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  1. VOR 19 STD.

    第2863期:The rise of machine 2

    We're returning to the topic of automation. Now last podcast we talked about how jobs were affected more in the manufacturing area, wasn't it Richard? Yes, we were talking about the production line and machines doing repetitive jobs in factories, weren't we?我们回到自动化这个话题。上期播客我们讨论了自动化对制造业的影响,对吧,Richard?是的,我们当时谈的是生产线,以及机器在工厂里如何执行重复性工作,对吗? Yes, and now we want to have a little look at the future and how businesses and jobs are going to be affected. The big change, in the past, machines did jobs in the manufacturing sector.没错,而现在我们想看看未来商业和工作将如何受到影响。最大的变化是:过去机器主要替代的是制造业的工作。 It looks now as if the future, it will be the service sector jobs that are going to be lost. Can you give an example? Well, driverless taxi cabs. They're going to have taxis with no drivers going around the cities and this is actually happening now.而现在看来,未来将失去的将是服务业的工作。你能举例吗?比如无人驾驶出租车。未来城市里会有没有司机的出租车四处行驶,而这件事现在已经在发生。 For instance, in Australia, we've got huge mines and they have the robots doing all the drilling. They've got driverless trucks and driverless trains. So there's hardly anyone in the mine at all.例如在澳大利亚,他们的大型矿区已经用机器人进行所有钻探工作。他们有无人驾驶卡车和无人驾驶火车。因此矿区几乎看不到人。 So in the near future, more regular driving jobs could be lost. Yes, but also more interestingly is that even today, 30% of time spent in the workplace in the United States is spent collecting and processing data. And so therefore, a lot of jobs in the insurance industry, the finance industry, they could be in jeopardy.所以在不久的将来,更多传统驾驶类工作可能会消失。是的,但更有趣的是,即使在今天,美国职场中有 30% 的时间都花在数据收集和处理上。因此,保险业、金融业的许多岗位都可能面临风险。 OK, I can understand that because they receive lots of data. I mean, not unlike playing chess or something. And then they have to decide what's the best thing to do.好的,我能理解,因为他们处理大量数据。这有点像下棋,需要分析,再决定最佳行动。 But robots can do that. Exactly. The computers can do the number crunching and come out with the answers.但机器人可以做到这一点。没错,电脑可以进行大量计算,并给出答案。 Right. Yes, so that means that we have computers now in insurance industries calculating credit scores and even managing stock portfolios. So when we have the situation of blue-collar jobs disappearing, we've now got, you know, the future is almost that white-collar jobs are disappearing.是的,这意味着如今保险行业已经有电脑在计算信用评分,甚至管理股票投资组合。所以,过去是蓝领工作在消失,而未来几乎是白领工作也开始消失。 It's often a lot of the highly-paid jobs are just as much at risk as the low-paid jobs. Can you give an example, though, Richard, of jobs that won't be affected by automation? Yes.很多高薪工作面临的风险并不比低薪工作小。那么你能举例说明哪些工作不会被自动化取代吗,Richard?可以。 The things that machines can't do very well require a high degree of flexibility and physical adaptability and human interaction. And creativity. Exactly.那些机器不擅长的工作需要高度灵活性、身体适应性,以及人与人之间的互动。还有创造力。没错。 So the jobs that shouldn't be at risk are in health care, dentists, doctors, surgeons.因此不会太受影响的工作包括医疗领域:牙医、医生、外科医生。 Teachers. And also in the education industry, teachers, social workers, psychologists, those sorts of things.教师。还有教育行业中的教师、社会工作者、心理学家等等。 Right. OK. Oh, good news for us then. Yes.好的。那么这对我们来说是个好消息。是的。 Yes. So the nature of work is changing, isn't it? A lot of jobs are disappearing. So it's very important for people, therefore, possibly to be retrained.没错。工作的性质正在改变,不是吗?许多岗位正在消失。因此,人们可能需要重新培训,这非常重要。 So what about you, the listener? Are you worried about losing your job because of automation? Are you thinking aboutretraining? Or perhaps even you're doing a job caused by automation. We'd love to hear from you.那么你呢,听众朋友?你会担心因为自动化而失去工作吗?你是否考虑过重新培训?或者你现在的工作就是因自动化而产生的?我们很想听听你的想法。

