Can a small group of drones（无人机）guarantee the safety and reliability of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year? That is the very likely future of applying today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to making sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks and infrastructure（基础设施）worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.
今天的“天眼”技术将被应用于确保全球数百万公里的铁路轨道和基础设施安全，从而小型无人机团队能够保证铁路运营商每年节省数十亿欧元，这是很有可能实现的未来。

Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cut and operations would be more efficient（高效）across the board.
无人机已经被用来检查高压电线。它们可以做同样的事情来检查铁路线和其他铁路基础设施的关键要素，比如铁路轨道和转换点的正确位置。它们检查得越频繁，铁路的安全性、可靠性和准点率就会提高。成本会降低，整个运营将更加高效。

That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.
这包括大幅减少维护成本，更好地保护铁路人员安全。据计算，仅欧洲铁路每年在维护上花费约200亿欧元，其中包括发送维护人员，通常在夜间进行对铁路基础设施的检查和维修。这项工作可能很危险，但通过无人机协助工作人员的努力可以避免这种危险。

By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones with advanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.
通过使用最新技术，无人机也可以开始为铁路提供更有价值的服务，检测铁轨或道岔上的故障，以避免造成安全问题。要执行这些任务，铁路无人机并不需要飞越头顶。工程师们正在研发一个新概念：未来的铁路无人机。它们将沿着铁轨移动在火车前方，并被程序编程为自主运行。具有先进传感器和人工智能的微型无人机可以在火车前方引导它，就像一名副驾驶员。由于它们可以提前看到前方情况，所以它们可以及时发出信号，以便高速行驶的火车得以及时做出反应。

1. What makes the application of drones to rail lines possible?
   A. The use of drones in checking on power lines. B. Drones’ ability to work at high altitudes.
   C. The reduction of cost in designing drones. D. Drones’ reliable performance in remote areas.
   答案：A

2. What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?
   A. Personnel safety. B. Assistance from drones.
   C. Inspection and repair. D. Construction of infrastructure.
   答案：C

3. What function is expected of the rail drones?
   A. To provide early warning. B. To make trains run automatically.
   C. To earn profits for the crews. D. To accelerate transportation.
   答案：A

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?
   A. What Faults Can Be Detected with Drones
   B. How Production of Drones Can Be Expanded
   C. What Difficulty Drone Development Will Face
   D. How Drones Will Change the Future of Railways
   答案：D