As self — driving cars come closer to being c...

As self — driving cars come closer to being common on American roads, much of the rhetoric (说辞) promoting them has to do with safety. About 40,000 people die on U. S. roads every year, and driver errors are linked to more than 90 percent of crashes. But many of the biggest advocates of autonomous vehicles aren’t car companies looking to improve the safety of their existing products. Huge backing for self - driving technologies is coming from Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple.

Those of us who have studied the relationship between technology and society tend to look more carefully at the motivations behind any technological push. In this case, it’s clear that in addition to addressing safety concerns, Silicon Valley firms have a strong incentive (动机) to create a new venue for increasing the use of their digital devices. Every minute people spend on their mobile phones provides data - and often money - to tech companies.

At present, digital devices and driving are in conflict: There are serious, often fatal, consequences when drivers use smartphones to talk or to text. Regulators and safety advocates look to resolve dial conflict by banning phone use while driving - as has happened in virtually every state. But the tech companies are taking a different approach. The obvious answer for Silicon Valley is creating an antomobile in which continuous cellphone use no longer poses a threat to anyone.

In recent years, the amount of time adults spend on their mobile devices has grown rapidly. At the moment, it’s around four hours a day for the average adult in the U. S. However, that rapid growth is likely to slow down as people run out of time that ’ s available for them to use their devices. Unless, of course, there’s a new block of time that suddenly opens up. The average American now spends about 48 minutes in a car every day, a sizable opportunity for increased cellphone use.

So as the public conversation around autonomous cars highlights the safety advantages, don’t forget the tech industry ’ s powerful desire for more profits, which goes well beyond simply saving us from ourselves.

1.Who are responsible for most traffic accidents in America?

A. Car companies.　　 B. Tech companies.

C. Drivers.　　 D. Self - driving cars.

2.What is Silicon Valley’s motive for promoting self - driving technologies?

A. To make more money.　　 B. To reduce traffic accidents.

C. To limit the use of digital devices.　　 D. To support car companies.

3.What is the present - day solution to the conflict between digital devices and driving?

A. Teaching people traffic rules.　　 B. Improving self-driving technologies.

C. Fixing digital devices in cars.　　 D. Banning phone use while driving.

4.What does the underlined phrase “a new block of time” possibly refer to?

A. The working time.　　 B. People’s spare time.

C. The time spent in the car.　　 D. The time spent on mobile devices.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As self-driving cars come closer to being common on American roads, much of the rhetoric（说辞）promoting them has to do with safety. About 40,000 people die on U.S. roads every year, and driver errors are linked to more than 90 percent of crashes. But many of the biggest advocates of autonomous（自动的）vehicles aren’t car companies looking to improve the safety of their existing products. Huge support for itself-driving technologies is coming from Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple.

Those of us who have studied the relationship between technology and society tend to look more carefully at the motivations behind any technologically push. In this case, it’s clear that in addition to addressing safety concerns, Silicon Valley firms have a strong incentive（动机）to create a new venue for increasing the use of their digital devices. Every minute people spend on their mobile phones provides data—and often money—to tech companies.

At present, digital devices and driving are in conflict: There are serious, often fatal, consequences when drivers use smartphones to talk or to text. Regulators and safety advocates look to resolve dial conflict by banning phone use while driving – as has happened in almost every state. But the tech companies are taking a different approach. The obvious answer for Silicon Valley is creating an automobile in which continuous cellphone use no longer poses a threat to anyone.

In recent years, the amount of time adults spend on their mobile devices has grown rapidly. At the moment, it’s around four hours a day for the average adult in the U.S. However, that rapid growth is likely to slow down as people run out of time that’s available for them up to use their devices. Unless, of course, there’s a new block of time that suddenly opens up. The average American now spends about 48 minutes in a car every day, a sizeable opportunity for increased cellphone use.

Sop as the public conversation around autonomous cars highlights the safety advantages, don’t forget the tech industry’s powerful desire for more profits, which goes well beyond simply saving us from ourselves.

1.Who are responsible for most traffic accidents in American?

A. Car companies.　　 B. Drivers.

C. Tech companies.　　 D. Self-driving cars.

2.What pushes Silicon Valley to promote self-driving technologies?

