近年来，对于智慧城市的研究方兴未艾，其中智慧交通是很重要的一部分。在我国，由高科技公司研发的智慧交通系统，已开始投入使用，并取得了良好的社会效益。
The future of road traffic control
by Michelle Toh & Leonie Erasmus
Traffic used to be a frequent headache for residents in Hangzhou, the eastern Chinese city that's home to Alibaba. The metropolis of 7 million people once ranked fifth among China's most congested cities, but it has now dropped to 57th on the list.
resident /ˈrezɪd(ə)nt/ n. 居民
Alibaba 阿里巴巴公司
metropolis /məˈtrɒp(ə)lɪs/ n. 大都市、大城市
rank /ræŋk/ v. 排名
congest /kənˈdʒest/ v. 堵塞
Alibaba says that's because of one of its inventions, dubbed the City Brain, which uses artificial intelligence to gather information across Hangzhou, such as video from intersection cameras and GPS data on the locations of cars and buses. The platform analyzes the information in real time as it coordinates more than 1,000 road signals around the city with the aim of preventing or easing gridlock.
dub /dʌb/ v. 起绰号
artificial /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 人工的、人造的
intelligence /ɪnˈtelɪdʒ(ə)ns/ n. 智力、智能
gather /ˈɡæðə(r)/ v. 收集
intersection /ˌɪntəˈsekʃ(ə)n/ n. 交叉路口
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 数据
platform /ˈplætfɔːm/ n. 平台
analyze /ˈæn(ə)laɪz/ v. 分析
in real time 实时地
coordinate /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪt/ v. 协调
signal /ˈsɪɡn(ə)l/ n. 信号
ease /iːz/ v. 缓解
gridlock /ˈɡrɪdlɒk/ n. （交通）堵死
After two years of testing, the system appears to be working. Alibaba says the City Brain has shortened commutes and also helped first responders by enabling fire trucks and ambulances to halve the amount of time it takes to get to the scene of emergencies.
shorten /ˈʃɔːt(ə)n/ v. 缩短（由short加后缀-en变成动词）
commute /kəˈmjuːt/ n. 上下班通勤
first responder /rɪˈspɒndə(r)/ 最早响应者（指发生紧急情况时，最早去现场处理的人，比如消防队员、急救医生等）
enable /ɪˈneɪb(ə)l/ v. 使得、使能够（由able加前缀en-变成动词）
fire truck 消防车
ambulance /ˈæmbjʊl(ə)ns/ n. 救护车
halve /hɑːv/ v. 减半
scene /siːn/ n. 现场
emergency /ɪˈmɜːdʒ(ə)nsi/ n. 紧急情况
Some regular drivers confirm things have improved. Ye Bojie, who works for top ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing, said it once took him 40 minutes to drive 3 kilometers, but the conditions are "much better now."
confirm /kənˈfɜːm/ v. 证实
ride-hailing /ˈraɪdheɪlɪŋ/ adj. 打车的
condition /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 情况
"The cities in China probably are facing more challenges than any other city," said Wang Jian, chairman of Alibaba's technology steering committee. But with emerging technologies like machine learning, communities are getting the tools to solve problems such as water shortages, he said. "Eventually, everything is going to depend on the computing power, just like we depend on electricity."
face /feɪs/ v. 面临
chairman /ˈtʃeəmən/ n. 主席
steer /stɪə(r)/ v. 控制方向、掌舵
committee /kəˈmɪti/ n. 委员会
emerging /ɪˈmɜːdʒɪŋ/ adj. 新兴的
community /kəˈmjuːnəti/ n. 社区
tool /tuːl/ n. 工具
shortage /ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/ n. 短缺
eventually /ɪˈventʃuəli/ adv. 最后、最终
depend on 依靠
compute /kəmˈpjuːt/ v. 计算
Other cities and companies are betting that tech advances can address some of urban life's difficulties. Alibaba's platform is being used in a handful of other Chinese cities and was introduced last year in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ n. 进步
address /əˈdres/ v. 应对、处理
urban /ˈɜːb(ə)n/ adj. 城市的
handful /ˈhændfʊl/ n. 少数、少量
introduce /ˌɪntrəˈdjuːs/ v. 引入、引进
Malaysia /məˈleɪziə/ n. 马来西亚（东南亚国家）
Experts say this is just the start. "Even the most cutting-edge smart cities on the planet are still at the beginning of their journey," the McKinsey Global Institute said in a report last year. "Since technology never stands still, the bar will only get higher."
cutting-edge 尖端的、先进的
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的、世界的
institute /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ n. 专业机构
still /stɪl/ adj. 不动的、静止的
bar /bɑː(r)/ n. 障碍（higher bar指更高的障碍）
But the technology has also raised privacy concerns, particularly in China, where surveillance is rising and facial recognition cameras are spreading into public places. According to a recent survey by tech firm Tencent and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, nearly 80% of respondents said they worried about the impact of artificial intelligence on their privacy.
privacy /ˈpraɪvəsi/ n. 隐私
concern /kənˈsɜːn/ n. 担心、担忧
surveillance /səˈveɪl(ə)ns/ n. 监视（这里指普遍存在的监控摄像头系统）
facial /ˈfeɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 面部的、脸部的（由face加后缀-ial变成形容词）
recognition /ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 识别、辨认
spread /spred/ v. 扩散、传播
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
Tencent 腾讯公司
state /steɪt/ n. 国家、政府
broadcaster /ˈbrɔːdkɑːstə(r)/ n. 电视公司（由broadcast加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
CCTV 中央电视台
respondent /rɪˈspɒnd(ə)nt/ n. 回答问题的人
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 显著影响
"We have to solve the privacy issue," Wang said. "That's for sure." But he argued that the benefits of projects like the City Brain will outweigh concerns in the end, primarily by allowing cities to function on "as little natural resources as possible."
argue /ˈɑːɡjuː/ v. 主张
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目
outweigh /aʊtˈweɪ/ v. 比…更重要
primarily /praɪˈmer(ə)li/ adv. 主要地（由primary加后缀-ly变成副词）
function /ˈfʌŋkʃ(ə)n/ v. 运作、运转
resource /ˈriːsɔːs/ n. 资源
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