    3 Min.
  2. VOR 1 TAG

    第2862期:Ransomware

    Now, we've already had a podcast about computer hacking,we're talking about a different kind of cybercrime, ransomware. Richard, what is ransomware? Well, it's a specific type of malware that blocks access to a computer and then demands money to release that computer. Oh, you mean like a ransom? It is a ransom, yes.我们之前做过一期关于电脑黑客的播客,但今天我们要讨论另一种网络犯罪——勒索软件。Richard,什么是勒索软件?嗯,它是一种特定的恶意软件,会阻止你访问电脑,然后要求付钱才能解锁。哦,就像是勒索?没错,就是勒索。 And it's in the news at the moment because? A lot of big companies have been hit with a latest piece of software. And basically they can't work unless they pay money. Yes, unless you've got a backup, of course.那它最近为什么上新闻呢?因为很多大公司都被最新的这款软件攻击了。基本上,他们付钱之前什么也做不了。是的,除非你有备份。 Right, okay. How does it work, Richard? How does ransomware work? Well, to get it on your computer, you have to open often an email that has an infected Word document or PDF. And then once you've opened that document, it's on your computer, and then it can spread to other computers on your network.好,那它是怎么运作的呢,Richard?勒索软件到底如何运行?通常,你需要打开一封包含受感染 Word 文档或 PDF 的邮件。一旦你打开了那个文档,它就进入你的电脑,然后可以扩散到你网络中的其他电脑。 If you're in a big company, it can go through the network very quickly. So you get it on your computer, right? Then what happens? Well, once it's on your computer, it encrypts all the files on that computer. Which means you can't access them? You can't.如果你是在一家大公司,它会非常迅速地在网络中传播。所以感染进入你的电脑后,会发生什么?它会加密你电脑上的所有文件。也就是说,你无法访问了?完全无法。 And a message pops up asking for payment to decrypt your computer and instructions on how to pay. And it threatens to destroy all the data on your computer if you don't pay, often within a time limit. And so what kind of amounts are they asking for? Not huge amounts per computer.然后屏幕上会弹出一个消息,要求你付钱才能解密你的电脑,并告诉你如何付款。如果你不付钱,它会威胁要销毁你电脑中的所有数据,通常还会设定时间限制。他们一般索要多少钱?对每台电脑来说不算很高。 This latest attack was $300. Right. And it's always, the problem is, of course, the payment is by Bitcoin.最近一次攻击的金额是 300 美元。对。而麻烦的是,他们总是要求用比特币支付。 Oh, no. Okay, we did another podcast all about Bitcoins. So that's the cyber currency.哦,不会吧。我们之前还做过一期关于比特币的播客。那是一种网络货币。 Yes. So presumably difficult to trace. Well, because I was going to ask you, Richard, who's behind it? Well, exactly.对。所以 presumably 就很难追踪。其实我正想问你,Richard,到底是谁在背后操控这些?没错,这正是问题所在。 No one knows. If anyone does pay up, they are instructed to pay with Bitcoin, which is notoriously difficult to trace. However, because this latest attack was so widespread, there are a lot of people working on it to trace these guys.没人知道。如果有人付钱,他们会被要求用比特币付款,而比特币出了名地难以追踪。不过,由于最近这次攻击范围很广,已经有很多专业人员在试图追查幕后黑手。 Okay. So what can people do about this? Is there some kind of defense? Very, very simple. Keep your computer up to date with the latest software.那人们能做些什么?有没有防御方法?非常简单:保持你的电脑软件是最新版本。 Oh, really? Yes. Okay. So in Britain, right, the NHS, a huge institution, was affected by this ransomware.哦,真的吗?是的。好,那英国的 NHS(国家医疗体系)这么大的机构也受到了攻击? Are you telling me they just simply weren't keeping up to date with the latest software? Yes. This particular piece of malware uses a vulnerability in Windows computers, which has been known about since April. Microsoft issued a patch, but not everyone patched their software, including the NHS, Telefonica in Spain, and a number of other big companies.你是说他们只是没有更新软件?没错。这款恶意软件利用了 Windows 的一个漏洞,这个漏洞从四月起就已经被公开了。微软也发布了补丁,但不是每个人都更新了,包括 NHS、西班牙的 Telefónica,以及许多其他大公司。 So basic just human error, really, people too busy or not realizing the importance? Well, some of these corporate systems are enormous, so it's very difficult to keep them all up to date.所以基本就是人为疏忽,人太忙或不了解其重要性?嗯,其中一些大型机构的系统庞大得惊人,要全部保持最新确实非常困难。 Well, ransomware is the big thing in the news at the moment, Richard, but as far as business is concerned, it's not a one-off, is it? It certainly isn't. In a recent survey by a computer security firm, they found that 50% of businesses in the UK have been targeted by ransomware in the last year alone.现在勒索软件正是新闻热点,Richard,但对于企业而言,这并不是偶发事件,对吧?当然不是。某家计算机安全公司最近的调查显示,仅过去一年,英国有 50% 的企业都曾成为勒索软件攻击的目标。 But are you really saying that all people need to do is to keep up to date with their software? Yes, it's as simple as that. These vulnerabilities in computer software are found all the time, and then the manufacturers release a patch, make sure you have your software completely up to date at all times, and then you'll be safe.但你真的是在说,人们所需要做的只是保持软件更新吗?是的,就这么简单。电脑软件中的漏洞一直在被发现,而厂商也会不断发布补丁。确保你的软件始终保持最新,你就能安全。

