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2020上半年翻译资格考试二级笔译备考试题
Carmaking: Track Mentality
PSA Group’s boss has revived its fortunes. He isn’t done
Carlos Tavares likes to move quickly. The boss of PSA, maker of Peugeots and Citroëns, has a passion for motor racing and speed pervades his day-to-day activities, too. The intense Portuguese arrives abruptly for meetings and departs so swiftly that it takes a few seconds to realise that he has gone. His reputation as the most talented boss now running a car company is also built on speed – his rapid and remarkable turnaround of two struggling firms, first PSA itself and then Opel, acquired from General Motors (GM) in 2017. Steering his mass-market firm towards the future of carmaking will not be easy.
The permanent frown clouding Mr Tavares’s brow is a testament to the tough jobs he has pulled off. First, after taking the wheel of PSA in 2014 after years of heavy losses, he rescued it from bankruptcy. To near-universal surprise, he restored the firm to the black in a year. Revenues and profits have since grown handsomely; profit margins now rival those of German premium carmakers.
As Maxime Picat, PSA’s director of operation in Europe, drily observes, seeking profits first and volumes afterwards has “not always been the case” in an industry that has prioritised sales and market share. PSA sought to sell fewer cars at a bigger mark-up. It axed niche models that made little money and slashed costs by limiting the bewildering array of combinations of engines, body styles and the like.
When PSA was criticised for lacking the heft to make big investments in electric vehicles and self-driving cars, Mr Tavares paid GM ?.3bn ($1.4bn) for its struggling European arm. This added around 1m vehicles a year to the 2.8m the rest of the group built in 2018, making it Europe’s second-biggest carmaker behind Volkswagen. He applied his tactics again, this time to a company which had suffered two decades of losses totalling around $20bn under American ownership. In 2018 Opel reported an operating profit of over ?60m.
The resurrection of two struggling car giants has propelled PSA’s share price by 14% over the past year. Steering the combined firm through the next series of bends will take a different set of skills, however. Car sales in Europe, where PSA generates 80% of revenues, are less brisk than in the past. Markets such as India and Russia, which Mr Tavares is eyeing, are trickier to negotiate. PSA has struggled in China, where carmakers have done well in recent years. Making humdrum Opels (sold as Vauxhalls in Britain) desirable will require heavy spending. Placid unions, which recognised PSA’s difficulties, may become less so as its health improves.
A plan to return to America has also met with scepticism. PSA’s brands are largely forgotten there – the last one, Peugeot, departed 28 years ago. Rather than spending heavily on marketing, building a factory and losing money “like hell”, Mr Picat says, PSA will start with car-sharing services to reintroduce the marques gradually as part of a ten-year project that will “make money at every step”. This seems to be one place where Mr Tavares is content to go slowly.
Further down the road, he worries about the added costs of electrification to meet EU emissions targets. The American car-sharing venture will offer some experience in mobility services, but PSA lags behind many rivals in autonomous vehicles. All this will require heavy spending.
Greater scale would help. Mr Tavares is on the lookout for deals. A tie-up with GM or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (whose chairman, John Elkann, sits on the board of The Economist’s parent company) has been rumoured. So has a takeover of struggling Jaguar Land Rover from its Indian owners. Some industry-watchers think consolidation is imminent – and virtually all believe it is necessary to share the costs of developing electric vehicles, self-driving cars and mobility services. Since the death last year of Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler’s legendary boss, and the legal travails in Japan of Carlos Ghosn, ejected from his leadership roles in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, many observers see Mr Tavares as the only car boss with the skill to cut big and difficult deals.
