Question

Your next car could have two seats, three wheels---two in front and one in the back and a top speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Elio Motors plans to make such a tiny car named the Elio. Its two seats sit front and back instead of side by side. The driver is positioned in the center with the passenger directly behind.

The starting price for the car is just $6,800. It has only one door, on the left side, which cuts a few hundred dollars off the manufacturing costs. Having three wheels also makes it cheaper. It has air conditioning, power windows and door locks and an AM/FM radio. More features can be ordered through Elio’s long list of suppliers. Elio will also sell the cars directly through its own stores and not through franchised dealers (特约经销商).

Paul Elio dreamed as a kid that he would one day own a car company called Elio Motors. In 2008, tired of high gas prices, he started working on a car that burns gas in a more effective way. Equally important to him was creating U.S. manufacturing jobs and making the car inexpensive enough to attract buyers who might otherwise be stuck in their old, unreliable (不可靠的)cars. “Whatever matters to you, this can move the needle on it,” he said.

Already, more than 27,000 people have reserved (预订)one. Paul hopes to make 250,000 cars a year by 2016. So far, reservation holders are those who will use the Elio as a second car or third car for work. Finally, though, he believes the car will interest high school and college students as well as used-car drivers who want something newer and more reliable.

1.Which of the following shows the design of the Elio?

(O=wheel, □=seat)

A.     B.

C.     D.

2.Paragraph 2 shows that the Elio ________.

A. is sold at affordable prices

B. will be available in most stores

C. has a fixed temperature

D. does no harm to the environment

3.The underlined words “move the needle” in Paragraph 3 probably mean “________”.

A. take a chance    B. stand in the way

C. break into pieces    D. make a difference

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. The history of Elio Motors    B. Cool and practical vehicle

C. Paul Elio: a kid with big dreams    D. What car to choose: new or used?

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】本文是说明文。文章主要介绍了来自ElioMotors的一款三轮机动车。它的制造者在2008厌倦了高油价，开始研究一种能更有效地燃烧汽油的汽车。最终制造出这款三轮机动车。

1.细节理解题。由第一段中的two seats, three wheels — two in front and one in the back和Its two seats sit front and back可知两个座位，三个轮子两在前一个在后和两座位坐前面和后面，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。由该段中的the car is just $6,800可知，Elio是一款便宜的小汽车，故选A项。

3.词义猜测题。Paul认为Elio这款车经济节油、价格低廉，而且还会带来就业机会，所以move the needle在此应该是表示带来可见的变化，故选D项。

4.主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了一款只有三个轮子和两个座椅的机动车，这样一辆造型奇特的车究竟如何呢？所以文章标题用Cool car or stupid vehicle?最恰当。

【名师点睛】：

细节理解题:

细节题的发问具体，涉及内容五花八门，通常采用以疑问词开头的特殊疑问句或不完全句的形式，有时即便不是以what，which，how many (much，long，etc.)等疑问词引导的问句，也是以变相的问句对这类事实或细节进行提问。如：本文的第一题：

1. Which of the following shows the design of the Elio?

(O=wheel, □=seat)

A. B.

C. D.

解题方法： 

1、整体感知，确定文体，根据文体特点寻找主题句。 

2、如果文中没有现成的主题句，则需依靠衔接过度词、句际关系等把握文章逻辑结构，分辨主题与细节，总结段落大意。 

3、对比选项，谨防常见病症：以偏概全、所概括的内容与文章不相关、概括太笼统等

本文第1题是以疑问词which引导的问句，对这类事实或细节进行提问。通读全文得知第一段介绍的是这种自行车的结构，在第一段中找出对这类事实进行描述的关键句，即“two seats, three wheels — two in front and one in the back和Its two seats sit front and back”，句意为可知两个座位，三个轮子两在前一个在后和两座位坐前面和后面，从所给的四个选项中进行选择，可知C符合题意，故选C。