Last week, France announced that the country will pave 621 miles of road with solar panels over the next five years
上周,法国宣布将在未来5年内铺设一条长达为621英里的太阳能公路,
with the goal of providing cheap, renewable energy to five million people.
以期为500万民众提供便宜的可再生的能源。
Called "the Wattway", the roads will be built through joint efforts with the French road building company Colas and the National Institute of Solar Energy.
这条公路叫做Wattway,将由法国道路建设公司Colas与国家太阳能研究所联合建造。
The company spent the last five years developing solar panels that are only about a quarter of inch thick
在过去的五年里,Colas公司一直致力于研发一种太阳能电池板,该板只有四分之一英寸厚,
and are strong enough to stand up to heavy highway traffic without breaking or making the roads more slippery.
却足以承受高峰期的交通流量而不损坏或者打滑。
The panels are also designed so that they can be installed directly on top of the existing roadways,
经过特殊设计,这些电池板可以直接安装在现有道路表层,
making them relatively cheap and easy to install.
它们相对便宜并且易于安装。
France isn't the first country to kick around the idea of paving its roads with solar panels.
法国并非是第一个考虑在道路上安装太阳能电池板的国家。
In November 2015, the Netherlands completed a 229-foot-long bike path paved with solar panels as a test for future projects.
2015年11月,荷兰铺设了一条长达229英尺的太阳能自行车道,这是为将来的项目进行的一项测试。
However, this is the first time a panel has been designed to be laid directly on top of existing roads
然而,这是第一次将电池板设计成可直接铺设在现有道路表层,
and the first project to install the panels on public highways.
同时也是第一次将电板安装于公共道路的项目。
Questions 3 to 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
请根据你刚刚听到的新闻报道回答问题3和问题4。
Question 3: What was France's purpose of constructing the Wattway?
问题3:法国建设Wattway的目的是什么?
Question 4: What is special about the solar panels used in the Wattway?
问题4:Wattway中使用的太阳能电池板有何特别之处?