中英對照讀新聞》巴士還是火車?世界第一輛「雙模車」將在日本上路
Japan recently unveiled the world’s first Dual-Mode Vehicle (DMV), a contraption that runs both on roads, like a bus, and on rails, like a train.
日本近日推出世界第一輛「雙模車」(DMV),這種新發明既可以像巴士一樣行駛在馬路,也可以像火車一樣行駛在鐵軌。
The unique bus-train hybrid was unveiled last month, in the town of Kaiyo, Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture. The mini-bus-like contraption didn’t win anyone over with its looks, but it definitely made an impression in terms of practicality.
這種巴士火車「綜合體」的獨特交通工具,上月在日本德島縣海陽鎮亮相。它的外觀不太討人喜歡,類似於迷你巴士,但在實用性方面絕對讓人印象深刻。
It runs with normal rubber tires on the road, but when it needs to switch to train mode, a pair of metal wheels drop down from the vehicle’s underbelly. The front tires are lifted off of the track, while the rear wheels stay down to propel the vehicle. Switching between road and train modes takes only about 15 seconds.
行駛於馬路時,它使用正常的輪胎,但若需要切換成火車模式,底盤上就會降下一對金屬輪,並收起前輪胎,使其離開軌道,後輪胎則會保持在原來的位置,以驅動車輛前進。在馬路和鐵軌兩種模式之間切換僅需約15秒。
新聞辭典
contraption︰名詞,新發明、奇妙的機械。例如︰a newfangled contraption(新發明的小玩意)。
hybrid:名詞,混合體,(動物或植物的)雜交種;油電車。例句:These are hybrid roses. (這些是雜交玫瑰。)