Alibaba reveals new driverless delivery robot

安徽宿州市砀山县唐寨中学 翟晓霞

精彩导读

阿里巴巴已经推出了一款新型自动送货机器人，据称这款机器人容易量产，并且可以发挥多种功能。这些功能中包含送货和自动咖啡供应等方面。中国希望到2030年超越美国，成为人工智能领域世界最领先的国家。

文章词数 3 2 1 建议用时 6′ 难度系数 ★★★

Chinese retail giant Alibaba has unveiled（推出）a new automated vehicle which is easy to mass-produce and could serve a number of functions.These could includedeliverycourier（信使） andautomatedcoffee vendor（供应商）.

The Cainiao G Plus can travel at up to nine miles per hour.It was shown at aconferencewhere Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced a 100bn yuan（$15.5bn） investment in smart logistics（物流）.This includes devices such as warehouse robots as well as delivery aids.

AI expert and author Calum Chace described the G Plus asresemblingthe “ugly big brother” of a delivery bot developed by UK firm Starship Technologies.Starship has been working on this project for several years，so the Alibaba project looks to be behind as well as ugly， he said.“But that won't matter.Anything to do withartificial intelligence is a high priority for China，which has set itself the target of overtaking the US as world leader in AI by 2030”.

Chinabenefits from havingfreeaccess tolarge amounts of data，essentialfor training algorithms（运算程序），he added，potentially adrawbackin Europe since the introduction of GDPR legislation（立法）， designed to protectprivacy.

“Don't bet against the Chinese pulling ahead in any AI-related competitions， be it self-driving cars，facialrecognition， or delivery bots，” Mr Chace said.

The G Plus vehicleis fitted withsolid state Lidar—the laser sensors which form an important part of the system autonomous vehicles use tobe aware oftheir surroundings.

Solid state Lidar is more compact，cheaper and easier to manufacture than the traditional system，which involves spinning multiple lasers in circles to help build up a 360-degree image of what surrounds the vehicle.There are various developers creating their own versions but essentially Alibaba uses fewer lasers and a tiny swinging mirror.

Last month BMW revealed（透露）that its autonomous vehicles will be fitted with solid state Lidar when they will belaunchedin 2021.

阅读扫障

1.serve v.服务;供应

2.function n.功能

3.delivery n.运送

4.automated adj.自动化的

5.conference n.会议

6.resemble v.看起来像

7.essential adj.必要的；重要的

8.drawback n.缺点；劣势

9.privacy n.隐私

10.recognition n.识别；承认

11.manufacture v.生产；制造

12.launch v.发射；发布

13.anything to do with任何与……相关的

14.benefit from 受益于

15.have access to接近；有使用……的机会（权利）

16.be fitted with配备

17.be aware of知道；意识到

18.build up建立；竖立；增进

读文刷题

阅读短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

1.What is AI expert Calum Chace's attitude towards China's AI?

A.worried. B.unconcerned.

C.negative. D.confident.

2.What do we know about the delivery bot developed by UK firm Starship Technologies?

A.It looks nicer and more modern.

B.It is behind but looks nicer.

C.It is behind and looks ugly.

D.It is modern about looks ugly.

3.What is the aim of GDPR legislation in Europe?

A.To let people have free access to data.

B.To protect personal information.

C.To encourage more people to go online.

D.To train people to go online properly.

4.What plays an important part in the system the vehicles use to know their surroundings?

A.The laser sensors.

B.The tiny swinging mirror.

C.The traditional system.

D.The things around the vehicles.

语言提取

1.中国零售巨头阿里巴巴已经推出了一款新型自动送货机器人。这款机器人容易量产，并且可以发挥多种功能。

Chinese retail giant Alibaba has unveiled a new automated vehicle________________________to mass-produce and could serve a number of functions.

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句。which引导的是限制性定语从句；定语从句使用的是“sth is+adj.+to do”句式，其中动词不定式用主动形式表示被动意义。

【答案】which is easy

句式仿写

我很喜欢在夏天早起，早晨的空气呼吸起来感觉很好。

2.Starship公司近年来一直致力于智能物流领域，所以阿里巴巴的产品看起来落后并且丑陋，他说。

Starship has been working on this project for several years，so the Alibaba project looks to be behind__________________ugly，he said.

【点石成金】本句是由so连接的一个并列句。第一个分句用的是现在完成进行时，表示动作从过去开始一直持续到现在；第二个分句中的as well as意为“也；还”，连接并列成分时，谓语动词与最前面的名词保持一致。

【答案】as well as

句式仿写

这个项目有助于改善我的自信、社交技能和分数。

自从1930年以来，发明家门就一直试图制造飞行汽车。

3.与传统系统相比，固态激光雷达更紧凑、更便宜且更容易制造，通过旋转多线激光器帮助车辆建立周围环境的360度图像。

Solid state Lidar is more compact，cheaper and easier to manufacture than the traditional system，_________involves spinning multiple lasers in circles to help build up a 360-degree image of________surrounds the vehicle.

【点石成金】本句第一空含有一个which引导的非限制性定语从句，先行词是物，从句缺主语，所以填which，第二空填what，引导介词宾语从句，从句缺主语，所以填what.

【答案】which;what

句式仿写

他说以前从没见过她，这不是真的。

我当时对我所做的事情感到满意。