2017考研英语拓展阅读：美国快递公司试验无人机送货系统

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2017考研英语拓展阅读：美国快递公司试验无人机送货系统

　　MARBLEHEAD, MASS. — One of the world’s largest package delivery companies is stepping up efforts to integrate drones into its system.

　　马萨诸塞州马布尔黑德报道——世界最大的快递公司之一开始尝试把无人机添加到他们的快递系统中。

　　UPS has partnered with robot-maker CyPhy Works to test the use of drones to make commercial deliveries to remote or difficult-to-access locations.

　　联合包裹服务公司已经和机器人制造商赛凡信息科技有限公司合作，进行利用无人机来向偏远地区送商业快递的试验。

　　The companies began testing the drones on Thursday, when they launched one from the seaside town of Marblehead. The drone flew on a programmed route for 3 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver an inhaler at Children’s Island.

　　无人机试验在周四开始，试验人员在马布尔黑德的海边小镇发射了一架无人机。无人机按照程序编订的路线，跨越大西洋飞了3英里，把一个吸入器送到了童之岛。

　　The successful landing was greeted by jubilant shouts from CyPhy Works and UPS employees on the island to witness the test.

　　等在岛上的赛凡和联合包裹员工见证了无人机的成功着陆，他们发出了激动人心的欢呼。

　　"I thought it was fantastic," said John Dodero, UPS vice president for industrial engineering.

　　“我觉得这太奇妙了。”联合包裹服务公司工业工程副总裁约翰·多德罗说。

　　CyPhy Works founder Helen Greiner, who previously co-founded robot-maker iRobot, said the drone tests with UPS allow her company to gather engineering and cost information and then work with UPS to look at where drones can add the most value to UPS’ extensive network.

　　赛凡科技的创始人海伦·格莱纳也是机器人制造商iRobot的联合创始人之一，她说和联合包裹的无人机试验使她们公司能够把工程学和成本信息结合起来，合作可以让他们看到如何提升联合包裹广阔网络的最大价值。

　　Still, the robot-maker doesn’t see drones replacing delivery trucks, bikes, buggies or gondolas anytime soon.

　　但是，这家机器人制造商并不认为无人机会在短时间内代替送货卡车、自行车、送货小三轮或者敞篷车。

　　"Drones aren’t going to take the place of all delivery, but there are places where you have inaccessible location, an emergency situation where the infrastructure is down, you want or need the package quickly — these are the areas where drones will be the best way to get a package to a location," Greiner said.

　　“无人机不会取代所有送快递方式的，只有在偏远地区、基础设施被毁的紧急情况下，你着急收到包裹的时候才会使用——在那种情况下，无人机的用途才达到了最大化。”格莱纳说。

　　It’s not all clear skies for drones, though.

　　不过，无人机并不是完全没有争议的。

　　Newly revised federal aviation regulations don’t permit commercial drones to fly over people not involved in their operations and require them to remain within line of sight of their operators at all times, effectively rendering commercial deliveries impossible. But those restrictions aren’t keeping drone-makers and their partners from racing to develop technology suitable for commercial deliveries while they work with regulators to tweak existing rules.

　　新修订的联邦航空管理条例不允许商用无人机飞过没有操控他们的人群，并要求无人机必须随时保持在操控者的视线之内，这在很大程度上使无人机很难投放商用。但是这些限制并没有让无人机制造商及其合作伙伴停止开发适用于商用快递技术，另一方面，他们也在和监管机构合作，对现有规则进行调整。

　　United Parcel Service Inc., based in Atlanta, isn’t the only company testing drones. Wal-Mart is testing drones it says will help it manage its warehouse inventory more efficiently, and Amazon.com is testing them for home delivery.

　　位于亚特兰大的联合包裹服务公司，并不是唯一一家试验无人机的公司，沃尔玛也在试验无人机，并表示无人机可以帮助更有效地控制仓库库存情况，亚马逊也在试验无人机家庭投递业务。

　　CyPhy Works Inc., based in Danvers, manufactures tethered surveillance drones capable of remaining airborne for hours while streaming reconnaissance data that can’t be intercepted, jammed or spoofed.

　　赛凡信息科技有限公司位于丹佛斯，该公司制造能够滞空数小时的监控无人机，同时还能传输不会被拦截、干扰或者蒙蔽的侦察数据。

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