文本选自：The Atlantic（大西洋月刊）
作者：David Zipper
原文标题：Electric Vehicles Are Bringing Out the Worst in Us
原文发布时间：4 Jan. 2023
Electric Vehicles Are Bringing Out the Worst in Us
American car executives keep insisting that there is no trade-off between saving the planet and having a hell of a good time behind the wheel. "What I find particularly gratifying, " Ford's executive chair, Bill Ford, said in April as he unveiled his company's new electric truck, "is not only is this a green F-150, but it's a better F-150 … You're actually gaining things that the internal combustion engine doesn't have." Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, sounded equally bullish in a recent social-media post: "Once you've experienced an [electric vehicle] and all it has to offer—the torque, handling, performance, capability—you're in."
The pitch is enticing, but it raises a few questions. Is the electric F-150 Lightning "better" than the conventional F-150 if its added weight and size deepen the country's road-safety crisis? And how, exactly, are electric-vehicle drivers going to use the extra power that companies are handing them?
Converting the transportation system from fossil fuels to electricity is essential to addressing climate change. But automakers' focus on large, battery-powered SUVs and trucks reinforces a destructive American desire to drive something bigger, faster, and heavier than everyone else. In many ways, EVs reflect long-standing weaknesses in the design and regulation of American automobiles. For decades, the car industry has exploited a loophole in federal fuel-economy rules to replace sedans with more profitable SUVs and trucks, which now account for four in five new cars sold in the United States.
电动汽车带来了我们最坏的一面
精听党背景导读
当下什么领域最火？答案就是新能源车领域，所有企业家闻风而动，准备在此攫取人生中最大的一笔财富。
就连做手机取得巨大成功的雷军也忍不住再创业一次。
所有人都知道，当前的新能源车领域出现的机会跟10多年前手机领域出现的智能机市场是一模一样的。这是行业的重新洗牌，甭管那些大牌车企积累了多大的技术优势，在新能源车时代，所有人都站在同一起跑线上。
文本选自：The Atlantic（大西洋月刊）作者：David Zipper原文标题：Electric Vehicles Are Bringing Out the Worst in Us原文发布时间：4 Jan. 2023关键词：电动汽车 环保 动力
精听党带着问题听
1. 如何理解第一段的“have a hell of”？2.“燃油经济性”用英语如何表达？3. 为什么SUV和卡车在美国的市场占有率那么高？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
Electric Vehicles Are Bringing Out the Worst in Us
电动汽车带来了我们最坏的一面
bring out the worst
暴露最坏的一面；1. You brought out of the worst in me. 你把我最坏的一面都带了出来。
段一
American car executives keep insisting that there is no trade-off between saving the planet and having a hell of a good time behind the wheel. “What I find particularly gratifying,” Ford’s executive chair, Bill Ford, said in April as he unveiled his company’s new electric truck, “is not only is this a green F-150, but it’s a better F-150 … You’re actually gaining things that the internal combustion engine doesn’t have.” Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, sounded equally bullish in a recent social-media post: “Once you’ve experienced an [electric vehicle] and all it has to offer—the torque, handling, performance, capability—you’re in.”
trade-off n. 平衡，协调；妥协，让步；1. There is a trade-off between the benefits of the drug and the risk of side effects. 在这种药的疗效和副作用之间有个权衡利弊的问题。
have a hell of 有…；1. We have a hell of an experience in humans that nobody else has. 我们克隆人的经验是别人所不具备的。
gratifying adj. 悦人的；心满意足的；1. It is gratifying to see such good results. 看到这么好的结果真令人欣慰。
unveil vt.（首次）公开，揭示；为……揭幕；
bullish adj. 看涨的；上扬的；似公牛的；
torque n. 扭矩；
handling n. 操控，手柄，处理；1. Her handling of the situation was masterly. 她对情势的处理非常巧妙。
参考译文
美国汽车公司的高管们一直坚持认为，在拯救地球和在开车时享受一段美好时光之间，没有任何权衡。福特公司的执行主席比尔·福特（Bill Ford）在4月份为其公司的新电动卡车揭幕时说：“让我感到特别欣慰的是，这不仅是一辆绿色的F-150，而且是一辆更好的F-150……你实际上获得了内燃机所没有的东西。” 通用汽车公司首席执行官玛丽·巴拉（Mary Barra）在最近的一篇社交媒体文章中同样表示看好。“一旦你体验过(电动汽车)以及它所能提供的一切——扭矩、操控、性能和性能——你就会喜欢上它。”
段二
The pitch is enticing, but it raises a few questions. Is the electric F-150 Lightning “better” than the conventional F-150 if its added weight and size deepen the country’s road-safety crisis? And how, exactly, are electric-vehicle drivers going to use the extra power that companies are handing them?
pitch n. 宣传，游说；
enticing adj. 有诱惑力的；诱人的；有吸引力的；
conventional adj. 依照惯例的，遵循习俗的；老一套的，习惯的；1. It's not a hotel, in the conventional sense, but rather a whole village turned into a hotel. 这不是传统意义上的酒店，而是把整个村庄变成了酒店。
参考译文
这个宣传很诱人，但也引发了一些问题。如果电动F-150 Lightening增加的重量和尺寸加深了道路安全危机，那么它是否比传统F-150 “更好”？而且，电动车司机到底要如何使用公司交给他们的额外动力？
段三
Converting the transportation system from fossil fuels to electricity is essential to addressing climate change. But automakers’ focus on large, battery-powered SUVs and trucks reinforces a destructive American desire to drive something bigger, faster, and heavier than everyone else. In many ways, EVs reflect long-standing weaknesses in the design and regulation of American automobiles. For decades, the car industry has exploited a loophole in federal fuel-economy rules to replace sedans with more profitable SUVs and trucks, which now account for four in five new cars sold in the United States.
