托福写作语料库积累：Uber停止测试自动驾驶(一)

　　托福写作语料库

　　Uber said it is suspending(暂停/叫停) self-driving car tests(无人驾驶测试) in all North American cities after a fatal accident(致命事故).

　　A 49-year-old woman was hit by a car and killed as she crossed the street in Tempe, Arizona.

　　While self-driving cars have been involved in multiple(各种) accidents, it is thought to be the first time an autonomous car has been involved in a fatal collision(碰撞).

　　Uber said that its "hearts go out to the victim's family".

　　"We're fully cooperating with @TempePolice and local authorities as they investigate(调查) this incident", the company said in a statement on Twitter.

　　Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We’re fully cooperating with @TempePolice and local authorities as they investigate this incident.

　　— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) March 19, 2018

　　Police said the accident happened Sunday night while the car was in autonomous mode(处于自动驾驶模式). A human monitor was also behind the wheel(坐在驾驶室/掌控方向盘).

　　Police said the woman, Elaine Herzberg, had not been using a pedestrian crossing(行人斑马线). Herzberg was taken to a local hospital where she died.

　　The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were sending teams to Tempe.

　　'Wake up call'警钟

　　Companies including Ford, General Motors, Tesla and Waymo(谷歌投资的自动驾驶公司) are investing heavily in(在......方面投入重金) research to develop self-driving cars, which are often characterised as(被塑造成) the future of the industry and hailed(称赞) as a way to reduce traffic accidents.

　　Many states across America have welcomed the tests in the hope of keeping themselves at the forefront of new technology(站在新技术的前沿).

　　However, there have been warnings that the technology is being deployed before it is ready.

　　Anthony Foxx, who served as US Secretary of Transportation under former President Barack Obama, called the accident a "wake up call to the entire [autonomous vehicle] industry and government to put a high priority on(优先对待/把......放在首位) safety."