日本推出世界首輛'雙模車'

Japan recently unveiled the world’s first Dual-Mode Vehicle (DMV), a contraption that runs both on roads, like a bus, and on rails, like a train.

日本近日推出了世界第一輛"雙模車"，這種車既可以像公共汽車一樣在馬路上行駛，也可以像火車一樣在鐵軌上行駛。

The unique bus-train hybrid was unveiled last month, in the town of Kaiyo, in Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture.
這種巴士火車"二合一"的獨(dú)特交通工具上個(gè)月在日本德島縣海陽鎮(zhèn)亮相。

The mini-bus-like contraption didn’t win anyone over with its looks, but it definitely made an impression in terms of practicality.
它的外觀不太討人喜歡，類似于小巴車，但是在實(shí)用性方面絕對(duì)讓人印象深刻。

It runs with normal rubber tires on the road, but when it needs to switch to train mode, a pair of metal wheels drop down from the vehicle’s underbelly. The front tires are lifted off of the track, while the rear wheels stay down to propel the vehicle.
在馬路上行駛時(shí)，它使用正常的輪胎，但是如果需要切換成火車模式，底盤上就會(huì)降下一對(duì)金屬輪，并收起前輪胎，使其離開軌道，后輪胎則會(huì)保持在原來的位置來驅(qū)動(dòng)車輛前進(jìn)。

Switching between road and train modes takes only about 15 seconds.
在馬路和鐵軌兩種模式之間切換僅需要15秒。

The vehicle has been in the works for over a decade, and authorities in Tokushima hope that it will not only improve the lives of locals but also attract tourists curious to see the dual-mode vehicles in person.
雙模車的研制過程長達(dá)十余年，德島縣政府希望它不但能改善當(dāng)?shù)厝说纳?，還能吸引好奇的游客親自來看看這輛雙模車。

The dual-mode vehicles, which come in a variety of colors, are diesel-powered, can carry up to 21 passengers and run at a speed of 60 km/h in train mode, and up to 100 km/h as a bus.
這種雙模車是由柴油驅(qū)動(dòng)的，最多能搭載21名乘客，有多種顏色。開啟火車模式后時(shí)速為60千米，開啟巴士模式后時(shí)速為100千米。