A. To make more money.　　 B. To reduce traffic accidents.

C. To limit the use of digital devices.　　 D. To support car companies.

3.What does the underlined phrase “a new block of time” possibly refer to?

A. The working time.　　 B. People’s spare time.

C. The time spent in the car.　　 D. The time spent on mobile devices.

4.What can we know from the passage?

A. We should teach people to strictly obey traffic rules.

B. The writer calls on us to look at autonomous cars wisely.

C. Car companies are the leading promoters of self-driving cars.

D. No solution to the conflict between mobile phone use and driving has been found yet.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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 prototype (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, accelerators 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. According to Chris Urmson, __________.

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

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

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

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

2.The passage informs us that self-driving cars __________.

A. have already passed necessary tests

B. have been purchased by some companies

C. will be able to communicate with drivers

D. will probably decrease traffic jams

3.The underlined word "intersections" in the last paragraph can probably be replaced __________.

A. crossings　　 B. buildings

C. vehicles 　　　 D. accidents

4.What is the best title for this passage?

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

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

C. Self-driving Car Meets New Challenges

D. Self-driving Car Avoids Human Errors

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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 prototype (雏形) is 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, accelerators and brake pedals to allow “safety drivers” to take control if needed.

1.According to Chris Urmson, __________.

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

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

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

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

2.Paragraph 4 is meant to tell us that __________.

A. many traffic accidents are caused by human error

B. some people can’t drive because of illness or age

C. Urmson has promised to create safer roads in the future

D. self-driving cars will probably help to make safer roads and decrease traffic jams

3.The underlined word “issued” in the last paragraph can probably be replaced by__________.

A. given　　 B. claimed

C. awarded　　 D. prohibited

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards self-driving cars?

A. Objective.　　 B. Indifferent.

C. Subjective.　　 D. Favorable.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

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 prototype（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, accelerators 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

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It won’t be long ______ self-driving cars appear on the market.

A. until　　 B. after

C. when　　 D. before

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

On my fourth day in a self-driving car, I finally felt comfortable enough to let it stop itself. Before then, I'd allowed the car-a Volvo S90 sedan-to control the direction, with my hands still on the wheel, and to adjust speed in traffic. By Day 4, I was ready to make a jump into the future.

With the car traveling on a busy road, I activated the driverless mode. Soon, a traffic light turned red. For a split second, I prepared to get on the brakes. There was no need. The cameras and computers in the Volvo recognized the traffic conditions and smoothly began applying the brake.

If you're anything like most people, you're familiar with this anxiety. Almost 80 percent of Americans fear traveling in a self-driving car, a recent survey found.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have conducted some clever experiments studying the phenomenon. They asked participants to complete tasks and compare their performance with a computer system's. After the computer made a mistake, people were unwilling to use it again. After the people made mistakes, their self-confidence wouldn't change. It didn't matter that the human beings made more mistakes than the computer. So it is with driving. More than 37,000 Americans died in crashes last year, most from human error. The death count from cars goes beyond that from guns. So if you are shocked and angry by guns and want things to change, you should feel the same about car crashes.

Technology creates an opportunity to save lives. Computers don't get drunk or distracted by text messages, and they don't have blind spots. Just look at commercial airlines: Automation has helped all but get rid of deadly crashes among American air carriers. The last one happened in 2009.

The technology for self-driving cars still isn't good enough. But it is improving rapidly. Within a few years, many cars will have advanced crash-avoidance systems and driving will be revolutionized sooner than many people now understand.

1.How does the author introduce the topic?

A.By offering a piece of news. B.By giving background information.

C.By describing an experience. D.By introducing a latest car.

2.What can be learnt about the participants of the experiments?

A.They tended to accept the computer's faults.

B.They seemed to care little about their own mistakes.

C.They felt less confident after making mistakes.

D.They performed better than computer systems.

3.The author mentioned commercial airlines___________.

A.to prove the advantage of technology B.to assess the security of driverless cars

C.to find fault with computers D.to advertise for the commercial airlines

4.What does the author expect of the self-driving car?

