Question

【题目】请认真阅读下列短文， 并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意: 每个空格只填 1 个单词。 请将答案写在答题卷上相应题号的横线上。

Driverless cars used to be the sort of thing you’d see in sci-fi films, but in 2020 they’re becoming a reality. Autonomous car technology is already being developed by the likes of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes, and we’ve even tested Tesla’s driverless Autopilot system on UK roads. Across the Atlantic, Google is developing its automated technology in the wild, and Apple is rumoured to be working with BMW on its own-probably automated-car.

Fully-driverless tech is still at an advanced testing stage, but partially automated technology has been around for the last few years. Executive saloons like the BMW 7 Series feature automated parking, and can even be controlled remotely.

With so much investment and interest in driverless technology, it’s easy to assume that self-operating cars are likely to happen soon, but they’re much further away than we might think. Before driverless vehicles go to market widely, manufacturers must deal with a range of technical and ethical challenges, and prevent the biggest threat to autonomous technology: humans.

The human problem

Humans present problems for autonomous cars as both drivers and pedestrians, and dealing with our unpredictable behaviour represents a significant challenge for the technology.

The Google Car is one of the most experienced autonomous vehicles. Even so, its interaction with human drivers has given rise to the exposure of one of driverless cars’ main weaknesses. The first injury involving the Google Car wasn’t due to a fault in its system, but human-error. While correctly waiting at traffic lights, Google’s self-driving car was hit by an inattentive driver and, in spite of its sophisticated array (复杂精密的数组) of sensors, there was little it could do to avoid the incident. Luckily, the accident only resulted in minor injury for a few of the passengers, but it’s a reminder that autonomous cars are at risk when surrounded by human road users.

Despite their sophisticated systems, self-driving cars currently have no plan B for human road users. Human drivers are able to interact with each other and make allowances, but also make countless, small mistakes when driving-mistakes to which current self-driving cars simply can’t adapt.

Dealing with pedestrians

The way human drivers interact with pedestrians raises difficult moral and ethical questions for car manufacturers-with implications.

Autonomous cars need to understand the way pedestrians behave, while also imitating the behaviour they’d expect from a human driver. “Everyone has a knowledge of how a human being is going to react, because we are all human beings,” says computer ethics commentator Ben Byford. “So if you walk out in front of a car, and presumably the car driver knows you’re there, they’re going to react in a certain way.”

“ If I walked out in front of a Google car travelling at 60mph, I have no real knowledge of how the vehicle will behave, so I’m effectively putting myself in danger.”

How 【1】 away are we from autonomous cars?
Background information	● Autonomous car technology has been 【2】 in some famous car manufacturers. ● Partially automated technology has been in 【3】 for the last few years. ● Before our roads are 【4】 with driverless vehicles, manufacturers have a lot of things to do.
【5】 about the autonomous technology	The human problem	● The Google car’s accident has 【6】 one of driverless cars’ weaknesses. ● 【7】 the sophisticated array of sensors, Google’s self-driving car could do little to avoid the accident. ● With no alternative plan, self-driving cars cannot have a good 【8】 with human drivers.
	Dealing with pedestrians	【9】 human drivers who know pedestrians well, autonomous cars have difficulty in 【10】 their behavior, thus putting pedestrians in danger.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】far

【2】tested/developed

【3】use/ application/existence

【4】flooded/ crowded

【5】Concerns/Worries

【6】exposed

【7】Despite

【8】interaction

【9】Unlike

【10】understanding/knowing/ predicting

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了我们离自动驾驶汽车还有多远（在自动驾驶汽车投入使用之前，我们还有很长的路要走）。

【1】

考查固定短语。通读全文，特别是根据第三段中的“it’s easy to assume that self-operating cars are likely to happen soon, but they’re much further away than we might think.”可知，人们很容易认为自动驾驶汽车可能很快就会出现，但它们离我们想象的要远得多，由此可知，本文主要介绍的是我们离自动驾驶汽车还有多远，how far away表示“有多远”，故填far。

