我让特斯拉开上了美国最危险的公路：英语精读讲义

This is my dad's Tesla and I'm going to take it driving on the deadliest road in America.

这是我爸的 Tesla，我准备开着它去挑战美国最致命的公路。

But I'm not going to be driving

但我不会亲自驾驶，

because I've just installed the full self-driving pre-release beta software.

因为我刚安装了全自动驾驶的测试版软件。

It's only allowed right now on a tiny number of cars

目前它只允许在极少数车辆上使用，

for testing in urban environments.

用于城市环境的测试。

So of course I wanted to try it out on a famously dangerous mountain road 短語動詞

所以我当然想在一条著名的危险山路上试试它，

to see what it can really do. 語法

看看它到底有多大能耐。

Will I survive? 表達脈絡

我能活下来吗？

Will I crash my dad's car

我会撞毁我爸的车，

and be in big trouble?

然后惹上大麻烦吗？

Right now,

现在，

I don't know.

我也不知道。

But either way, 表達脈絡

但无论如何，

it's road trip time.

是时候出游了。

You deserve a real name.

你配得上一个真正的名字。

Winter,

Winter，

welcome to the world. 習語

欢迎来到这个世界。

So where are we?

那么我们在哪呢？

In the Great Smoky Mountains 文化背景

在大雾山，

on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee,

位于北卡罗来纳州和田纳西州的交界处，

where lies a mountain pass 語法

这里有一处山口，

of some of the most twisty and dangerous driving in the country.

是全国最蜿蜒、最危险的驾驶路段之一。

Just hours after we arrived,

我们抵达才几个小时，

this happened.

就发生了这种事。

Parts from accidents like these are salvaged

像这类事故中留下的零件被回收起来，

to build the Tree of Shame at the entrance 文化背景

在入口处建起了“耻辱树”，

to serve as warning to others of what can go wrong.

用以警告其他人可能会发生的惨剧。

But here's the thing, 表達脈絡

但问题是，

driving hundreds of curves faster than you should 語法

超速驶过几百个弯道，

on a mountain's edge,

而且是在悬崖边，

it's a lot of fun.

真的很有趣。

Name it the Tail of the Dragon, 語法

给它起名叫“龙之尾”，

and the drivers will come.

司机们就会蜂拥而至。

I don't have any idea what this is,

我完全不知道这是什么，

but it's adorable.

但它很可爱。

I did not understand just how dangerous this was until now. 語法

直到现在我才明白这到底有多危险。

The nearest hospital is an hour away.

最近的医院在一个小时车程外。

So on busy days like this,

所以在这样繁忙的日子里，

an ambulance waits for the inevitable at the exit to save time. 用詞

救护车会在出口处等待不可避免的事故发生，以节省时间。

But ambulances are not immune from accidents. 短語搭配

但救护车也无法免于事故。

Off hours is when drivers push the limits 習語

非高峰时段是司机们挑战极限的时候，

when they hope no one is around.

那时他们希望周围没人。

Going over the speed limit to break records,

超速以打破记录，

crossing yellow lines and rounding blind turns with sheer drops.

越过黄线，转过旁边就是悬崖的盲弯。

Trucks are banned from the road for being too great a risk, 語法

卡车因风险过大而被禁止通行，

but signs don't stop everyone.

但标志并不能阻止所有人。

The police were waiting for him down the road.

警察已经在前面的路上等他了。

The Dragon has killed multiple people along every one of its 11 miles.