汽车制造：赛道心态
PSA的老板已令集团重振雄风，但使命尚未完成
标致和雪铁龙汽车的制造商PSA的老板唐唯实喜欢快速行动。他热爱赛车，日常工作也是雷厉风行。在公司会议上，这位性情热烈的葡萄牙人会突然来到，又迅疾离去，大家要过几秒钟才能反应过来他已离场。他之所以被誉为最具才华的汽车公司老板，也是因为速度——他迅速扭转了两家公司的颓势，先是PSA自己，然后是PSA在2017年从通用汽车收购的欧宝，成绩惊人。不过，带领这家大众市场汽车公司迈向汽车制造业的未来并非易事。
唐唯实终日眉头深锁，足以证明他成就的是何等艰巨的任务。首先，2014年，他在PSA严重亏损多年后掌舵，将公司从破产边缘拉回。几乎出乎所有人的意料，他在一年内便使公司扭亏为盈。之后收入和利润均大幅增长，到现在利润率已经可以媲美德国的高端汽车制造商。
PSA的欧洲运营总监毕高诚淡淡地说，在这个向来强调销售和市场份额的行业，先求利润再谈销量“不是常见做法”。而PSA正是以较高的成本加成销售少一些的汽车。它砍掉了不怎么赚钱的小众车型，同时减少令人眼花缭乱的发动机、车身款式等配置选择以降低成本。
在PSA被批体量不足，无法对电动汽车和无人驾驶大笔投入时，唐唯实花费13亿欧元(14亿美元)收购了通用汽车陷入困境的欧洲业务。PSA在2018年的汽车年产量原本为280万辆，收购之后增加约100万辆，使之成为仅次于大众的欧洲第二大汽车制造商。唐唯实再次施展魔法，这次是对一家在美国人掌控下在20年间累计亏损约200亿美元的公司。而到了2018年，欧宝的营业利润超过8.6亿欧元。
两家陷入困境的汽车巨头成功逆袭，推动PSA的股价在过去一年里上涨了14%。然而，要驾驭合并后的公司顺利通过下一串弯道需要的是另一套技能。在欧洲(为PSA创造了80%的收入)，汽车销售已不如过去强劲。唐唯实目前紧盯印度和俄罗斯等市场，但在这些地方做生意的难度更大。在中国，近年来其他汽车制造商的业绩不俗，但PSA的中国业务却处境不佳。要让乏善可陈的欧宝(在英国名为沃克斯豪尔)受到买家青睐，不投入重金是不行的。随着PSA日渐复苏，以前体谅公司困境而保持温和的工会也可能有所动作。
集团重返美国市场的计划也受到了质疑。在美国，PSA的品牌基本上已被遗忘，它最后一个淡出美国市场的品牌是标致，那已经是28年前的事了。毕高诚表示，PSA不会砸大钱来营销和建厂，然后亏得“血本无归”，而是要实施一个“每一步都盈利”的十年期项目，先从汽车共享服务入手，逐步把品牌再次引入美国市场。在这方面，唐唯实似乎是乐意慢慢来的。
再向前推进，唐唯实还担心为满足欧盟排放标准而新增的电气化成本。在美国的汽车共享业务会为集团带来一些出行服务上的经验，但PSA在无人驾驶汽车这一块落后于许多竞争对手。这一切都需要大量投入资金。
扩大企业规模会有所帮助。唐唯实正在寻找并购机会。有传言称PSA打算与通用汽车或菲亚特-克莱斯勒(其董事长约翰·埃尔坎为《经济学人》母公司董事)合并。还有传言称PSA将从印度人手中收购苦苦挣扎的捷豹路虎。部分行业观察人士认为整合迫在眉睫。而几乎所有人都认同必须分担开发电动汽车、无人驾驶和出行服务的成本。去年，菲亚特-克莱斯勒极富传奇色彩的总裁塞尔吉奥·马尔乔内去世，卡洛斯·戈恩又在日本因身陷官司而被迫从雷诺-日产-三菱联盟下台，自此许多观察人士认为，车厂老板中就剩唐唯实有能力斩获高难度的大型并购交易了。
2020上半年翻译资格考试二级笔译备考试题
US States Use Drones to Predict Rockslides, Watch Wildlife
In the western American state of Utah, drone aircraft are flying near avalanches to watch snow crashing down from mountains.