A.I'll avoid deadly crashes entirely. B.It'll occupy the market in a short time.

C.It'll be bettered in every possible way. D.It'll be popularized sooner than expected.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On my fourth day in a self-driving car, I finally felt comfortable enough to let it stop itself. Before then, Id allowed the car- a Volvo S90 sedan to control the direction, with my hands still on the wheel, and to adjust speed in traffic. By Day 4, I was ready to make a jump into the future.

With the car traveling on a busy road, I activated the driverless mode. Soon, a traffic light turned red. For a split second, I prepared to get on the brakes. There was no need. The cameras and computers in the Volvo recognized the traffic conditions and smoothly began applying the brake.

If you're anything like most people, you're familiar with this anxiety. Almost 80 percent of Americans fear traveling in a self-driving car, a recent survey found.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have conducted some clever experiments studying the phenomenon. They asked participants to complete tasks and compared their performance with a computer system's. After the computer made a mistake, people were unwilling to use it again. After the people made mistakes, their self-confidence wouldn't change. It didn't matter that the human beings made more mistakes than the computer. So it is with driving. More than 37,000 Americans died in crashes last year, most from human error. The death count from cars goes beyond that from guns. So if you are shocked and angry by guns and want things to change, you should feel the same about car crashes.

Technology creates an opportunity to save lives. Computers don't get drunk or distracted by text messages, and they don't have blind spots. Just look at commercial airlines: Automation has helped all but get rid of deadly crashes among American air carriers. The last one happened in 2009.

The technology for self-driving cars still isn't good enough. But it is improving rapidly. Within a few years, many cars will have advanced crash-avoidance systems and driving will be revolutionized sooner than many people now understand.

1.How does the author introduce the topic?

A.By offering a piece of news. B.By describing an experience.

C.By giving background information. D.By introducing a latest car.

2.What can we know from the fourth paragraph?

A.The participants lost self-confidence after making mistakes.

B.The participants would ignore the mistakes made by the computer.

C.Car crashes is no less shocking than gun incidents.

D.The death count from cars is the same as that from guns.

3.The author mentioned commercial airlines___________.

A.to advertise for the commercial airlines. B.to assess the security of driverless cars.

C.to find fault with computers. D.to prove the advantage of technology.

4.What's the author's attitude towards self-driving cars?

A.Favorable. B.Indifferent.

C.Skeptical. D.Concerned.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Four out of the 48 self-driving cars on public roads in California have been involved in accidents in the last eight months, according to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

The agency began issuing permits for the testing of self-driving vehicles in September 2014.

Three of the four cars belonged to Google, the fourth to parts supplier Delphi.

Both firms denied their vehicles had been at fault.

Under Californian law, details of car accidents remain secret.

However, Google said its driverless cars had never been the cause of an accident and that the majority of "minor fender-benders(擦撞)" had been in the form of rear-end(后尾) collisions from other drivers.

"Safety is our highest priority. Since the start of our programme six years ago, we've driven nearly a million miles automatically, on both freeways and city streets, without causing a single accident," said a spokesperson.

Delphi told the BBC its vehicle was hit while still at a crossroads and was in human driving mode at the time.

"A police report indicates the fault of the accident is with the second vehicle, not Delphi. No-one was hurt in the incident," said a spokesperson.

An unknown source told the Associated Press that two of the accidents occurred while the vehicles were occupied by human drivers, and all four vehicles were going very slowly at the time of the collisions.

Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car programme, wrote in a blog post that there have been 11 accidents involving Google cars since the project began six years ago but not one has been caused by one of its vehicles.

"Rear-end crashes are the most frequent accidents in America, and often there's little the driver in front can do to avoid getting hit," he said.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Self-driving car accidents.　　 B. Motor vehicle problems.

C. Self-driving vehicle problems.　　 D. Traffic accidents in California.

2.We can learn from the passage that the self-driving cars ______.

A. caused the accidents when driven by human drivers

B. hit other cars and caused the accidents

C. were responsible for the accidents

D. were knocked into from behind

3.The passage intends to tell us that the self-driving cars ______.

A. are just road killers　　 B. need to be improved

C. are in good quality　　 D. shouldn’t be produced

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析