中国人形机器人打破人类半程马拉松世界纪录

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🤔️小作业：

1. Based on the information provided, approximately how much faster was Lightning's half-marathon time compared to the top robot in the previous year's race?

A. About 50 minutes faster.

B. About 2 hours and 10 minutes faster.

C. About 3 times faster.

D. About half the time.

无注释原文：

It Was No Sweat: A Humanoid Robot Races to a Record Finish

From: The New York Times

It didn't have to carbo-load, get a good night's rest or lace up running shoes.

Instead, the toughest challenge for the bright-red humanoid robot named Lightning was avoiding a collision with the more than 300 other robots running in a half-marathon race on Sunday in Beijing.

While the approximately 5-foot-5 Lightning crashed into a barricade and fell during its final stretch, it was able to pick itself back up with help from humans, swing its short forearms to rebalance, and stride across the finish line in 50 minutes, 26 seconds, according to the state-run China Daily.

Lightning's time was faster than the human world-record holder, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who finished a half-marathon in 57 minutes, 20 seconds last month in Lisbon.

It was also faster than the 12,000 humans running the race in a separate, parallel lane. The men's and women's winners needed more than an hour to complete the outdoor course.

Lightning was designed by the Chinese smartphone brand Honor, and is based on elite human athletes, with legs that are about three feet long.

Lighting's joints are equipped with a liquid-cooling system adapted from consumer electronics, like smartphones, one of Honor's engineers told state media.

In this year's race, many of the robots, like Lightning, ran autonomously, though slightly more than half were operated by remote control.

In the inaugural race last year, the top robot took nearly three times as long as Lightning, finishing in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, according to the state-run Global Times.

While the robots were faster and more autonomous this year, Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University, said the results said more about the state of robot hardware manufacturing in China than about any major scientific breakthrough.

“What appears to have changed this year is that some of China's many humanoid companies have invested the engineering effort needed to make these systems robust enough for a long-duration race,” he said on Sunday. “That is genuinely impressive.”

While it's not evidence of a major advancement in artificial intelligence, he said it reflected the robust robotics manufacturing ecosystem in China. The United States has far fewer humanoid companies and very few operating at a large manufacturing scale, he said.

At the same time, China has been pushing to make rapid advancements in robotics, propelled by government directives and significant investments.

There are already more robots at work in China than the rest of the world combined, according to the International Federation of Robotics, a nonprofit trade group for makers of industrial robots.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

It Was No Sweat: A Humanoid Robot Races to a Record Finish

From: The New York Times

It didn't have to carbo-load, get a good night's rest or lace up running shoes.

它无需补充碳水、无需保证睡眠，也不用系紧跑鞋鞋带。

指在参加长距离耐力型运动（如马拉松、百公里越野跑等）前，通过‌大量摄入碳水化合物‌，以增加体内糖原储备，从而提升运动表现和延缓疲劳的一种营养策略。

lace /leɪs/ sth up表示“系好…的鞋带；系好…的系带”，英文解释为“to fasten shoes, boots, or a piece of clothing by tying the laces”举个🌰：She can lace up her shoes and she's only five! 她才5岁就能自己系鞋带！

Instead, the toughest challenge for the bright-red humanoid robot named Lightning was avoiding a collision with the more than 300 other robots running in a half-marathon race on Sunday in Beijing.

对于这台名为“闪电”的鲜红色人形机器人来说，周日在北京参加半程马拉松比赛时最严峻的挑战是避开一同参赛的300多台机器人。

humanoid /ˈhjuː.mə.nɔɪd/ 表示“人形机器人；类人的生物”，英文解释为“a machine or creature with the appearance and qualities of a human”

collision /kəˈlɪʒ.ən/ 1）表示“碰撞，互撞”，英文解释为“an accident that happens when two vehicles hit each other with force”举个🌰：There has been a collision on the southbound stretch of the motorway. 在高速公路南向路段上发生了一起撞车事故。

2）表示“冲突，抵触”，英文解释为“a strong disagreement”举个🌰：There was a collision of interests/opinions. 存在利益冲突/意见不和。

📍be on a collision course 表示“必然导致冲突；势必发生冲突”，英文解释为“If two or more people or groups are on a collision course, they are doing or saying things that are certain to cause a serious disagreement or fight between them.”举个🌰：All attempts at diplomacy have broken down and the two states now appear to be on a collision course. 所有的外交努力都失败了，现在两国发生冲突似乎在所难免。

While the approximately 5-foot-5 Lightning crashed into a barricade and fell during its final stretch, it was able to pick itself back up with help from humans, swing its short forearms to rebalance, and stride across the finish line in 50 minutes, 26 seconds, according to the state-run China Daily.

