Question

Even as Google plans to test its fleet (车队) of self-driving cars on public roads this summer, its business model remains a bit of a mystery. By 2025, as many as 250,000 self-driving vehicles could be sold each year globally, according to a study by an industry research firm.

"Vehicles that can take anyone from A to B at the push of a button could transform mobility for millions of people," said Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project. For now, Google has no plans to sell any of its self-driving cars. They are strictly for research. But they will hit public roads this summer near Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Previous testing has taken place only on closed courses.

The cars are built to operate without a steering wheel, accelerator (油门) or brake pedal. "Our software and sensors do all the work," Urmson said. "The vehicles will be very basic — we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible — but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button." The prototype (雏形) are the first of a 100-car fleet the tech giant is building.

In the long run, Urmson sees a future of safer roads — the majority of auto accidents are caused by human error — and fewer traffic jams. Robotic cars could also shuttle people who can't drive because of age or illness.

Google has said that self-driving cars could launch new business models in which people buy the use of vehicles they don't own. The company has already tested other types of self-driving cars on public streets, including modified Lexus sport-utility vehicles, under a special permit program by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that requires a human driver at the controls.

The state has issued six other companies permits to operate such cars, including Delphi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Tesla, Bosch and Nissan. The vehicles that will be tested on open roads this summer will have removable steering wheels, accelerators and brake pedals to allow "safety drivers" to take control if needed.

Google says the cars are safe. The vehicles have sensors that "can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections," Urmson said. "We're looking forward to learning how the community understands and interacts with the vehicles, and to uncovering challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle," Urmson said.

1. According to Chris Urmson, __________.

A. self-driving cars can give driving orders to humans

B. software and sensors are vital for self-driving cars

C. self-driving cars are specially designed for the elderly

D. ordinary vehicles will be replaced by self-driving cars

2.The passage informs us that self-driving cars __________.

A. have already passed necessary tests

B. have been purchased by some companies

C. will be able to communicate with drivers

D. will probably decrease traffic jams

3.The underlined word "intersections" in the last paragraph can probably be replaced __________.

A. crossings   B. buildings

C. vehicles      D. accidents

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Google's Self-driving Car Graduates to City Streets

B. Google's Self-driving Car Enjoys Global Popularity

C. Self-driving Car Meets New Challenges

D. Self-driving Car Avoids Human Errors

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍了Google公司开发的自我驾驶汽车使用控制软件和感应器让汽车从较远的距离感应到物体的移动，控制车速以确保交通安全。这种新型汽车已经经历了检测，未来很快就将投入使用。

1.1】B 细节理解题。根据第三段前两句The cars are built to operate without a steering wheel, accelerator（油门）or brake pedal. "Our software and sensors do all the work," Urmson said.可知自我驾驶的汽车中的软件和感应器可以完成很多工作，这说明这种软件和感应器非常重要。故B正确。

2.2】D 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段前两Google says the cars are safe. The vehicles have sensors that "can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections,"可知Google说这些汽车很安全，可以从很远的距离就感应到物体的存在，这对于交通安全很有帮助。再根据第四段第一句In the long run, Urmson sees a future of safer roads—the majority of auto accidents are caused by human error—and fewer traffic jams.可知Urmson认为大部分的事故都是人为导致的，而自动驾驶的汽车事故很少，。故D正确。

3.3】A 词义猜测题。根据最后一段第二句The vehicles have sensors that "can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections,"这种新型车辆可以感应到很远之外的物体，这一点对于有很多交叉路口的忙碌的街道上是很有帮助的。所以intersections指“crossings十字路口”，故A项正确。

4.4】A 标题概括题。本文介绍了Google公司开发的自我驾驶汽车使用控制软件和感应器让汽车从较远的距离感应到物体的移动，控制车速以确保交通安全。病重这种新型汽车已经经历了检测，未来很快就将投入使用。所以A项符合中心思想。

【名师点睛】

选择标题在英语阅读理解题中属主旨大意题，是深层理解题，它要求考生在通读全文的基础上，认真分析主人公的特定心态、文章大意及作者的写作意图。通常情况下，标题具有概括性、针对性、醒目性的特点。所谓概括性，就是指标题应在最大程度上覆盖全文，囊括文章的主要内容，体现文章的主题。针对性是对标题外延的一种界定，标题要直接指向文章的主要特点。而醒目性是为了吸引读者的注意力，唤起读者对文章阅读的兴趣。常见的命题形式有：The best title for the text would be... / What can be the best title for this text? / Which of the following can be the best title for the text? 等。以下是此类题目的基本解题思路。

1、确定最佳标题的方法

在阅读文章时，要注意文章中反复出现或强调的信息，寻找与文章大多数内容相关的信息，找出覆盖全文的核心词汇，看选项内容是否切中文章的中心论题，也就是要看选项内容与作者的写作目的是否一致。

2、寻找文章的主题句

了解文章主要论题的关键是找到全文的主题句。主题句通常在文章首段，但是也可能在文章的末段、在文章的某一段落，或者分散在文章的各个段落中。如果每个段落都有主题句，那么把各段落的主题句的中心思想集中起来，即为全文的主题句．

3、概括文章的主题

要把握文章主旨，就必须根据具体的语言环境、陈述内容的逻辑关系（文章的结构）、上下文的连贯意思及文中有关暗示来理解文章的深层含义。

4、逆向思维法

针对这类题型，考生不妨思考一下，“如果我是作者，遇到这样的标题，文章应该怎样写？”

5、整体把握文章，不被细节迷惑

标题实际上是文章主题的一种确认方式。要准确地把握文章的主题思想，就要十分留意文章的开头和结尾，要抓住文中具有概括性的信息，从上下文连贯的意思来理解全文。好些文章的主题句并不明显，需要我们仔细体会字里行间的意思，了解文章的背景知识、文章结构，推断作者意图或态度，从整体上把握文章的主旨。从全局的角度归纳概括出文章的标题。要防止本末倒置，主次不分，要排除干扰项的干扰，选出正确的答案。有些干扰项，从局部看也许不算错，但从全局看却又片面。这类干扰项与正确答案之差，其实是局部与全局之差。考生在做题时不要为局部现象（即细节）迷惑，而忽略了文章的整体思想。有的文章一开始就亮出主题，全文随着主题而展开。

考点：考查科普说明文阅读