    4 Min.
  3. VOR 2 TAGEN

    第2861期:Pets at work

    It's becoming more and more popular to take a pet to work. We're looking at the advantages and disadvantages of pets at work. Now, you say pets, it's mainly dogs though, isn't it? Yes, yes.带宠物上班变得越来越流行。我们今天来看一下宠物在工作场所的利与弊。你说宠物,其实主要是指狗,对吧?是的,是的。 Now, Nestlé's corporate headquarters in Gatwick, Richard, they've allowed dogs to come to work for a couple of years now, okay? The dogs aren't working, though. No, the dogs aren't working. And they claim three key benefits.现在,说到雀巢在盖特威克的公司总部,Richard,他们允许员工带狗上班已经有好几年了。狗当然不是来“上班”的。对,狗并不会工作。他们认为这带来了三个主要好处。 Oh, right. Can you guess what those could be? Well, I think with dogs, the overall feeling in the office is maybe more relaxed, it relaxes the workforce. Yep, yep.哦,好的。你能猜到是什么吗?嗯,我觉得有狗在办公室,整体气氛会更轻松,有助于让员工放松。嗯,对。 They say people are seen to be friendlier. Hmm, I can see that. Yeah, and more approachable if there's a dog present in the office.他们说,有狗在办公室时,人们看起来会更友善。嗯,我能理解。是的,而且也更容易接近。 Hmm. Okay, something else? Friendlier but also maybe calms people down, they give the animals a stroke, something like that. So it lowers the heart rate.嗯。好,还有别的吗?更友好之外,可能还能让人冷静下来,比如摸摸狗之类的行为,会降低心率。 Yeah, it does. Well done, Richard. They say the dogs lower stress.对,确实如此。说得好,Richard。他们说狗能减轻压力。 Lower stress, exactly. That's what I was thinking. So yeah, lower heart rate and lower blood pressure.减轻压力,对,就是这个。我刚刚也在想。所以,心率更低,血压也更低。 And also those who work on their own feel less lonely. Okay, yep, that's true. They say what happens is that someone will go up to someone who's got a dog ride, and they'll say, you know, can I take your dog for a walk? So they have these kind of brief positive exchanges with people they would not normally speak to.此外,那些独自工作的人会觉得没那么孤单。好的,是的,这是真的。他们说经常会有人走到养狗的同事身边,问能不能带狗出去散步?于是就会有一些简短但积极的互动,而这些人平时可能根本不会交谈。 Right, yes, yes, I can see that. Now that's all well and good, Jackie, but also I can see a few negative things in the background. For a start, well, two things, the dogs not getting on with each other.好,是的,我能理解。但这些都是优点,Jackie。不过我也能想到一些潜在的缺点。首先,有两点,比如狗之间可能相处不好。 Yes, okay, that's one thing that they've taken into consideration. They say that there's a three-month probationary period. Okay, so the dogs have to kind of pass the test.是的,他们确实考虑到了这一点。他们设定了三个月的试用期。