【2】

考查动词。根据第一段中的“Autonomous car technology is already being developed by the likes of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes, and we’ve even tested Tesla’s driverless Autopilot system on UK roads.”可知，雷克萨斯、宝马和梅赛德斯等知名公司开发已经开发了自动驾驶技术，我们甚至在英国公路上测试了特斯拉的无人驾驶自动驾驶系统，此处需要填动词作谓语，并与前面的“has been”构成现在完成时的被动语态，因此填过去分词，故填tested/developed。

【3】

考查名词。根据第二段“Fully-driverless tech is still at an advanced testing stage, but partially automated technology has been around for the last few years. Executive saloons like the BMW 7 Series feature automated parking, and can even be controlled remotely.”可知，完全自动驾驶技术仍处于高级测试阶段，但部分自动驾驶技术在过去几年中已经出现，像宝马7系这样的行政轿车具有自动停车功能，甚至可以远程控制，由此可知，部分自动驾驶技术在过去几年中一直存在（应用/使用），作介词in的宾语用名词，故填use/ application/existence。

【4】

考查固定短语。根据第三段中的“Before driverless vehicles go to market widely, manufacturers must deal with a range of technical and ethical challenges”可知，在自动驾驶汽车广泛进入市场之前，制造商必须应对一系列技术上和道德上的挑战，be crowded/ flooded with表示“挤满、充满”，故填crowded/ flooded。

【5】

考查名词。根据The human problem部分的内容以及Dealing with pedestrians部分的内容可知，对于自动驾驶技术，人们最担心的是自动驾驶汽车无法适应人为错误和不能正确地对行人做出反应，作主语用名词，故填Concerns/Worries。

【6】

考查动词。根据第五段中的“The Google Car is one of the most experienced autonomous vehicles. Even so, its interaction with human drivers has given rise to the exposure of one of driverless cars’ main weaknesses.”可知，谷歌汽车是最有经验的自动驾驶汽车之一，尽管如此，它与人类司机的互动暴露了无人驾驶汽车的一个主要弱点，紧接着就举了谷歌汽车的第一次出事故的例子，此处缺少动词作谓语，“has”表明用的是现在完成时，此处需要填过去分词，故填exposed。

【7】

考查介词。根据第五段中的“in spite of its sophisticated array (复杂精密的数组) of sensors, there was little it could do to avoid the incident.”可知，“尽管谷歌的自动驾驶汽车有一系列精密的传感器，但它几乎无法避免发生事故（对避免事故几乎无能为力），despite是介词，表示“尽管”，故填Despite。

【8】

考查名词。根据第六段中的“Human drivers are able to interact with each other”可知，人类的驾驶员能够相互交流，而自动驾驶汽车却不能，作动词have的宾语用名词，故填interaction。

【9】

考查介词。根据倒数第二段中的““Everyone has a knowledge of how a human being is going to react, because we are all human beings,” says computer ethics commentator Ben Byford. “So if you walk out in front of a car, and presumably the car driver knows you’re there, they’re going to react in a certain way.””可知，计算机伦理评论员本·拜福德说：“人类知道一个人将如何反应，因为我们都是人，如果你走到一辆车前面，人类驾驶员会根据你的位置做出反应，而自动驾驶汽车则不能”，由此可知，与熟悉行人的人类驾驶员不同，自动驾驶汽车很难了解行人的行为， 此处需要填介词，表示“与……不同、不像”，故填Unlike。

【10】

考查非谓语动词。根据倒数第二段中的““Everyone has a knowledge of how a human being is going to react, because we are all human beings,” says computer ethics commentator Ben Byford. “So if you walk out in front of a car, and presumably the car driver knows you’re there, they’re going to react in a certain way.””可知，计算机伦理评论员本·拜福德说：“人类知道一个人将如何反应，因为我们都是人，如果你走到一辆车前面，人类驾驶员会根据你的位置做出反应，而自动驾驶汽车则不能”，由此可知，与熟悉行人的人类驾驶员不同，自动驾驶汽车很难理解（了解/预测）行人的行为，have difficulty in doing表示“做某事有困难”，故填understanding/knowing/ predicting。