Question

People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.

In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. ” The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.

Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. ” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don’t replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．

“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident, ”Kendall said. He said , “Consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. ”

Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.

1.According to the passage, California Governor Jerry Brown ______________.

A. is for the idea of having driverless cars

B. sponsored the DARPA competition to improve the driverless system

C. has already bought a new autonomous car

D. thinks that driving safety is the most important issue in his state

2. What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A. They can help cars run much faster.

B. They can take the place of drivers now.

C. They can make cars run without fuel.

D. They can help people drive more safely.

3.In Kendall’s opinion, who probably don’t rely on the driverless cars at first?

A. managers in the high-tech company Google

B. officers from the U. S. government agency DARPA

C. car consumers

D. vehicle designers

4.According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?

A. They need to have more comfortable seats .

B. They are now too expensive for consumers.

C. They are travelling at a low speed.

D. They are not favored by car racers

Answer 1

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

试题分析:本文是一篇科技类文章，本篇介绍了一种新型交通工具——无人驾驶汽车，这种汽车能够减少交通事故的发生。

1.A细节理解题。根据第二段California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state.加利福利亚州长Jerry Brown签署了允许这种自动（无人驾驶的）汽车在本州行驶的法令。由此可见，Jerry Brown是支持这个想法的,故选A。

2.D细节理解题。文章第三段主要描述这种无人驾驶汽车的安全性能，故选D。

3.C 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“Consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. ”可知Kendall认为消费者可能不愿意失去（对车子的）控制，可能要花一段时间他们才能意识到这项技术的可靠性，但是这项技术首先要证明自己（是可靠的）。由此可推断出汽车的消费者在一开始可能不信任这项技术，故选C。

4.

考点：考查科技类阅读