这条“龙”在它11英里的每一段路上都夺走过多条人命。

It's a challenge for even the best human drivers,

即使是对最好的人类司机来说，这也是个挑战，

but I'm putting my life in the hands of a non-human driver. 習語

但我现在要把我的命交到一个非人类司机的手里。

Uh,

呃，

I am having some serious doubts about this. 短語搭配

我对这件事深表怀疑。

On the drive up,

在开上来的路上，

I had to disengage the beta autopilot several times, 用詞

我不得不解除了好几次自动驾驶测试版，

and last night while doom-scrolling Dragon accident videos, 用詞

而且昨晚在疯狂刷有关“龙之尾”事故的视频时，

I found the last guy who tried the old Tesla autopilot on this road,

我发现了上一个在这条路上尝试旧版 Tesla 自动驾驶的人，

and he had to disengage minutes in 短語搭配

他才开了几分钟就不得不解除自动驾驶，

because it was way too dangerous. 用詞

因为那实在太危险了。

I am not confident she's going to make this run without me having to disengage and take over. 講解

我没有信心她能在不需要我解除并接管的情况下完成这一趟。

But I guess that's the whole point, 語氣意圖

但我想这就是重点所在，

right?

对吧？

Beta testing the robot with my life.

拿我的命来做这机器人的 Beta 测试。

Okay,

好了，

here we go.

我们出发。

I'm going to put her in full self-driving beta mode, 短語搭配

我要把她切换到全自动驾驶测试版模式，

and I'm going to have my hands on the wheel,

我的手会放在方向盘上，

but let the wheel slide through them so that you can see 語法

但让方向盘在手中滑动，这样你们就能看出

that it's really the Tesla doing it herself. 語法

真的是 Tesla 自己在开。

All right,

好了，

motorcycle high crash area,

摩托车事故高发区，

and this is the official start.

这是官方的起点。

Here we go.

我们走吧。

Ooh, boy.

喔，天哪。

Also,

另外，

I'm not doing any of the speed adjusting around these turns.

在这些弯道上我没有做任何速度调整。

So she's deciding entirely how slow to take the corners. 語法

所以完全由她来决定过弯时要放多慢。

So in making left-hand turns,

在左转时，

the Tesla's just too close to the line.

Tesla 离线太近了。

I wish there was a way I could tell her stay as close to the white line as possible, 語法

我希望有办法能告诉她尽量靠近白线，

which she's doing now just fine, on the right-hand turn.

她现在右转时这一点做得很好。

But on the left-hand turns,

但在左转时，

uh it's a it's a little dicier. 用詞

呃，就有点悬了。

The one thing that's very helpful is though is I can really look much further down the road 語法

不过非常有帮助的一点是，我可以看向更远的路况，

than I could if I had to also be keeping my eyes fully on the turn ahead. 短語搭配

比起我必须全神贯注盯着前面的弯道要远得多。

So I am very alert for traffic coming the other way. 短語搭配

所以我对对向来车非常警觉。

Oh my god.

我的天哪，

Oh my god,

我的天哪，

it's over.

结束了。

She did the whole road all by herself.

她自己开完了全程。

Amazing.

太不可思议了。

Whoof.

呼。

Woo!

呜！

She made it all the way by herself. 短語搭配

她全程都是自己开的。

Zero disengagements the entire time.

全程零接管。

Oh,

噢，

I'm so pumped. 用詞

我太激动了。

All right.

好了。

Now it's time to turn around and go back.

现在该掉头回去了。

That's hilarious.

太好笑了。

She's stopping for the photographer.

她停下来让摄影师拍照。

Winter,

Winter，

I didn't know you were a bit of a vain girl.

我都不知道你还有点虚荣呢。

Okay,

好了，

this is it. 語氣意圖

就是这里。

This is the start

这里是起点，

this is the official start of the Dragon's Tail.

这里是“龙之尾”的官方起点。

Autopilot has brought us to our destination.

自动驾驶带我们到达了目的地。

I'm going to pop into the general store. 用詞

我要去趟杂货店。

Well,

嗯，

I've got to get one for Winter. 語法

我得给 Winter 买一个。

She totally deserves it.

她绝对配得上。

I've got something for you.

我给你带了点东西。

She did the whole route all by herself.

她全程都是自己开的。

It's still a very beta beta,

它还处于非常非常早期的测试阶段，

but this self-driving test made it up and down the Dragon with zero human intervention. 用詞

但这次自动驾驶测试在零人类干预的情况下，成功开上了“龙之尾”并返回。