A fourth color might be added to traffic lights to better realize the potential of self-driving vehicles, as stated in a recent paper by researchers at North Carolina State University in the US.
Autonomous vehicles can do more than just drive-they are able to sense their surroundings and upload information. A shared network gives orders to stop at a crossing based on traffic conditions.
The added white lights would be used to signal to human drivers that autonomous vehicles are managing the upcoming traffic flow intelligently. Drivers don’t have to check the traditional lights if the white one is on. “The white lights will tell human drivers to simply follow the car in front of them,” one of the study authors Ali Hajbabaie told the university’s website.
Simulated (模拟的) models showed that autonomous vehicles were able to improve traffic flow on their own. Introducing the white light also has a positive effect on reducing fuel consumption. The higher the percentage of autonomous vehicles at a crossing, the faster the traffic moves, reducing about 40 to 99 percent of the total delay time.
What kind of infrastructure (基础设施) is needed as self-driving technology thrives? In an interview with China Surveying and Mapping magazine, Liu Jingnan at the Chinese Academy of Engineering shared his answers.
To begin with, the vehicle’s network that collects data about the environment and shares the data with other vehicles needs to be intelligent. High-precision maps are needed for autonomous vehicles to plan routes in detail. They can provide both updated information on traditional maps and real-time changes, such as accidents.
For example, when driving around a curve, the navigation (导航) system in the vehicle needs to calculate the safe speed based on the map’s information. And if the area is foggy, the network has to alarm the other cars to slow down.
Other elements on the road need to be upgraded too. For example, road markings should be precise and readable for machines. Sensors should be built on sidewalks and roads to allow vehicles to predict potentially dangerous situations.
1. What is the purpose of adding a white light to traffic lights?| A．To signal to self-driving cars when to stop. |
| B．To help driverless cars assess traffic conditions. |
| C．To tell human drivers to go after the cars in front. |
| D．To signal to human drivers to pass the cars ahead. |
| A．Increased road safety. | B．Reduced fuel efficiency. |
| C．Less time stuck in traffic. | D．Unpredictable traffic patterns. |
| A．To calculate a safe speed for vehicles. | B．To provide real-time weather updates. |
| C．To plan routes for autonomous vehicles. | D．To offer real-time data on road conditions. |
| A．The advantages of autonomous vehicles. |
| B．The role of the navigation system in self-driving cars. |
| C．The application of the infrastructure in self-driving cars. |
| D．The efficiency of self-driving cars handling emergencies. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】City Ticket for weekend travel on Metro-North
If you’re traveling on Metro-North Railroad within New York City on weekend, you can get a city Ticket.
Price .
City Tickets cost $4. 50 and are good for one-way travel that begins and ends within New York City as long as riders continue their trips in the same direction. On Metro-North, you can use a City Ticket for trip
Harlem line trains between the Bronx and Manhattan.
How to buy a City Ticket
You can buy a City Ticket at a ticket office, a ticket machine, or on the eTix app on your phone. Not stations have ticket windows open on weekends, but all stations have ticket machines. You cannot buy a City Ticket onboard a train.
• City Tickets are available starting at 12 : 01 a. m. on Saturday through 11:59 p. m. on Sunday.
• They must be used on the day of purchase (购买).
• You have an extra period that allows you to travel until 4 a. m. on Sunday or Monday morning for tickets purchased on Saturdays or Sundays, respectively (分别地).
City Ticket limitations
You can't use a City Ticket :
• For travel to or from Belmont Park station which is only open during special events, or the Far Rockaway Station because these trips travel through Nassau County.
• On New Haven Line trains between Manhattan and Fordham Station.
• City Ticket can be used for direct travel only. You cannot change direction at junction points.
• $10 is required for per refund (退票).
1. Which trip can the City Ticket be used for?| A．A one-way trip to Belmont Park station. |
| B．A trip from the Far Rockaway Station. |
| C．A round trip within New York City. |
| D．A trip from the Bronx to Manhattan. |
| A．At a subway station. | B．From a ticket machine. |
| C．On a mobile phone app. | D．On the train you have taken. |
| A．At 2 a. m. on Sunday. | B．All through the week. |
| C．Any time in the month. | D．At 10 a. m. on Monday. |
【推荐2】We are all aware of the damaging pollution that’s created by driving petrol and diesel (柴油) vehicles. Many of the world’s cities are blocked with traffic, creating fumes containing gases such as nitrogen oxides. The solution for a cleaner, greener future could be electric vehicles. But how optimistic should we be? There was much excitement last year when the UK government announced it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. But is that easier said than done?
The road to global traffic being totally electric is still a long way off. Currently, battery life is an issue — a fully charged battery won’t take you as far as a full tank of petrol. There are also limited numbers of charging points to plug an EV into. Of course, technology is always improving. Some of the biggest tech companies, like Google and Tesla, are spending huge amounts of money developing electric cars. And most of the big car manufacturers are now making them too.
Colin Herron, a consultant on low-carbon vehicle technology, told the BBC: “The big leap forward will come with solid state batteries, which will appear first in mobile phones and laptops before they progress to cars.” These will charge more quickly and give cars a bigger range. Cost is another issue that may discourage people from switching to electric power. But some countries offer incentive, such as cutting prices by reducing import taxes, and not charging for road tax and parking. Some also provide exclusive lanes for electric cars to be driven on, overtaking traditional cars which might be stuck in jams.
