本集内容

Hyperloop: the train of the future? “超级高铁”：未来的交通工具？

学习要点

有关“speed 速度”的词汇

边看边答

What is the Hyperloop?

文字稿

We're heading through the Nevada desert, north of Las Vegas, for a glimpse of what its backers claim is the future of transport.

This is Hyperloop - an attempt to send passengers hurtling at 700 miles an hour through a vacuum tube.

Many think that's far-fetched, but this project got the backing last year of Virgin with Sir Richard Branson becoming chairman.

In this 500-metre test track, they say they have shown that the technology works, though they've not yet put any human beings on board.

The head of engineering, a space scientist recruited from NASA, sees no reason why people might be scared.

Anita Sengupta, Head of Engineering, Virgin Hyperloop One
“The Hyperloop is a maglev train in a vacuum system, or in a vacuum tube. And so you can also think of it as an aircraft flying at 200,000 feet so people don't have any issue flying in aeroplanes and people don’t have any issue going in maglev trains. This is simply combining the two and allows you to be more energy efficient.”

The Virgin Hyperloop team have said they could take passengers from London to Edinburgh in 50 minutes or cut the journey between New York and Boston to under half an hour.

我们正驶过拉斯维加斯北部的内华达沙漠，这是为了一睹被其支持者称作“未来交通工具”的真面目。

这是“超级高铁”，设计者尝试让列车在真空管道中以每小时700英里的速度乘载旅客高速移动。

很多人觉得这一概念不切实际，但该项目在去年得到了维珍集团的资助，理查德·布兰森爵士成为了该机构的董事长。

在这条500米长的试行轨道上，该公司称他们已经证明了这项技术能成功运作，虽然列车还未进行任何载人试验。

该项目的工程部主管是从美国航空航天局招募过来的一位航空科学家，她认为人们没有理由对这项技术感到恐惧。

阿妮塔 · 森古普塔 维珍 “超级高铁”项目工程部主管

“‘超级高铁’是在真空系统或真空管道中行驶的磁悬浮列车。因此，你也可以把它看成一架在20万英尺高空中疾驰的飞行器。既然人们对搭飞机没有任何担忧，那么也不应该对坐磁悬浮列车这件事怀有顾虑。这项技术只是结合了二者从而使人们的出行变得更节能。”

维珍集团的“超级高铁”团队说，使用该技术可以在50分钟内把乘客从伦敦送到爱丁堡，此外，它还可以把纽约到波士顿之间的行车时间缩短到半小时以内。

词汇

glimpse
短暂的体验

hurtling
急速地移动

miles an hour
英里每小时

test track
试行轨道

cut the journey
缩短行程（时间）

你知道吗？

The word ‘maglev’ is a portmanteau of the words ‘magnetic’ and ‘levitation’. This is because the system uses magnets to levitate the train. This reduces friction and increases speed. The first maglev train operated in Hamburg, Germany in 1979.

英语单词“磁悬浮”是由词语“magnetic 磁力的”和“levitation 飘浮”组成的合成词。这样说的原因是该系统利用磁铁使列车悬于空中。这项技术可以减少摩擦力并增加行驶速度。1979年，在德国汉堡，世界上第一辆磁悬浮列车成功运行。

问题答案

The Hyperloop is a maglev train in a vacuum tube.