convert vt.（使）转变，（使）转换；
reinforce vt. 加强；
destructive adj. 破坏性的，毁灭性的；1. Over-fishing, coupled with destructive fishing practices, is killing off the fish and ruining their environment. 过度捕捞，再加上破坏性的捕捞方式，正在使鱼类灭绝，并破坏它们的生存环境。
long-standing adj. 长期存在的；存在已久的；1. Compared with the long-standing friendship between the two countries, their boundary dispute is only an issue of a temporary and limited nature. 与两国悠久的友谊相比，边界争议只是一个暂时的、有限的问题。
exploit vt. 利用；剥削；1. People exploited the local tourism resources with an aim of earning profits on tourism, which destroyed the environment. 人们为了从旅游中获取利润而开发当地的旅游资源，这破坏了环境。
loophole n.（法律、合同等的）漏洞，空子；
fuel-economy 燃油经济性；
sedan n. 箱式轿车；1. In 1960 Peugeot changed from being a specialist to a generalist: the production of classic sedans and small models. 1960年标志汽车从专业化走向多样化：生产小型轿车和经典私家车。
account for (数量、比例上) 占；1. Computers account for 5% of the country's commercial electricity consumption. 电脑占了这个国家商业用电的5%。
参考译文
将运输系统从化石燃料转换为电力是应对气候变化的关键。但汽车制造商对大型电池驱动的SUV和卡车的关注，加强了美国人对驾驶比别人更大、更快、更重的东西的破坏性欲望。在许多方面，电动汽车反映了美国汽车设计和监管中长期存在的弱点。几十年来，汽车行业利用联邦燃油经济性规则的漏洞，用利润更高的SUV和卡车取代轿车，现在美国每卖出五辆新车，就有四辆是SUV和卡车。
精听党每日单词
bring out the worst
暴露最坏的一面；
trade-off
/ˈtreɪd ɔːf/ n. 平衡，协调；妥协，让步；
have a hell of
有…；
gratifying
/ˈɡrætɪfaɪɪŋ/ adj. 悦人的；心满意足的；
unveil
/ˌʌnˈveɪl/ vt.（首次）公开，揭示；为……揭幕；
bullish
/ˈbʊlɪʃ/ adj. 看涨的；上扬的；似公牛的；
torque
/tɔːrk/ n. 扭矩；
handling
/ˈhændlɪŋ/ n. 操控，手柄，处理；
pitch
/pɪtʃ/ n. 宣传，游说；
enticing
/ɪnˈtaɪsɪŋ/ adj. 有诱惑力的；诱人的；有吸引力的；
conventional
/kənˈvenʃən(ə)l/ adj. 依照惯例的，遵循习俗的；老一套的，习惯的；
convert
/kənˈvɜːrt/ vt.（使）转变，（使）转换；
reinforce
/ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrs/ vt. 加强；
destructive
/dɪˈstrʌktɪv/ adj. 破坏性的，毁灭性的；
long-standing
/ˌlɔːŋ ˈstændɪŋ/ adj. 长期存在的；存在已久的；
exploit
/ɪkˈsplɔɪt/ vt. 利用；剥削；
loophole
/ˈluːphoʊl/ n.（法律、合同等的）漏洞，空子；
fuel-economy
/ˈfjuːəl ɪˈkɑːnəmi/ 燃油经济性；
sedan
/sɪˈdæn/ n. 箱式轿车；
account for
(数量、比例上) 占；
精听党文化拓展
据路透社看到的行业内部其他生产规划，AutoForecast的数据是准确的。该数据显示，通用和福特预计2026年在北美生产约32万台纯电动汽车。这几乎是他们计划在2020年生产3.5万台电动车的10倍，但低于特斯拉去年全球交付的36.7万台。
根据AutoForecast的数据，通用汽车和福特汽车2026年预计在北美生产520万台SUV和皮卡，这比2019年的460万台增长了14%。但电动汽车仅仅只占到很小的一部分。
到2026年，SUV和皮卡将占通用和福特在北美地区全部车型总产量的87%左右，而2019年这一比例约为82%。
通用汽车和福特汽车的高管在采访时表示，他们对未来几年在美国推出更多电动汽车的态度是认真的，但他们也担心过于激进会远远超出大众市场的需求。
3月初，通用汽车首席执行长玛丽·博拉表示，该公司将在2025年之前投入200多亿美元研发下一代纯电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车，以表明通用汽车能够实现从内燃机世界向电池动力世界的转变，并能够快速地在全新的汽车技术市场上站稳脚跟。
通用汽车负责全球产品开发、采购和供应链的执行副总裁道格·帕克斯（Doug Parks）在谈到通用汽车在北美的SUV和电动汽车生产计划时说：“我们希望以尽可能好的碳足迹来满足客户的需求，以帮助改善二氧化碳排放状况。”
精听党每日美句
You can't judge a tree by its bark.
人不可貌相。