托福写作语料库积累（一）

　　'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."

　　More than a dozen states in the US allow autonomous vehicles on the roads to some degree. Officials typically require a person to be on hand either in the car or remotely(远程) in case(以防万一) something goes wrong, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

　　The US is working on national safety guidelines(指导意见) for such vehicles.

　　Consumer Watchdog, a lobby group(游说团体) that has warned of the risks of autonomous cars, on Monday called for a moratorium(暂停) of such vehicles on public roads, describing the accident as a "tragedy(悲剧) we have been fighting years to prevent".

　　"We hope our calls for real regulation(管理/规范) of driverless cars will be taken seriously going forward by Silicon Valley(硅谷) and the Trump Administration(特朗普政府)," the group wrote on Twitter.

　　Uber started testing driverless cars in Pittsburgh in 2016. The ride-hailing firm(打车公司) has also been testing driverless cars in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Toronto and the Phoenix area, which includes Tempe.

　　The death comes a year after Uber took its self-driving cars off the road following an accident that left a Volvo SUV on its side in Arizona. The programme was later reinstated(恢复).

　　Carla Bailo, president and chief executive of the Center for Automotive Research, said more information about how the crash occurred is necessary before officials can say what went wrong and how the self-driving system should be improved.

　　She also said the fatality(致命性) should be considered in the context of all accidents.

　　More than 37,000 people, including almost 6,000 pedestrians(行人), died in traffic accidents in the US in 2016, according to the US Department of Transportation.

　　"We need to be fair and look at all the data," she said. "But I don't think anybody is taking this lightly(对......置若罔闻). By far safety is the first concern(最重要的事情).

　　Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell said he supports autonomous car tests because of the technology's potential. He also praised Uber's decision to suspend the programme as "responsible".

　　"Our city leadership and Tempe Police will pursue(追求/寻找) any and all answers to what happened in order to ensure safety moving forward," he said.