也就是说狗必须通过这个“测试”。 So if they don't get on with the other dogs, after a while, they're not allowed to come. And productivity. I know I've been in an office where people smoke, and people go out for a cigarette for five minutes, and they're gone for half an hour.如果一段时间后它和别的狗相处不好,那就不能再来了。还有生产力问题。我以前在某个办公室,人们说出去抽五分钟烟,结果半小时才回来。 With dogs, maybe people have to take them out to do their business, and maybe they've gone for a walk for half an hour or even longer.带狗上班的话,人们可能要带它们出去“方便”,结果可能也是半小时甚至更久。 Yeah, but I think they'll be at lunchtime, Richard. But also, you see, linked to that, people are doing more exercise because they're taking the dog for a walk.是的,但我想这些通常会在午餐时间进行,Richard。而且你看,从另一个角度讲,人们因为带狗散步反而运动更多了。 Yes, I suppose so. And also, what about the smell or people who are allergic to dogs?嗯,我想也是。不过,那味道怎么办?还有对狗过敏的人呢? Very good point. They have considered all of these things, Richard, and there are areas where the dogs are not allowed to go.提得很好。他们也考虑到了这些问题,Richard,所以办公室里有一些区域是禁止狗进入的。 There are specific no-go areas. But they're loose in other places? Yeah, loose in certain areas, yeah. But they're under control, Richard.有专门的禁入区域。那在其他地方就自由活动?是的,在一些区域可以自由活动。但仍然在控制范围内,Richard。 They wouldn't be our dogs then, that's for sure. Oh, come on. You see, all she would do is sleep all day underneath the chair, which is where she is right now.那就绝对不是我们的狗了。哎呀,别这样。你知道她一整天都会在椅子底下睡觉,就像现在一样。 Right, okay, I suppose so, yes. And Betty wouldn't pass, so she wouldn't be able to go.好吧,我想也是。而 Betty 肯定通不过试用期,所以她不能来。 Yes, well, you've almost sold me on that, but I have to say I'm still a little bit... I'm not so sure.是的,你差不多说服我了,但我还是有点……不太肯定。 I'd like to experience it first. Well, you're right, Richard. There were certainly plenty of reservations before they started to do this, right? How long have they been going now? For a couple of years now.我想先亲身体验一下。你说得没错,Richard。他们刚开始实施的时候也确实顾虑重重。那他们实行多久了?已经好几年了。 But now when they ask staff how they feel about it, they are overwhelmingly positive about the experience and the staff are very happy, including people who said that they were allergic to dogs themselves.但现在,当他们询问员工的感受时,大家的反馈几乎全是正面的,员工都非常满意,包括那些自称对狗过敏的人。 Well, that's fantastic. Well, we certainly allow dogs in our office and we shall continue to do that as well.太好了。那我们办公室当然也要继续允许带狗上班.

