Are cosmic rays really causing Toyota's woes? 宇宙射線真的造成豐田的麻煩？

◎管淑平
It may sound far-fetched, but federal regulators are studying whether sudden acceleration in Toyotas is linked to cosmic rays.
這聽來或許牽強，但聯邦主管機關正在了解，豐田汽車暴衝是否與宇宙射線有關。
It shows how deep regulators and automakers may have to dig to solve the mysteries of sudden acceleration. Toyota says it is fixing mechanical problems -- floor mats and sticky pedals -- that explain sudden acceleration in 13 models and 5.6 million vehicles.
這顯示主管機關和車廠可能得多 深入探索，以解開暴衝謎團。豐田說正在修復機械性問題：地毯和踏板卡住，這是該公司13款560萬輛車暴衝的原因。
Electronics makers have known for decades about "single event upsets," computer errors from radiation created when cosmic rays strike the atmosphere. And the Radiation from space long has know for affecting airplanes and spacecraft, but has received scant attention in the auto industry.
電 子元件製造商早已知道「單一事件擾亂」現象，即宇宙射線打到大氣層時產生的輻射所導致的電腦錯誤。這種來自太空的輻射線也早已知會影響飛機和太空飛行器， 但在汽車工業一直沒受到太多關注。
An anonymous tipster whose complaint prompted regulators to look at the issue said the design of Toyota’s microprocessors, memory chips and software could make them more vulnerable than those of other automakers. And several researchers say single event upsets deserve a close look.
一名匿名投訴者的投訴內容引起主管機關探究這個問 題，他說，豐田的微處理器、記憶晶片和軟體的設計，可能使他們的車子比其他車廠的車子還容易出問題。幾位研究人員說，單一事件擾亂的因素值得一探究竟。
新聞辭典
woes：名詞，災難、麻煩（常用複數形）。例句：The president is facing increased pressure to step down in midst of economic and political woes. （總統在經濟與政治困難中面臨越來越大的下台壓力。）
far-fetched：形容詞，牽強附 會的。例句：I’m not convinced by your far-fetched excuse.（我不會被你牽強的理由說服。）
scant： 形容詞，微小的、欠缺的。例句：We are scant of breath after 2-hour non-stop climbing.（連續不停的爬了兩小時後，我們都喘不過氣。）