【原版杂志阅读】20期 Day 1：（The economist）Chinese firms are taking a different route to driverless cars (part 3)

Autonomous ways

Chinese firms are taking a different route to driverless cars

The path to a world of self-driving remains long and winding

In addition, the authorities promote av-friendly standards and regulations. They can stitch “National Test Roads” into the urban fabric without the fuss Western authorities can expect from local residents. In one-party states like China “you have single-focus government that can make things happen”, sums up Amer Akhtar of DeepMap, a Californian maker of software for maps which avs need to navigate.

The road is not all smooth for China’s av industry. Together with the rest of Chinese tech, it is caught up in the Sino-American economic war. In May America’s government barred its companies from supplying Huawei, on the ground that its kit might allow Chinese eavesdropping. On October 7th another eight Chinese companies were added to the blacklist, including those working on things useful to avs, like computer vision (see article).

The prospect of losing access to American technology is particularly worrisome for av companies, because the Chinese car industry relies heavily on foreign suppliers for the electronics that power modern vehicles. Last year Chinese imports of integrated circuits totalled $312bn, ten times the value of imported car parts. Chinese entrepreneurs eyeing the Chinese av market have founded plenty of promising startups—but many of them in Silicon Valley, subject to American law. Efforts to make more cutting-edge gubbins at home are moving slowly.

Nor are Chinese av developers immune from the biggest problem which afflicts their Western rivals. Like them, Pony.ai, WeRide and others continue to lose money. This may not change soon. The desire of motorists to own self-driving cars has yet to be tested. The business model of ride-hailing, where future profitability is in part predicated on the eventual removal of costly human drivers, looks shaky. Investors are growing impatient with loss-making firms such as Uber, which has shed a third of its stockmarket value since going public in May. It may take longer for software to become competitive with Homo sapiens in China, where labour remains relatively cheap. As one global car executive puts it, “If drivers are abundant but space on the road is not, the problems you should be solving first are not about taking the driver out of the car.”

China’s approach to self-driving reflects its attitude to development more broadly: heavy on infrastructure and government oversight, lighter on cutting-edge technology and civil liberties. It may one day prevail over the Western path to autonomy. Whether Chinese av companies will stand on their own four wheels as profitable businesses is another matter.

原版词汇精讲

1. eavesdrop  /ˈiːvz.drɑːp/ v. 偷听

• 词汇：eave 屋檐（leave）

• 词汇：drop

2. circuit /ˈsɝː.kɪt/ n. （电流的）电路

• 词根：circ- 圆圈，circle

• 后缀：-it 名词后缀, exit, spirit, bandit

3. gubbins  /ˈɡʌb.ɪnz/ n. 一些无价值的东西

• 谐音：garbage 垃圾

4. afflict /əˈflɪkt/ v. 折磨，使痛苦

• 前缀： af- 加强语气

• 词根： flict- 打, conflict

5. motorist /ˈmoʊ.t̬ɚ.ɪst/ n. 开汽车的人，驾驶者

• 词根：mot- 移动

• 后缀： -or 名词后缀；-ist 名词后缀

6. abundant  /əˈbʌn.dənt/ adj. 大量的，丰富的

• 前缀：a-否定

• 词根：bund- 表示bind

• 后缀：-ant 形容词后缀

段落精讲

1. In addition, the authorities promote AV-friendly standards and regulations. They can stitch “National Test Roads” into the urban fabric without the fuss (that) Western authorities can expect from local residents. In one-party states like China “you have single-focus government that can make things happen”, sums up Amer Akhtar of DeepMap, a Californian maker of software for maps which AVs need to navigate.

1）省略that 引导的定语从句：Western authorities can expect from local residents.

2）定语从句： that can make things happen”

3）定语从句：which AVs need to navigate

reader-friendly

stitches

句子，said Peter.