    4 Min.
  4. VOR 2 TAGEN

    第2861a期:The rise of machine

    We have the first of two podcasts on automation. Now automation, it's got a kind of a scary sound to it, Richard, but it's been going on for some time, hasn't it?我们今天有两期关于自动化的播客,这是第一期。自动化这个词听起来有点吓人,Richard,但它其实已经存在很久了,对吧? Yes, robots replacing humans. It really started with the first industrial revolution in the 1700s.是的,机器人取代人类。这实际上始于18世纪的第一次工业革命。 OK. Which was when people started using steam to replace basically the muscles of people. OK, can you give an example? We're talking about manufacturing.没错,那时候人们开始用蒸汽动力来取代人的体力。你能举个例子吗?我们说的是制造业方面。 Yes, the inventions of things called the spinning jenny and the flying shuttle. So we're talking about the cloth and the cotton mills, Richard. Exactly, yes.当然,比如“珍妮纺纱机”和“飞梭”等发明。所以我们说的是布料和棉纺工厂,Richard。没错,就是这些。 And following on from that, we come to the second industrial revolution, which was all about using electrical power for mass production. And we often think of in the early 20th century, the production of the Model T Ford motorcar, for instance, the assembly line.接着就是第二次工业革命,它主要是利用电力进行大规模生产。我们常会想到20世纪初的例子,比如福特T型车的生产,也就是装配线。 Now then we come to the third industrial revolution, and that's more modern using electronics and information technology to automate production.之后就是第三次工业革命,更现代一些,利用电子技术和信息技术实现生产自动化。 OK, can you just give an example of that? Well, it's getting machines to do the repetitive jobs like involved in packing and again in manufacturing.你能举个例子吗?就是让机器来完成重复性工作,比如包装,或者制造业中的重复工序。 OK, so again, you could take the car industry, lots of those robots with those hands coming out, putting all the...比如汽车行业,那些带着机械手臂的机器人在操作,把所有的—— The rivets and screws in, yes. And painting the cars as well.铆钉和螺丝装上去,对,还有给汽车喷漆。 All those things. OK, so where are we now then, Richard? Well, we're continuing with that. And actually, we talk about a lot of jobs being lost to these automated processes.所有这些工作都是机器人在做。那么现在我们处于哪个阶段呢,Richard?我们还在延续这种趋势。实际上,我们常常讨论许多工作正在被自动化流程取代。 But they think in the near future and now, 90% of jobs in the garment and footwear industries in Cambodia and Vietnam are at risk of an automated assembly line, so-called so-bots.但他们认为,在不久的将来,甚至现在,柬埔寨和越南的服装和鞋类行业中有90%的工作,都可能被自动化流水线取代,也就是所谓的“缝纫机器人(sew-bots)”。 OK. What on earth is a so-bot? Well, a robot that does the sewing.什么是“缝纫机器人”?就是能够进行缝纫的机器人。 So they're making the shoes. Oh, the robots can make shoes? They can make shoes from start to finish now. And in fact, those jobs were outsourced to Southeast Asia.所以它们能够制作鞋子。哦,机器人能做鞋?它们现在能从头到尾做完整双鞋。而且这些工作过去是外包到东南亚的。 Now they're coming back. Adidas is building a factory right now that will make shoes. And this factory, there's only going to be 160 people working in it.现在这些生产工作又回来了。阿迪达斯正在建造一座鞋类工厂,而这家工厂只需要160名工人。 Wow. I suppose all of this has got a double-edged sword, Richard, because obviously a lot of goods are going to be cheaper, aren't they? But then jobs are at risk. Yes.哇。我想这些事情都是双刃剑,Richard,因为商品肯定会变得更便宜,对吧?但与此同时,工作岗位会面临风险。是的。 The big advantage is automation means cheaper goods because you're not paying for people to make these things. But that means the people are out of work.最大的优势是,自动化意味着商品更便宜,因为你不需要支付人工成本。但这也意味着工人失业。 And you can see that, can't you, already in places like the US? Yes.你已经能在一些地方看到这种情况了,比如美国,对吗?没错。 A good example is what they call the Rust Belt in the Midwest of America. They used to make lots of things in their factories, but now machines are doing it or these jobs are being outsourced to other countries.一个典型例子就是美国中西部的“铁锈地带(Rust Belt)”。那里过去有大量工厂生产各种东西,但现在要么由机器完成,要么这些工作被外包到其他国家。 So it's not from lack of funds that these factories are just laying there and rusting, literally. It's because machines are doing the work. Better and cheaper.所以这些工厂并不是因为缺钱而闲置、生锈。真正原因是机器能把工作做得更好更便宜。 Hmm. So that sounds like worrying times then. It is worrying times. But in the future, it's not just going to be manufacturing jobs that are going to be lost.嗯,所以听起来是令人担忧的时代。确实很令人担忧。但未来不仅仅是制造业的工作会消失。 The service industry is next. OK. So for the next podcast, we'll be looking at the future.接下来受影响的是服务业。好的,我们将在下一期播客中讨论未来的发展。

    4 Min.
  5. VOR 4 TAGEN

    第2859期:Is your showerhead as clean as you think?

