2018年12月六级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now that robots are used to inspect crops, dig up weeds, and even have become shepherds, too. Commercial growing fields are astronomically huge and take thousands of man-hours to operate. One prime example is one of Australia's most isolated cattle stations, Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory, extending across 4,000 square kilometers, taking over 13 hours to reach by car from the nearest major town—Alice Springs.

或许农民们现在可以休息一下了，因为机器人已被用于检查作物、挖掘杂草，甚至成为牧羊人。商业种植田地规模极其庞大，需要数千人时来运营。一个典型例子是澳大利亚最偏远的牧场之一，位于北领地的Suplejack Downs，占地4000平方公里，从最近的主要城镇——爱丽斯泉开车需要超过13小时才能到达。

The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended, and monitored only once or twice a year, which means if the livestock falls ill or requires assistance, it can be a long time for farmers to discover.

这些巨大农场的极度偏远使得它们经常无人看管，每年仅被监控一两次，这意味着如果牲畜生病或需要帮助，农民可能很长时间才能发现。

However, robots are coming to the rescue.

然而，机器人正在前来救援。

Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train "farmbots" to herd, monitor the health of livestock, and make sure there is enough pasture for them to graze on. The robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment, cattle and food, using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.

机器人目前在威尔士进行为期两年的试验，将训练“农场机器人”来放牧、监控牲畜健康，并确保有足够的牧场供它们吃草。这些机器人配备了许多传感器，用于识别环境、牛和食物的状况，使用热感和视觉传感器来检测体温变化。

"You've also got color, texture and shape sensors looking down at the ground to check pasture quality," says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney, who will carry out trials on several farms in central New South Wales.

“你还有颜色、纹理和形状传感器向下查看地面以检查牧场质量，”悉尼大学的Salah Sukkarieh说，他将在新南威尔士州中部的几个农场进行试验。

During the trials, the robot algorithms (算法) and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including trees, mud, swamps, and hills.

在试验期间，机器人算法（算法）和机械装置将被微调，以使其更适合生病的牲畜，并确保它安全地绕过包括树木、泥泞、沼泽和山丘在内的潜在危险。

"We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain large landscapes where animals roam free," says Sukkarieh.

“我们希望提高动物健康质量，并使农民更容易维护动物自由漫游的大型景观，”Sukkarieh说。

The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock. They have been created to count individual fruit, inspect crops, and even pull weeds.

机器人不仅限于放牧和监控牲畜。它们被设计用来计数单个水果、检查作物，甚至拔除杂草。

Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid injuring humans as they work side by side. The robots also learn the most efficient and safest passages, and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize the attributes and tasks of the robot, as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is happening on the farms.

许多机器人配备了高科技传感器和复杂的学习算法，以避免在并肩工作时伤害人类。机器人还学习最高效和最安全的路径，并允许工程师和农民分析并更好地优化机器人的属性和任务，同时提供实时反馈的直播，显示农场上正在发生的确切情况。

Of course, some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers. However, it is farmers that are pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies, making it difficult to maintain large-scale operations.

当然，一些担忧在于取代农业工人。然而，正是由于不断增加的劳动力空缺，农民们推动了这些进步，使得维持大规模运营变得困难。

The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways, from hunting and pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit. Future farms will likely experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.

机器人以各种方式为农民提供了主要好处，从捕猎和拔除杂草到监控每个水果的状况。随着机器人越来越高效地承担更多农场工作，未来的农场可能会经历更高程度的自主性。