Drones are also being used in the southeastern United States. For example, in North Carolina, they are searching for endangered birds and the places they use to raise their young.
Public transportation agencies are using drones in nearly every state. That information comes from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or AASHTO.
In a report released this month, the nonprofit group found a large increase in the use of drones over the past few years. The aircraft are also called unmanned aerial vehicles.
The association’s survey found that governments as well as private citizens have accepted the technology. They include individuals who love flying model aircraft.
In 2016, the group found that no state transportation agency was using drones every day. Now, 36 states employ certified drone pilots.
Jim Tymon is the executive director of the association. “You’ve seen the cost of drones come down significantly, and the capabilities that come along with some drones increase significantly as well,” he said.
Jared Esselman is the director of aeronautics at the Utah Department of Transportation. He says that drones are valuable for all kinds of work.
“We can predict not only snow slides, but mudslides and water runoff as the snow melts,” Esselman said. “Drones are a perfect tool for any job that is dangerous or dirty.”
In North Carolina, drones are finding the nests of endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, reports Basil Yap. He is the unmanned aerial systems program manager at the state’s transportation department.
People once used helicopters or all-terrain vehicles to inspect for evidence of woodpeckers before building new projects. But the drones can do the job quicker with fewer problems, Yap said.
A number of states are beginning to explore how to create laws to control a flood of private drone traffic that is likely to come in the future. In Ohio, the state government is working on an air-traffic control system, called SkyVision, which would enable drones to recognize and avoid other aircraft in flight.
美国各州使用无人机预测山崩，观测野生动物
在美国西部的犹他州，无人机正在雪崩附近飞行，观测从山上崩塌的雪体。
美国东南部也在使用无人机。例如，在北卡罗莱纳，无人机正在搜寻濒临灭绝的鸟类和它们用来养育幼鸟的地方。
几乎每个州的公共交通机构都在使用无人机。这些信息来自美国国家公路和运输官员协会。
在本月发布的一份报告中，这家非盈利组织发现，无人机的使用在过去几年大幅增加。这种飞机也被称为“无人驾驶飞行器”。
该协会的调查发现，政府以及普通公民都接受了这项技术。其中包括模型飞机的爱好者。
在2016年，该组织发现，还没有任何州运输机构每天使用无人机。如今，有36个州雇佣了有执照的无人机操控员。
吉姆·泰蒙是该协会的执行董事。他说:“无人机的成本显著下降，而且一些无人机的性能也显著提高。”
贾里德·埃塞尔曼是犹他州交通部航空主管。他说无人机对各种工作都很有价值。
埃塞尔曼说:“我们不仅可以预测雪崩，还能预测积雪融化引发的泥石流和洪水。无人机是处理危险或脏乱工作的完美工具。”
巴兹尔·雅普报告称，北卡罗来纳州无人机正在搜寻濒危物种的巢穴，如红啄木鸟。他是该州交通部无人机系统项目经理。
雅普表示，在新项目建造前，人们曾经利用直升机或全地形汽车来检测啄木鸟的迹象。而无人机能够更快完成任务，而且遇到的问题也更少。
一些州开始探索如何制定法律来控制未来可能大量出现的私人无人机飞行。在俄亥俄州，州政府正在研究一种名为的空中交通管制系统，该系统可让无人机识别并避让其它飞行中的飞机。
2020上半年翻译资格考试二级笔译备考试题
Disneyland Opens “Star Wars” Area of Park
迪士尼开放“星球大战”主题公园
Chewbacca climbed into the pilot seat of the Millennium Falcon as fireworks exploded above Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Wednesday.
周三，加利福尼亚州阿纳海姆市的迪士尼乐园上空烟花绚烂，楚巴卡登上千年隼号的飞行员座位。
Chewbacca is an imaginary creature born in the first of the Star Wars series of movies. He was in Disneyland for a ceremony to open the new Star Wars area at the theme park.