    This is a city like no other. An invisible army of microbes live here, including bacteria, fungi, moulds and mites, and it's the one place you'd have hoped would be clean – your showerhead.这是一座与众不同的“城市”。这里住着一支看不见的微生物大军,包括细菌、真菌、霉菌和螨虫,而这地方正是你最希望保持干净的地方——你的淋浴喷头。 If you unscrew it and take a peek inside, you might be surprised as to what you find – quite possibly a slimy dark biofilm. When you switch on the shower, it's not just steam and water that come out, but a blast of microbes as well.如果你把喷头旋开往里看,你可能会被里面的东西吓一跳——很可能是一层黏糊糊的暗色生物膜。当你打开淋浴时,不只是蒸汽和水喷出来,还有一阵微生物被一起喷出。 Rob Dunn, an evolutionary biologist from North Carolina State University, calls showerheads extreme environments because they are either bone-dry or soaking wet. Once you've showered, the head remains warm and dries out undisturbed, creating the perfect ecosystem for bacteria to feed on dissolved nutrients from the water.北卡罗来纳州立大学的进化生物学家 Rob Dunn 称淋浴喷头是一种“极端环境”,因为它们要么完全干燥,要么完全湿透。洗完澡后,喷头保持温暖并在无人打扰的情况下慢慢变干,这为细菌提供了完美的生态系统,它们可以靠水中溶解的养分生存。 It seems the majority of us don't need to worry about catching a bug from having a shower though. "Only showers contaminated with Legionella and other opportunistic pathogens pose a risk," says Frederik Hammes, a drinking water microbiologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology in Switzerland.不过,大多数人似乎不需要担心因为洗澡而感染细菌。瑞士联邦水科学与技术研究所的饮用水微生物学家 Frederik Hammes 表示:“只有被军团菌等机会性致病菌污染的淋浴喷头才会构成风险。” Meanwhile, one study in the US found that warmer areas, like Florida and Hawaii, with higher chlorine levels tend to have more pathogenic mycobacteria, which can lead to higher rates of a chronic lung infection called non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease.同时,美国的一项研究发现,在佛罗里达、夏威夷等温暖地区,水中氯含量较高的地方往往含有更多致病性分支杆菌,这可能导致一种名为“非结核分枝杆菌(NTM)肺病”的慢性肺部感染发病率更高。 This is likely because the showerhead has less time to dry out in more tropical climates, so bacteria can grow more easily.这很可能是因为在热带气候下,喷头没有足够的时间完全干燥,所以细菌更容易繁殖。 Even if becoming ill from your showerhead is highly unlikely, you'd probably still like to reduce the number of bacteria coming out when you're trying to get clean.即使因淋浴喷头而生病的可能性极低,你在洗澡时大概仍然希望减少从喷头喷出的细菌数量。 One study found that the spray pattern of your shower makes a difference – mist mode spreads NTM cells a lot more than a massage or rain showerhead, for example.有研究发现,喷头的喷水模式也会影响细菌扩散。例如,雾状喷洒模式比按摩式或雨淋式喷头传播更多 NTM 细胞。 Higher temperatures have also been shown to spread microbes more easily. The best way to keep bacteria away though is to regularly clean your showerhead by descaling it or soaking it in lemon juice.研究还表明,高温会更加促进微生物扩散。而减少细菌的最佳方法是定期清洁喷头,例如除水垢或浸泡在柠檬汁中。 Since we can't fully eradicate the microbes in our showers, and we like to stay clean, we'll have to learn to coexist with them.既然我们无法彻底消灭淋浴中的微生物,而我们又喜欢保持清洁,那么我们只能学会与它们共存。