参考翻译：此外，中国各级政府还在推进有利于无人驾驶汽车发展的标准和规定。它们可以轻松将“国家级测试道路”接入城市道路网，而西方政府若这么做必定会招致本地居民的异议。在中国这样的一党制国家，“政府要做的事一定就能做成”，DeepMap公司的阿莫尔·阿卡塔（Amer Akhtar）总结道。这家加州公司开发无人驾驶汽车的导航地图软件。

2. The road is not all smooth for China’s AV industry. Together with the rest of Chinese tech, it is caught up in the Sino-American economic war. In May America’s government barred its companies from supplying Huawei, on the ground that its kit might allow Chinese eavesdropping. On October 7th another eight Chinese companies were added to the blacklist, including those working on things useful to AVs, like computer vision (see article).

1）on the ground that 基于

2）后置定语：those working on things useful to AVs

tech giant

bar n. 长条

参考翻译：对于中国的无人驾驶汽车行业来说，前路并不平坦。与中国其他科技领域一样，它也被卷入了中美经贸战。5月，美国政府以中国政府可能通过华为的设备实施窃听为由，禁止美国企业向华为供货。10月7日，又有八家中国企业被加入美国贸易管制黑名单，其中包括开发计算机视觉等可用于无人驾驶技术的企业。

3. The prospect of losing access to American technology is particularly worrisome for AV companies, because the Chinese car industry relies heavily on foreign suppliers for the electronics that power modern vehicles. Last year Chinese imports of integrated circuits totalled $312bn, ten times the value of imported car parts. Chinese entrepreneurs eyeing the Chinese AV market have founded plenty of promising startups—but many of them in Silicon Valley, subject to American law. Efforts to make more cutting-edge gubbins at home are moving slowly.

1）定语从句：that power modern vehicles.

2）同位语：ten times the value of imported car parts

3）后置定语： eyeing the Chinese AV market

参考翻译：无法获得美国技术的前景尤其令无人驾驶汽车企业担忧，因为中国汽车工业严重依赖外国供应商来提供现代汽车所需的电子器件。去年，中国集成电路的进口总额为3120亿美元，是汽车零部件进口额的十倍。紧盯中国无人驾驶汽车市场的中国企业家已经创建了许多前景看好的创业公司，但其中许多都在硅谷，受美国法律约束。在本国制造更多先进元件的努力进展缓慢。

4. Nor are Chinese AV developers immune from the biggest problem which afflicts their Western rivals. Like them, Pony.ai, WeRide and others continue to lose money. This may not change soon. The desire of motorists to own self-driving cars has yet to be tested. The business model of ride-hailing, where future profitability is in part predicated on the eventual removal of costly human drivers, looks shaky. Investors are growing impatient with loss-making firms such as Uber, which has shed a third of its stockmarket value since going public in May. It may take longer for software to become competitive with Homo sapiens in China, where labour remains relatively cheap. As one global car executive puts it, “If drivers are abundant but space on the road is not, the problems you should be solving first are not about taking the driver out of the car.”

1）定语从句：which afflicts their Western rivals.

参考翻译：在困扰西方竞争对手的最大问题上，中国无人驾驶汽车的开发者同样不能免疫。和西方企业一样，小马智行、文远知行等公司还在持续亏损。这种局面可能不会很快扭转。驾车者拥有无人驾驶汽车的意愿尚未得到检验。网约车商业模式风雨飘摇。这种模式将其未来盈利能力部分押注于最终撤走高成本的人类驾驶员。投资者对优步这样持续亏损的公司愈发丧失耐心，该公司自5月上市以来市值已经缩水了三分之一。在劳动力仍相对廉价的中国，软件要能和人类竞争可能需要更长的时间。正如一位跨国车企高管所说：“如果驾驶员够多，但道路空间不足，那么首先要解决的问题就不是撤掉驾驶员。”

5. China’s approach to self-driving reflects its attitude to development more broadly: heavy on infrastructure and government oversight, lighter on cutting-edge technology and civil liberties. It may one day prevail over the Western path to autonomy. (Whether Chinese AV companies will stand on their own four wheels as profitable businesses) is another matter.

中国发展无人驾驶的方式反映了其对发展的总体态度：重基础设施和政府监督，轻尖端技术和公民自由。有一天，它可能会在无人驾驶的道路上超越西方。不过中国的无人驾驶汽车企业能否操控自己的汽车来盈利就是另外一回事了。