楚巴卡是一个虚构的生物，诞生于星球大战系列电影的第一部。他现身迪士尼乐园是为了庆祝迪士尼开放“星球大战”主题公园的开幕式。
“Chewie, let’s fire up the Falcon,” said Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker. He also attended the event to open the more than five-and-one-half hectare area called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It opened to the public Friday.
“楚伊，让我们启动千年隼吧。”扮演卢克·天行者的演员马克·哈米尔说。 他也参加了此次活动，来为这个叫做“星球大战：银河边缘”的主题区揭幕。主题区占地超过5.5公顷，于周五向公众开放。
The furry Chewbacca had trouble starting the huge spaceship, which led actor Harrison Ford to surprise the crowd and offer an assist. Ford played the Star Wars character Han Solo. He hit the side of the ship and said “Peter, this one’s for you,” in honor of Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in five films and died in April.
毛茸茸的楚巴卡在启动这个巨大的宇宙飞船时遇到了麻烦，让演员哈里森·福特给人群带来了惊喜，并提供帮助。福特在《星球大战》中饰演汉·索洛一角。他拍拍船身，然后说“彼特，这个是给你的”，以纪念彼特·梅犹。彼特曾在五部电影中扮演楚巴卡，于今年四月离世。
Ford stood on stage with Hamill, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and Billy Dee Williams, who performed the part of Lando Calrissian in Star Wars.
福特与哈米尔，迪士尼首席执行官鲍勃·艾格，《星球大战》创造者乔治·卢卡斯，以及在《星球大战》中扮演兰多·卡里西安的比利·迪·威廉姆斯等人一同站在舞台上。
Lucas created the Star Wars movie series in 1977 and sold it to Disney in 2012. He gave high praise to Galaxy’s Edge, which is set in Black Spire Outpost, a settlement on a planet called Batuu that appeared in “Star Wars” books but never in film.
卢卡斯于1977年创作了《星球大战》系列电影，并于2012年将其卖给了迪士尼。他对“银河边缘”给予了高度评价，该主题园区设在黑峰哨站，是一个名为“巴图”的星球上的定居点。“巴图”曾在《星球大战》书籍中出现过，但从未出现在电影中。
“You did a great job,” Lucas said to Iger. “It could have gone very bad but it didn’t.”
卢卡斯对艾格说：“你做得非常棒。这本可能会变得非常糟糕，但是并没有那样。”
Lucas described the Star Wars area as “something you couldn’t even have dreamed about 20 years ago."
卢卡斯在描述“星球大战”主题区时，称“这在20年前你根本无法想象”。
“It will change your life,” he added.
“它将改变你的生活。”他补充道。
The place offers visitors the chance to step into the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit and control a simulated flight.
这个地方让游客有机会进到千年隼的驾驶舱，控制模拟飞行。
Guests also can drink blue milk, eat space meat cooked by a pod-racing engine and have a drink at an outer-space restaurant.
游客还可以喝蓝牛奶，吃由飞车引擎烹制的太空肉，并在外太空餐厅享用饮品。
Expectations run high from generations of fans. Many of the movie series lovers have waited 40 years since the first film to visit a real-world version of the galaxy far, far away.
一代代粉丝的期待越来越高。许多电影系列爱好者从第一部电影开始就期待参观真实版本的遥远银河系，已经等了40年了。
“The goal was to be ambitious, really ambitious,” Iger told a reporter earlier on Wednesday. “To be bold, but not only bold in terms of scale, but in terms of detail, artistry, technology, and to make sure first and foremost that we are pleasing the most ardent Star Wars fan.”
艾格周三早些时候告诉记者：“我们的目标是宏伟的，真正宏大的。我们要大胆，但不仅限于规模，而且要在细节、艺术和技术方面大胆(创新)，并要确保首先要满足最热情的《星球大战》的粉丝。”
Disney also aims to appeal to a broad group of Star Wars lovers as well as people without any attachment to the futuristic series.
迪士尼还旨在吸引广泛的《星球大战》爱好者以及对未来派系列没有任何青睐的人群。
