Question

Your next ca might drive itself. After years of trials on city streets, driverless vehicles are now nearing the live phase. Last moth, a driverless bus began carrying passengers through Lyon, France, Most in the automobile industry think self-driving vehicles will be on the road by 2020 or before.

Driverless cars will at first be huddled with human-driven cars. But the first places where they will become dominant（统治的）are dense urban areas — precisely the spots most damaged by the automobile age. Many advanced cities are already reducing the role of human-driven cargo. Driverless cars will quicken that process and will bring us enormous benefits.

Driverless cars will reduce accidents by around 90 percent. That’s big—the annual death toll on the world’s roads is about 1.2 million a year. Pollution and carbon emissions will drop, because urban driverless cars will be electric. The old, otherwise they would stay at home most of the time and the disabled and teenagers will suddenly gain mobility.

On the other hand, driverless cars will bring catastrophe. The best thing about the automobile age was that it employed tens of millions of people to make, market, insure and drive vehicles. Over the next 20 years, the mostly low-skilled men who now drive trucks, taxis and buses will see their jobs reduced. Carmakers are especially scared. The few cars of the future might be made by tech companies such as Apple, Baidu and Google. Imaging the impact on Germany, where the automotive sector is the largest industry.

Dramatic change is coming, and driverless cars could arrive by 2020. But governments have barely begun thinking about it. Only 6 percent of the biggest US cities have factored them into their long-term planning.

A decade ago anyone hardly saw the Smartphone coming. It has bought an epidemic of mass addiction. Let’s hope we do a better job of handling the driverless car.

1.The underlined words “be huddled with” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “               “.

A. show up    B. exist together

C. get rid of    D. take the place of

2.Why can driverless cars reduce pollution and carbon emissions?

A. Driverless cars reduce the number of cars.

B. Driverless cars will be powered by electricity.

C. Driverless cars save fuel by driving themselves.

D. Driverless cars will reduce too many accidents.

3.What’s the author’s attitude toward driverless cars?

A. Doubtful.    B. Negative.

C. Objective.    D. Worried.

4.What can we know about driverless cars?

A. They will not hit the road until 2020.

B. They will only be used in urban areas.

C. They will not cause any road accident.

D. They aren’t still seriously taken by leaders.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】本文介绍无人驾驶的汽车。无人驾驶汽车将由电力驱动，所以能够减少污染和碳排放量。但是无人汽车还没有完全被领导认可。

1.Ｂ

词义猜测题。根据第二段Driverless cars will at first be huddled with human-driven cars. But the first places where they will become dominant（统治的）are dense urban areas无人驾驶的汽车起初要和有人驾驶的汽车同时存在。但是他们最早统治的地区将是人口密集的城市。根据句意可知划线词的意思是“共同存在”。故选Ｂ。

2.Ｂ

细节理解题。根据第三段中Pollution and carbon emissions will drop, because urban driverless cars will be electric.可知无人驾驶汽车将由电力驱动，所以能够减少污染和碳排放量。故选Ｂ。

3.Ｃ

推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句Let’s hope we do a better job of handling the driverless car. 希望我们能更好地处理无人驾驶汽车。可知作者对无人汽车持客观的态度。故选Ｃ。

4.Ｄ

推理判断题。根据第五段中But governments have barely begun thinking about it.可知无人汽车还没有完全被领导认可。故选Ｄ。