    3 Min.
  6. VOR 5 TAGEN

    第2858期:Death of diesel

    We're talking about the future of diesel. Richard, does diesel have a future? Yes and no. It certainly doesn't if you live in the city, because many cities are banning diesel cars in the near future.我们来谈谈柴油车的未来。Richard,柴油车还有未来吗?有,也没有。如果你住在城市里,那基本上是没有的,因为很多城市将在不久的将来禁止柴油车。 Paris, for example. IncludingParisand a number of other cities are considering it, yes. And also, Volvo have recently announced that all their vehicles will be electric or hybrid from 2019.比如巴黎。是的,包括巴黎在内的许多城市都在考虑禁用柴油车。此外,沃尔沃最近宣布,自2019年起,他们所有的车辆将是电动车或混合动力车。 So you mean they're going to stop making diesel vehicles? Yes. So why is there such a negative attitude now towards diesel? Well, it all stems from the VW emissions scandal a few years ago. Which we did a podcast about.所以你的意思是他们要停止生产柴油车?是的。那么为什么现在对柴油会有如此负面的态度呢?这全部源于几年前大众汽车的排放造假丑闻。我们当时还为此做过一期播客。 We did. Briefly, VW were making their car so they could fake the results for testing. And they found that their diesel cars were much more polluting than advertised.确实做过。简单来说,大众制造汽车时让它们能够在测试中作弊。而事实证明,他们的柴油车比宣传的污染严重得多。 OK, so they were making it look like diesel cars were a good thing to buy, but in fact they weren't. Exactly. But Richard, even before that scandal, diesel was always promoted as a good environmental option.好的,所以他们让柴油车看起来像是很好的选择,但实际上并不是。没错。不过 Richard,即使在那场丑闻之前,柴油车一直被宣传成环保的选择。 Yes. And that stems from the difference between the petrol engine and the diesel engine. Right.是的。这源自汽油发动机和柴油发动机之间的差异。确实。 Which is? Well, diesels are actually more efficient than petrol engines and they produce less carbon dioxide. OK.那是什么差异?柴油发动机实际上比汽油发动机更高效,并且产生的二氧化碳更少。好的。 However, more recently they've found that they produce more nitrogen dioxide, which is bad for the health, and more particulate matter, basically stuff, fumes, which can cause cancer.然而,近年来人们发现柴油车会排放更多的二氧化氮,这对健康有害,同时也会产生更多颗粒物,就是那些可能致癌的烟雾。 And those are worse than CO2 emissions, are they? They're certainly worse for your immediate health. Right. Yes.这些排放比二氧化碳更糟吗?它们确实对人的直接健康危害更大。是的,没错。 And also they produce these things in the cities. So they're more efficient cars in the country, they're fine. In the cities they produce more noxious fumes and that's why they're more unhealthy in cities.并且这些有害物主要在城市中排放。因此在乡村里,柴油车作为高效车辆还算可以;但在城市中,它们会产生更多有害废气,这就是为什么在城市里柴油车更不健康。 Can I ask what you mean by them being more efficient? I won't go to the technicalities of an engine, but they're just simply a more efficient motor. They use less, slightly less fuel and they can go on for longer. So you use less fuel per kilometre? Yes.我可以问一下你说的更高效是什么意思吗?我不去讲发动机的技术细节,总之它就是效率更高。它使用的燃料更少,可以跑得更远。所以每公里耗油更少?是的。 And they're more powerful as well. That's why they've generally been used in trucks. Now, I suppose this is where we have to admit that we have a diesel vehicle.而且柴油发动机更有动力。这也是为什么它们普遍用于卡车。我想这也是我们必须承认我们自己有一辆柴油车的原因。 We drive a Toyota Hilux, Richard, which is what we need. We need a truck. We need a big truck.我们开的是一辆丰田 Hilux,Richard,那是我们需要的。我们需要卡车,需要一辆大卡车。 Yeah. But we don't drive in the city, we live in the country. OK.对。但我们不在城市里开车,我们住在乡村。好的。 So I suppose that's a little bit better. We're not driving around a city and causing problems. And of course they don't have petrol-driven trucks here.所以我想这样也好一点,我们不会在城市里开车制造污染。而且这里也没有汽油驱动的卡车。 So we actually don't have a choice. We can't exchange that truck for a petrol one, can we? No. I suppose we're just going to have to wait for them to invent an electric-powered truck.所以我们其实没有选择。我们不能把那辆柴油卡车换成汽油车,对吧?没错。我想我们只能等他们发明电动卡车了。 So in fact, Richard, the future for diesel does look a little bit grim. Yes, but I think the future is definitely the hybrid. Which means? A hybrid vehicle is one that uses... it can either be a petrol or a diesel-driven car.所以实际上,Richard,柴油车的未来看起来确实有些暗淡。是的,但我认为未来一定属于混合动力车。是什么意思?混合动力车是指……它可以是汽油机或柴油机驱动的车辆。 Right. Which it's used for the longer journeys and then in the city it switches over to the electric technology. Which is? Well, there are no emissions when you use the electric part of the car in the city.对。长途时使用内燃机,在城市里则切换到电力驱动。那是什么呢?在城市里使用电动部分时是零排放的。 Fantastic. That looks like the best of both worlds then, Richard. 太棒了。这看起来是两全其美的方案,Richard。

