我讓特斯拉開上美國最危險的公路：英語精讀講義

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

這是我爸的 Tesla，我準備開著它去挑戰美國最致命的公路。

But I'm not going to be driving

但我不會親自駕駛，

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

因為我剛安裝了全自動駕駛的測試版軟體。

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

目前它只允許在極少數車輛上使用，

for testing in urban environments.

用於城市環境的測試。

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

所以我當然想在一條著名的危險山路上試試它，

to see what it can really do. 文法

看看它到底有多大能耐。

Will I survive? 表達脈絡

我能活下來嗎？

Will I crash my dad's car

我會撞毀我爸的車，

and be in big trouble?

然後惹上大麻煩嗎？

Right now,

現在，

I don't know.

我也不知道。

But either way, 表達脈絡

但無論如何，

it's road trip time.

是時候開車出遊了。

You deserve a real name.

你配得上一個真正的名字。

Winter,

Winter，

welcome to the world. 慣用語

歡迎來到這個世界。

So where are we?

那麼我們在哪呢？

In the Great Smoky Mountains 文化背景

在大煙山，

on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee,

位於北卡羅萊納州和田納西州的交界處，

where lies a mountain pass 文法

這裡有一處山口，

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

是全國最蜿蜒、最危險的駕駛路段之一。

Just hours after we arrived,

我們抵達才幾個小時，

this happened.

就發生了這種事。

Parts from accidents like these are salvaged

像這類事故中留下的零件被回收起來，

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

在入口處建起了「恥辱樹」，

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

用以警告其他人可能會發生的慘劇。

But here's the thing, 表達脈絡

但問題是，

driving hundreds of curves faster than you should 文法

超速駛過幾百個彎道，

on a mountain's edge,

而且就在懸崖邊，

it's a lot of fun.

真的很有趣。

Name it the Tail of the Dragon, 文法

給它起名叫「龍之尾」，

and the drivers will come.

司機們就會蜂擁而至。

I don't have any idea what this is,

我完全不知道這是什麼，

but it's adorable.

但它很可愛。

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

直到現在我才明白這到底有多危險。

The nearest hospital is an hour away.

最近的醫院在一個小時車程外。

So on busy days like this,

所以在這樣繁忙的日子裡，

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

救護車會在出口處等待不可避免的事故，以節省時間。

But ambulances are not immune from accidents. 片語搭配

但救護車也無法免於事故。

Off hours is when drivers push the limits 慣用語

非尖峰時段是司機們挑戰極限的時候，

when they hope no one is around.

那時他們希望周圍沒人。

Going over the speed limit to break records,

超速以打破紀錄，

crossing yellow lines and rounding blind turns with sheer drops.

跨越黃線，在旁邊就是陡峭懸崖的盲彎處過彎。

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

卡車因風險過大而被禁止通行，

but signs don't stop everyone.

但標誌並不能阻止所有人。

The police were waiting for him down the road.

警察已經在前面的路上等他了。

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

這條「龍」在它11英里的每一段路上都奪走過多條人命。

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

即使是對最好的人類司機來說，這也是個挑戰，

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

但我現在要把我的命交到一個非人類司機的手裡。

Uh,

呃，

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

我對這件事深表懷疑。

On the drive up,

在開上來的路上，

I had to disengage the beta autopilot several times, 用詞

我不得不解除了好幾次自動駕駛測試版，

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

而且昨晚在狂滑手機看有關「龍之尾」事故的影片時，

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

我發現了上一個在這條路上嘗試舊版 Tesla 自動駕駛的人，

and he had to disengage minutes in 片語搭配

他才開了幾分鐘就不得不解除自動駕駛，

because it was way too dangerous. 用詞

因為那實在太危險了。

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

我沒有信心她能在不需要我解除並接管的情況下完成這一趟。

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

但我想這就是重點所在，

right?

對吧？

Beta testing the robot with my life.

拿我的命來做這機器人的 Beta 測試。

Okay,

好了，

here we go.

我們出發。

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

我要把她切換到全自動駕駛測試版模式，

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

我的手會放在方向盤上，

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

但讓方向盤在手中滑動，這樣你們就能看出

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

真的是 Tesla 自己在開。

All right,

好了，

motorcycle high crash area,

機車事故高發區，

and this is the official start.

這是官方的起點。

Here we go.

我們走吧。

Ooh, boy.

喔，天哪。

Also,

另外，

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

在這些彎道上我沒有做任何速度調整。

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

所以完全由她來決定過彎時要放多慢。

So in making left-hand turns,

在左轉時，

the Tesla's just too close to the line.

Tesla 離線太近了。

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

我希望有辦法能告訴她盡量靠近白線，

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

她現在右轉時這一點做得很好。

But on the left-hand turns,

但在左轉時，

uh it's a it's a little dicier. 用詞

呃，就有點危險了。

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

不過非常有幫助的一點是，我可以看向更遠的路況，

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

比起我必須全神貫注盯著前面的彎道要遠得多。

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

所以我對對向來車非常警覺。

Oh my god.

我的天哪。

Oh my god,

我的天哪，

it's over.

結束了。

She did the whole road all by herself.

她自己開完了全程。

Amazing.

太不可思議了。

Whoof.

呼。

Woo!

嗚！

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

她全程都是自己開的。

Zero disengagements the entire time.

全程零接管。

Oh,

噢，

I'm so pumped. 用詞

我太激動了。

All right.

好了。

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

現在該迴轉回去了。

That's hilarious.

太好笑了。

She's stopping for the photographer.

她停下來讓攝影師拍照。

Winter,

Winter，

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

我都不知道妳還有點虛榮呢。

Okay,

好了，

this is it. 語氣意圖

就是這裡。

This is the start

這裡是起點，

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

這裡是「龍之尾」的官方起點。

Autopilot has brought us to our destination.

自動駕駛帶我們到達了目的地。

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

我要去趟雜貨店。

Well,

嗯，

I've got to get one for Winter. 文法

我得給 Winter 買一個。

She totally deserves it.

她絕對配得上。

I've got something for you.

我給妳帶了點東西。

She did the whole route all by herself.

她全程都是自己開的。

It's still a very beta beta,

它還處於非常早期的測試階段，

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

但這次自動駕駛測試在零人類干預的情況下，成功開上了「龍之尾」並返回。