration (示范)of the air taxi showed the whole trip being automated.Drones can be requested through an app to arrive at anapprovedpickup location.The passenger then climbs in and enters the desired destination into a device built into the seat.The auto-piloted aircraft then powers up,takes offand heads to the drop-off location.

Officials from EHang said all movements and functions of the drone will bemonitoredby people in a “Command and Control Center” on the ground.The person inside the aircraft will also be able to communicate with the command center if needed.

迪拜官員稱他們計(jì)劃引進(jìn)中國(guó)制造的無(wú)人機(jī)，在不遠(yuǎn)的將來(lái)推出自動(dòng)飛行的空中出租車。中國(guó)制造的億航184無(wú)人機(jī)有四組旋翼。該無(wú)人機(jī)可以搭載一名體重最高達(dá)100公斤的乘客，以及一小件行李。

迪拜道路及交通管理局局長(zhǎng)表示，自動(dòng)飛行的出租車已在這個(gè)城市進(jìn)行了測(cè)試。他說(shuō)，這個(gè)常規(guī)服務(wù)于7月正式實(shí)施。這個(gè)蛋殼狀的飛行器最高速度可達(dá)每小時(shí)160公里。單塊電池充好電可支撐飛行30分鐘，飛行50公里。

空中出租車的演示視頻顯示整個(gè)飛行過程都是自動(dòng)操作的。無(wú)人機(jī)可以通過手機(jī)應(yīng)用軟件受理請(qǐng)求，可抵達(dá)系統(tǒng)批準(zhǔn)的地點(diǎn)。乘客爬上無(wú)人機(jī)，在座位上已安裝的設(shè)備中輸入想抵達(dá)的地點(diǎn)。之后自動(dòng)駕駛的飛行器會(huì)啟動(dòng)，前往降落的位置。

億航公司表示無(wú)人機(jī)所有的操作和功能都被地面“指揮和控制中心”的人監(jiān)控。飛行器內(nèi)的乘客如有需要，也可和控制中心的人溝通。

EHang said it has done major testing on its 184 vehicle in China over the past few years.It has also developed and sold several drone models controlled by remote devices to consumers.

The company has said the drones could have other uses apart from carrying passengers in the air in busy cities.They could also help in emergency rescue operations or deliver human organs.

Dubai is the commercial capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf.Officials there have long been pushing to adopt high-tech transportation alternatives.The ruler of the city-state has said that by 2030,at least 25 percent of all passenger trips are to be completed with driverless vehicles.

億航表示過去幾年他們已經(jīng)在中國(guó)完成了對(duì)184無(wú)人機(jī)的主要測(cè)試。該公司還開發(fā)和銷售了幾款由遠(yuǎn)程設(shè)備控制的無(wú)人機(jī)模型給消費(fèi)者。

億航公司還表示，無(wú)人機(jī)除了可以在繁華城市上空搭載乘客外，也可有其他用途。無(wú)人機(jī)還可協(xié)助緊急營(yíng)救或運(yùn)輸人體器官。

迪拜是波斯灣蘊(yùn)藏豐富石油資源的阿聯(lián)酋的商業(yè)中心。當(dāng)?shù)毓賳T一直以來(lái)推行采用高科技交通方式。迪拜的統(tǒng)治者曾說(shuō)，到2030年，至少百分之二十五的出行都由無(wú)人駕駛車輛達(dá)成。

Reading check

1.What is the Chinese-made EHang 184 drone designed to do?

A.To carry a passenger with little luggage.

B.To carry large amounts of luggage.

C.To do scientific research in the city.

D.To take the place of city taxis.

2.How far can the aircraft fly at most on a single battery and back?

A.80 kilometers. B.50 kilometers.

C.40 kilometers. D.20 kilometers.

3.In orderto take the aircraft,the passenger________.

A.must go where the aircraft is located

B.can wait at the approved pickup location

C.must make a call to the aircraft company

D.has to watch a video demonstration first

4.What does the underlined word “monitor”most probably mean?

A.take over. B.watch over.

C.hand over. D.get over.

5.What can we infer about the drones from the passage?

A.The drones have been now under massproduced.

B.The drones have been popular in the past few years.

C.The drones can be helpful in medical field.

D.The drones can be dangerous to take.

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