据官方媒体《中国日报》报道，身高约1.65米的“闪电”在最后冲刺阶段撞上护栏摔倒，但在人类协助下重新站起，摆动短小的前臂恢复平衡，最终以50分26秒的成绩冲过终点线。

barricade /ˈbær.ɪ.keɪd/ 表示“（尤指迅速设置的）障碍物，路障”，英文解释为“a line or pile of objects put together, often quickly, to stop people from going where they want to go”

作动词，表示“设路障于某物的对面、周围或前面”，英文解释为“to build a barricade across, around, or in front of something”举个🌰：Barricade the doors! 堵住门！

stretch /stretʃ/ 作名词，1）表示“（连续的）一段时间”，英文解释为“a continuous period of time”举个🌰：The elderly generally need far less rest than the young, and tend to sleep in several short stretches. 年长者一般需要的休息时间比年轻人要少得多，而且往往会分成几个小段时间睡觉。

2）表示“（土地或水域的）一片，一段”，英文解释为“a continuous area of land or water”举个🌰：This particular stretch of coast is especially popular with hikers. 在这一段海岸散步的人特别多。

3）表示“（赛跑的）阶段；一段跑道”，英文解释为“a stage in a race, or a part of a racetrack”举个🌰：She looked certain to win as she entered the final stretch. 她进入最后一段跑道时似乎已经赢定了。

作动词，1）表示“到…的限度；超过…的限度；竭尽”，英文解释为“to go as far as or past the usual limit of something”举个🌰：Many families' budgets are already stretched to breaking point. 许多家庭的预算已经撑到了极限。

2）表示“伸出；伸长；拉伸”，英文解释为“to cause something to reach, often as far as possible, in a particular direction”举个🌰：She stretched out her hand and helped him from his chair. 她伸手将他从椅子上扶起来。

3）表示“展开，铺开；延伸”，英文解释为“to spread over a large area or distance”举个🌰：A huge cloud of dense smoke stretched across the horizon. 一大团浓烟在地平线上蔓延开来。

4）表示“延续”，英文解释为“to spread over a long period of time”举个🌰：The dispute stretches back over many years. 这场争论可追溯到许多年以前。

Lightning's time was faster than the human world-record holder, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who finished a half-marathon in 57 minutes, 20 seconds last month in Lisbon.

“闪电”的成绩快于人类半马世界纪录保持者、乌干达选手雅各布·基普利莫，他上月在里斯本以57分20秒完赛。

It was also faster than the 12,000 humans running the race in a separate, parallel lane. The men's and women's winners needed more than an hour to complete the outdoor course.

它的速度也超过了在另一条平行赛道参赛的1.2万名人类跑者。本次赛事男女组冠军完成这条户外赛道都耗时超过一小时。

Lightning was designed by the Chinese smartphone brand Honor, and is based on elite human athletes, with legs that are about three feet long.

“闪电”由中国智能手机品牌荣耀研发，设计参照顶尖人类运动员，腿部长度约0.9米。

elite /iˈliːt/ 作形容词，表示“（社会）上层集团的；掌权人物的；精英的；出类拔萃的，精锐的”，英文解释为“belonging to the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society”

作名词，表示“（社会）上层集团；掌权人物；出类拔萃的人，精英”，英文解释为“the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society”如：the country's educated elite 这个国家受过良好教育的精英。

Lighting's joints are equipped with a liquid-cooling system adapted from consumer electronics, like smartphones, one of Honor's engineers told state media.

荣耀一名工程师向官方媒体介绍，“闪电”的关节搭载了源自智能手机等消费电子产品的液冷系统。

作名词，joint /dʒɔɪnt/ 1）表示“关节”，英文解释为“a place in your body where two bones are connected”如：an elbow/hip/knee joint 肘/髋/膝关节。

2）表示“（出售廉价饮食的）酒吧（或餐馆）”，英文解释为“a bar or restaurant that serves food and drink at low prices”举个🌰：We had lunch at a hamburger joint and then went to see a movie. 我们在一家汉堡包小店吃了午饭，然后去看电影。

3）表示“不良场所（声名狼藉的公众娱乐场所）”，英文解释为“a place where people go for entertainment, especially one that has a bad reputation”举个🌰：He owned several bars in the city and ran an illegal gambling joint. 他在市里拥有好几家酒吧，还经营着一个非法赌场。

In this year's race, many of the robots, like Lightning, ran autonomously, though slightly more than half were operated by remote control.

