Question

    It's late at night, the weather is bad, and you're hungry. Your favourite restaurant is less than a mile away, but you don't want to pay a $5 delivery (递送) fee. So, what do you do? Back in the old days, you would have braved the weather. But those days are coming to an end, at least in Washington.

A group of about 20 knee-high robots recently has come out on the sidewalks (人行道) of the nation's capital. Their tasks are to bring take-out food from restaurants to hungry customers at home while keeping the delivery cost to around a dollar.

The robots are European, created in Estonia by a company called Starship Technologies. Each of them is a middle-sized cooler on six wheels, and drives at an average (平均的) speed of about 4 miles per hour, about the speed of a walker. It has lights and a tall, bright orange flag so that it can be noticed by people on the sidewalk.

Here in Washington, Starship has teamed up with Postmates, the online delivery service, and the robots already are completing deliveries around the city. They move almost silently. They are electric, so there isn't much sound, except for their wheels. Their cameras recognize a lot-including traffic lights and stop signs.

The robots have only been in Washington for about a month, and they're still causing quite a stir (轰动), often getting stopped for photos. A young mother Maria Garcia is on the sidewalk, pointing out the robot to her daughter. "It's super cool," she says, "But the only thing that makes me worry about-is it going to put people out of jobs?

The company does not see robots as a replacement (代替), says Russell Cook, the director of Postmates. "We have people that drive cars, walk, and bike, and we see robots as another type of vehicle that helps us to offer deliveries," he says.

1.What does the underlined word "It" refer to?

A.The walker. B.The robot. C.The company. D.The car.

2.What do we know about the robots mentioned in the passage?

A.They were developed by a US company. B.They are able to travel at a high speed.

C.They create little noise while working. D.They can communicate with walkers.

3.What is the mother's worry about the robots?

A.They may not be as safe as expected. B.They may cause a stir on the sidewalk.

C.They may be destroyed by some people. D.They may take the place of deliverymen.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.A leading online delivery company. B.Delivery robots in Washington, D. C..

C.The recent development of Postmates. D.People's growing worry about robots.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

本文主要讲述了一种送餐机器人，这在美国引起了市民的广泛关注。这些机器人是欧洲制造的，由一家公司在爱沙尼亚制造。它们几乎悄无声息地移动。它们是电动的，所以除了轮子之外没有什么声音。

1.推理判断题。根据“The robots are European, created in Estonia by a company”可知这些机器人是欧洲制造的，由一家公司在爱沙尼亚制造，且后面说的它有灯和旗子，所以可推测出是机器人，故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据“They move almost silently. They are electric, so there isn't much sound, except for their wheels.”可知它们几乎悄无声息地移动。它们是电动的，所以除了轮子之外没有什么声音，可推测出他们工作时很少制造噪音，故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据“But the only thing that makes me worry about-is it going to put people out of jobs”可知唯一让我担心的是，它会让人们失业吗，故选D。

4.主旨大意题。根据“A group of about 20 knee-high robots recently has come out on the sidewalks (人行道) of the nation's capital…while keeping the delivery cost to around a dollar.”可知最近，一组大约20个齐膝高的机器人出现在了首都的人行道上。他们的任务是将外卖食品从餐馆送到家里饥饿的顾客手中，同时将配送成本控制在1美元左右，可推测出主要讲述了华盛顿的送餐机器人，故选B。