Petrol and diesel cars may still dominate our roads, but their days are numbered. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 per cent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 per cent by 2020.
One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been ‘range anxiety’--- drivers' concerns about running out of juice on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed quite considerably over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their large price tags drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade critics. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine models a run for their money.
As well as advancements on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.
Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions. Were the US to act on the study's findings and replace 87 per cent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 per cent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1.Which is the best title for this passage?
A. My Dream Car
B. History of Electric Cars
C. Problems with Petrol Cars
D. Driving into the Future
2.As used in Paragraph 2, the underlined word “hurdle” means ________．
A. aim B. barrier
C. consequence D. step
3.What is the function of Paragraph 4?
A. To introduce the history of electric travel.
B. To explain why the world needs more electric cars.
C. To show why more people have interest in electric cars.
D. To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used.
Mr.Selfridge, the Wisconsin-born retailer (零售商) who left school at 14, rose to become a partner in Marshall Field’s, Chicago. Founded in 1852, it was one of the first and most ambitious US department stores. Mr.Selfridge had done well with Marshall Field’s. He liked to say, “The customer is always right,” which made the Chicago store popular. And he is believed to have invented the phrase “Only (so many) Shopping Days until Christmas”.
When he visited London on holiday in 1906 he was surprised to find most of the city’s department stores were no match of their American and Parisian competitors. This led Selfridge to leave the US and establish Selfridges, a department store named after him, at the west end of London’s Oxford Street. In Oxford Street, Selfridge’s design team shaped an ambitious classical palace building with a wall of plate glass windows.
Opened in 1909, Selfridges offered customers a hundred departments along with restaurants, a roof garden,reading and writing rooms, reception areas for foreign visitors, a first aid room and most importantly, a small army of knowledgeable floor-walking assistants who served as guides as well as being thoroughly instructed in the art of making a sale.
Mr.Selfridge did much to make the department store a destination rather than just a big and comprehensively stocked city shop. It became a place to meet and for ladies to lunch. Mr.Selfridge later introduced the department store as a key element of the 20th Century culture, and Chaplin acknowledged the growing trend for shopping in the department store in his film The Floorwalker.
1.What can be learned about Mr.Selfridge from Paragraph 1?
A.He was well-educated. B.He was a modest man.
C.He was a gifted businessman. D.He was dishonest.
2.What was Selfridges’ most impressive characteristic?
A.The broad choice of goods. B.The large number of departments.
C.The small group of guards. D.The well-trained sales guides.
3.What is the main purpose of the article?
A.To encourage shoppers to spend more. B.To introduce the history of Selfridges.
C.To compare different department stores. D.To explain how to start a department store.
假定你是高一学生李华。暑假即将来临，为了充分利用假期时间提高英语水平，你已经制定好了一份英语学习计划。请你的美国笔友Tom写一封信，要点如下：
1.分享你的英语学习计划；
2. 征求意见；
3. 期待回复并表达感谢。
注意：1. 词数 100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
下列每个句子中有一处语言错误。每处错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（A),并在其下写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
1.I was on the point of giving up the search while something caught my eye in the bushes.
2.Jane is easy to recognize as she is the only one of the women who wear evening dress.
3.We must take some measures to deal with it; otherwise, it would result from great losses in the future.
4.Only when the vehicle was lifted do the full horror of the accident become clear.
5.My car broke down on the way to the beach because it had been run out of petrol.
6.She was in so a panic that she hardly knew what she was doing.
7.As I turned around, I accidentally hit him in face and I apologized to him immediately.
8.Poor boy! His frightening look suggested he was very afraid.
9.A great many tourists fell in love with Harbin for the first time they visited the city.
10.The pilot, whether by accident and design, made the plane do a sharp turn.
It is so wet there that the trees are extremely tall,some____over 100 meters.
A.measured B.measuring C.are measured D.measure
The new movie is so popular that it___to be one of the biggest money makers of all time.
A.promises B.regards C.pretends D.supposes
