Question

Even as Google plans to test its fleet(车队) of self-driving cars on public roads this summer, its business model remains a bit of a mystery. By 2025, as many as 250,000 self-driving vehicles could be sold each year globally, according to a study by an industry research firm.

 

"Vehicles that can take anyone from A to B at the push of a button could transform mobility for millions of people," said Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project. For now, Google has no plans to sell any of its self-driving cars. They are strictly for research. But they will hit public roads this summer near Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Previous testing has taken place only on closed courses.

The cars are built to operate without a steering wheel, accelerator(油门) or brake pedal. "Our software and sensors do all the work," Urmson said. "The vehicles will be very basic—we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible—but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button." The prototypes(雏形) are the first of a 100-car fleet the tech giant is building.

In the long run, Urmson sees a future of safer roads — the majority of auto accidents are caused by human error — and fewer traffic jams. Robotic cars could also shuttle people who can't drive because of age or illness.

Google has said that self-driving cars could launch new business models in which people buy the use of vehicles they don't own. The company has already tested other types of self-driving cars on public streets, including modified Lexus sport-utility vehicles, under a special permit program by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that requires a human driver at the controls.

The state has issued six other companies permits to operate such cars, including Delphi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Tesla, Bosch and Nissan. The vehicles that will be tested on open roads this summer will have removable steering wheels, accelerator and brake pedals to allow "safety drivers" to take control if needed.

Google says the cars are safe. The vehicles have sensors that "can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections," Urmson said. "We're looking forward to learning how the community understands and interacts with the vehicles, and to uncovering challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle," Urmson said.

1.The passage informs us that self-driving cars ________.

A. will probably decrease traffic jams

B. have already passed necessary tests

C. have been purchased by some companies

D. will be able to communicate with drivers

2.According to Chris Urmson, ________.

A. software and sensors are vital for self-driving cars

B. self-driving cars can give driving orders to humans

C. self-driving cars are specially designed for the elderly

D. ordinary vehicles will be replaced by self-driving cars

3.The underlined word "intersections" in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A. accidents    B. buildings

C. crossings    D. vehicles

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Self-driving Car Avoids Human Errors

B. Self-driving Car Meets New Challenges

C. Google's Self-driving Car Enjoys Global Popularity

D. Google's Self-driving Car Graduates to City Streets

Answer

1. A

2. A

3. C

4. D

【解析】

试题本文介绍了Google公司开发的自我驾驶汽车使用控制软件和感应器让汽车从较远的距离感应到物体的移动，控制车速以确保交通安全。病重这种新型汽车已经经历了检测，未来很快就将投入使用。

1.intersections,"可知Google说这些汽车很安全，可以从很远的距离就感应到物体的存在，这对于交通安全很有帮助。再根据第四段第一句In the long run, Urmson sees a future of safer roads—the majority of auto accidents are caused by human error—and fewer traffic jams.可知Urmson认为大部分的事故都是人为导致的，而自动驾驶的汽车事故很受。会更加安全。故A正确。

2.

3.intersections,"这种新型车辆可以感应到很远之外的物体，这一点对于有很多交叉路口的忙碌的街道上是很有帮助的。所以intersections指“crossings十字路口”，故A项正确。

4.