湖北宜昌天問學校 王 晶

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迪拜官員表示，他們計劃使用中國制造的無人機，以推出自動飛行的空中出租車業(yè)務(wù)。中國制造的億航184無人機，擁有四組旋翼，可攜帶一名最高達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)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.

迪拜官員稱他們計劃引進中國制造的無人機，在不遠的將來推出自動飛行的空中出租車。中國制造的億航184無人機有四組旋翼。該無人機可以搭載一名體重最高達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表示，自動飛行的出租車已在這個城市進行了測試。他說，這個常規(guī)服務(wù)于7月正式實施。這個蛋殼狀的飛行器最高速度可達每小時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飛行過程都是自動操作的。無人機可以通過手機應(yīng)用軟件受理請求，可抵達系統(tǒng)批準的地點。乘客爬上無人機，在座位上已安裝的設(shè)備中輸入想抵達的地點。之后自動駕駛的飛行器會啟動，前往降落的位置。

億航公司表示無人機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)在中國完成了對184無人機的主要測試。該公司還開發(fā)和銷售了幾款由遠程設(shè)備控制的無人機模型給消費者。

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

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

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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