    4 Min.
  7. VOR 6 TAGEN

    第2857期:We are electric

    We're talking about electric cars. OK, Richard, so what exactly is an electric car? Well, simply, it's a car driven by an electric motor – a motor that runs on a battery.我们来谈谈电动车。好的,Richard,那么电动车到底是什么?简单来说,就是由电动机驱动的汽车——而电动机是依靠电池运作的。 OK, so presumably they're becoming more popular because they're more environmentally friendly than regular petrol or diesel cars. Exactly. I mean, the batteries are charged by electricity, which comes from a normal power station.好的,所以它们越来越受欢迎,大概是因为比普通的汽油车或柴油车更环保。确实如此。电动车的电池是通过发电站提供的电力来充电的。 But the cars themselves produce no emissions whatsoever. So there's no noxious fumes. Are they more expensive, though? Yes, they are more expensive.但电动车本身完全不产生排放物。所以没有任何有害废气。不过它们更贵吗?是的,它们确实更贵。 But that price is coming down because obviously a lot of governments are giving tax advantages. So they're getting a bit cheaper and they're much cheaper to run. For instance, with the Nissan Leaf, which is the most popular electrical car today, according to UK figures, it costs 1.75 pence a mile to run as opposed to a petrol car, which is 10 pence a mile.但价格正在下降,因为显然有许多政府提供税收优惠。这样电动车的价格逐渐降低,并且使用成本也便宜得多。例如,根据英国的数据,目前最受欢迎的电动车——日产聆风,其运行成本是每英里1.75便士,而汽油车则是每英里10便士。 So not even 2p a mile. Exactly. Much cheaper.所以每英里甚至不到两便士。没错,便宜很多。 However, of course, the batteries are very expensive and you have to replace them after a certain amount of time. OK, this is something I get a bit confused about – the recharging. I mean, you can't go very far in an electric car, can you? Yes, going back to the Leaf, they reckon you can go for about 100 miles, maybe 120 miles without recharging.不过当然,电池非常昂贵,并且使用一段时间后必须更换。好的,有件事我有点迷糊——充电。我是说,电动车行驶不了太远,对吗?是的,回到聆风这个例子,据说一次充电可以行驶大约100到120英里。 So going around town, it's no problem. You go to work, come back again and it recharges overnight. Now, how does it do that? You just plug it into the mains and then about eight hours later, it's fully charged, ready to go the following day.所以在城市里开车完全没问题。上班、回家都够用,晚上就能充满电。那么它是怎么做到的呢?你只需要把它插到普通电源插座,大约八小时后就能完全充满,第二天即可使用。 OK, so you have to be able to park the car in a place where you can recharge it. Yes, that's a difficulty for some people. Well, if you live in a block of flats, for example, there's nowhere to recharge your car.好的,所以你必须把车停在能充电的地方。是的,这对有些人来说是个难题。例如,如果你住在公寓楼里,可能没有地方给车充电。 Well, unless you've got a parking space and the people owning the flats, they put in a recharging point for you, it can be difficult. Now, we've seen a few of these charging points in Europe recently. Are there going to be more of those in the future? Yes, I didn't get figures for how many charging points they've got, but obviously it's increasing hugely.除非你有固定车位,而且大楼管理方愿意安装充电点,否则会很困难。我们最近在欧洲看到过一些充电站。未来会有更多吗?是的,虽然我没有确切数据,但显然数量正在快速增长。 And the advantage is a lot of these charging points are quick charge points. They reckon they can fill up a car battery to 80% within half an hour. Right, so you could maybe, for example, go to the supermarket and do your shopping and by the time you come back, the car has recharged.而且很多充电点都是快速充电站。据说可以在半小时内把电池充到80%。对,所以你可以,比如去超市购物,等你回来时车就充好电了。 Exactly. And of course, it's very, very cheap. So I suppose this slight difficulty of recharging is why hybrids are also got a place in the market.没错,而且价格也非常非常便宜。所以我想,充电方面的这个小麻烦也是混合动力车仍然占据市场一席之地的原因。 Yes, of course, they've got the advantage of, they've got an electric engine and a petrol engine. So they use the electric engine in the towns and the petrol engine for those longer distances. So they have much better range.是的,混合动力车的优势在于同时拥有电动机和汽油发动机。所以在城市里使用电动机,在长途时使用汽油发动机。因此续航能力更强。 And I suppose people don't need to worry about the fact that the battery might be running low and they're not near a recharging point. Exactly. And that's why the biggest selling hybrid, the Toyota Prius has sold 1.6 million cars since they introduced it in 1997.而且我想,人们就不用担心电量不足,附近又找不到充电站的问题。没错。这也是为什么最畅销的混合动力车——丰田普锐斯,自1997年推出以来已经卖出了160万辆。 OK, so people are taking these on board then? Definitely. Well, as I said, they're much cheaper to run. Tax advantages. 好的,所以消费者已经接受这些车了吗?当然。正如我所说,它们的使用成本更低,还有税收优惠。

    3 Min.

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