在今年的比赛中，包括“闪电”在内的多台机器人均实现了自主奔跑，不过略超半数的机器人仍由遥控操作。

In the inaugural race last year, the top robot took nearly three times as long as Lightning, finishing in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, according to the state-run Global Times.

据官方媒体《环球时报》报道，在去年首届赛事中，成绩最好的机器人耗时2小时40分42秒，几乎是“闪电”用时的三倍。

inaugural /ɪnˈɔːɡjʊrəl/ 表示“就职的；开幕的；成立的；创始的；首次的”，英文解释为“(of an official speech, meeting, etc.) first, and marking the beginning of sth important, for example the time when a new leader or parliament starts work, when a new organization is formed or when sth is used for the first time”如：the inaugural flight of the space shuttle 航天飞机的首次飞行。

While the robots were faster and more autonomous this year, Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University, said the results said more about the state of robot hardware manufacturing in China than about any major scientific breakthrough.

尽管今年机器人速度更快、自主化程度更高，但俄勒冈州立大学机器人学教授艾伦·费恩表示，这一成果更多体现的是中国机器人硬件制造的水平，而非重大科学突破。

“What appears to have changed this year is that some of China's many humanoid companies have invested the engineering effort needed to make these systems robust enough for a long-duration race,” he said on Sunday. “That is genuinely impressive.”

“今年明显的变化是，中国众多人形机器人企业中有一部分投入了必要的工程研发，让这些系统具备足够稳定性，能够完成长距离赛事，”他在周日表示。“这确实令人印象深刻。”

替robust /rəʊˈbʌst/ 表示“（人或动物）强壮的，茁壮的；（东西或系统）坚固的，耐用的，结实的；强劲的；富有活力的；强健的；强壮的”，英文解释为“(of a person or animal) strong and healthy, or (of an object or system) strong and unlikely to break or fail”举个🌰：He looks robust and healthy enough. 他看起来非常强壮健康。

📍这个词来自拉丁语“robustus”，意味着“强壮的”。用来形容结构“坚固”的或系统“强健”的。想象新软件更加“强健”，出现问题更少。近义词：sturdy（结实的），同根词：robustness（强健），常用短语：robust system（强健的系统）

📍在计算机科学、控制科学与工程等领域有个词叫“鲁棒性”，就是从robustness音译而来，可以用于反映一个系统在面临着内部结构或外部环境的改变时也能够维持其功能稳定运行的能力。

While it's not evidence of a major advancement in artificial intelligence, he said it reflected the robust robotics manufacturing ecosystem in China. The United States has far fewer humanoid companies and very few operating at a large manufacturing scale, he said.

他指出，这虽不能证明人工智能实现重大飞跃，却反映出中国强大的机器人制造生态。他表示，美国的人形机器人企业数量远少于中国，实现大规模量产的更是寥寥无几。

ecosystem /ˈiː.kəʊˌsɪs.təm/ 表示“生态系统”，英文解释为“all the living things in an area and the way they affect each other and the environment”举个🌰：Pollution can have disastrous effects on the delicately balanced ecosystem. 污染会对脆弱的生态平衡造成灾难性的破坏。

At the same time, China has been pushing to make rapid advancements in robotics, propelled by government directives and significant investments.

而在政策引导与巨额投资推动下，中国正大力推动机器人技术快速发展。

propel /prəˈpel/ 表示“推动；驱动；推进”，英文解释为“To propel something in a particular direction means to cause it to move in that direction.”举个🌰：The tiny rocket is attached to the spacecraft and is designed to propel it toward Mars. 微型火箭附在宇宙飞船上，用来推进飞船飞向火星。The film propelled him to international stardom. 这部电影使他成为了国际巨星。

There are already more robots at work in China than the rest of the world combined, according to the International Federation of Robotics, a nonprofit trade group for makers of industrial robots.

据工业机器人制造商的非营利行业组织国际机器人联合会统计，中国在役机器人数量已超过全球其他国家的总和。

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