These kinds of measures have made Norway the country with the most electric cars per capita (人均) at more than thirty electric cars per 1000 inhabitants. But Colin Herron warns that “electric motoring” doesn’t mean a zero-carbon future. “It’s emission-free motoring, but the car has to be built, the battery has to be built, and the electricity does come from somewhere.” Maybe it’s time to think about making fewer journeys or using public transport.
1. Which statement can we infer from the question at the end of Paragraph 1?| A．Electric vehicles may not solve the traffic problems. |
| B．Probably it is hard to procure a greener future by means of electric vehicles. |
| C．We should not be too optimistic about the future. |
| D．It’s not a good idea to replace petrol vehicles with electric ones. |
| A．Improvements. | B．Drawbacks. | C．Communications. | D．Bonuses. |
| A．Putting solid-state batteries in electric cars first will be a “great leap forward”. |
| B．There are four obstacles on the road to global traffic being totally electric. |
| C．Electric cars might not get stuck in traffic jams in the future. |
| D．Electric motoring will create a zero-carbon future. |
| A．Total Electric Traffic: a Long Way to Go. |
| B．Electric Power or Petrol: a Tough Decision to Make. |
| C．Petrol and Diesel Vehicles: a Main Source of Gases. |
| D．Electric Vehicles: a Road to a Modern Society. |
【推荐3】It was the dawn of 1863, and London’s not-yet-opened subway system, the first of its kind in the world, had the city in a disturbance. Digging a hole under the city and putting a railroad in it seemed the stuff of dreams. Pub drinkers laughed at the idea and a local minister accused the railway company of trying to break into hell. Most people simply thought the project, which cost more than 100 million dollars in today’s money, would never work.
But it did. On January 10, 1863, 30,000 people ventured underground to travel on the world’s first subway on a four-mile stretch of line in London. After three years of construction and a few setbacks, the Metropolitan Railway was ready for business. The city’s officials were much relieved. They’d been desperate to find a way to reduce the terrible congestion (拥挤) on the roads. London, at the time the world’s largest and most prosperous city, was in a permanent state of congestion, with carts, tradesmen, cows, and commuters (通勤者) jamming the roads.
It’d been a Victorian visionary, Charles Pearson, who first thought of putting railways under the ground. But how could you get a railway through the center of a city? The answer was “cut and cover”. Workers had to dig a huge trench (壕沟), construct a tunnel out of brick archways, and then refill the hole over the newly built tunnel.
As soon as the Metropolitan Railway opened, Londoners rushed in to ride the new trains. The Metropolitan quickly became a vital part of London’s transport system.
The first tube line, the City and South London, opened in 1890 and proved so successful that half a dozen more lines were built in the next 20 years. And today, with more than 160 cities in 55 countries using underground rails to fight against congestion, we can thank Charles Pearson and the Metropolitan Railway for getting us started on the right track.
1. What did most people think of the subway system in 1863?| A．Costly. | B．Time-consuming. | C．Impractical. | D．Damaging. |
| A．London was the world’s largest city. |
| B．The streets were too crowded in London. |
| C．There were too many vehicles in London. |
| D．It wanted to make London another No.1. |
| A．A way of subway constructing . | B．A tool to dig tunnels and holes. |
| C．A company to build a railway. | D．A method of transporting materials. |
| A．The London underground is still the best. |
| B．There are seven tube lines in London now. |
| C．Pearson’s ideal has come to fruition worldwide. |
| D．Pearson instructed the world’s subway building. |
【推荐1】Cooking programs and classes for children seem to positively influence children's food preferences and behaviors，according to a recent review. And，although the review didn't look at long-term effects of such programs，the findings suggest that such programs might help children develop long-lasting healthy habits.
This research comes at a time when childhood obesity( 肥 胖 ) rates have been rising rapidly. More than one-third of adolescents in the United States were obese in 2012 ， according to the U．S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)．This trend has been caused，at least in part，by a significant decrease in the amount of meals that people consume at home since the 1980s， according to background information in the study.
Cooking education programs，such as Food Explorers，teach children about new healthy foods and how to prepare them. They also stress the importance of eating five fruits and vegetables every day. A volunteer parent explains a new food to the group，and the kids make something based on the lesson，such as fruit or vegetable salad. Depending on the program，kids may be sent home with information about healthy foods to bring to their parents，the review explained.
The study team reviewed eight other studies that tested different types of cooking education programs. Children in these classes were between 5 and 12 years old，according to the review. The goal of the study team was to learn more about developing an efficient program to encourage healthy food choices that last a lifetime. The study found that it is particularly important to expose kids to healthy foods on a number of occasions. This makes them feel comfortable with the new foods，which helps them build healthy habits.
The study stressed the importance of getting parents involved in(参与) their children's eating habits. Parents who are unable to enroll their kids in a cooking class can achieve similar benefits by having their kids help them while they prepare meals at home. Children are more comfortable at home，which makes them more receptive to new foods because they will make the connection to a positive experience.
1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．Eating out frequently causes obesity. |
| B．Childhood obesity is totally caused by eating habit. |
| C．Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly since 2012. |
| D．Food consumption has decreased significantly since the 1980s. |
| A．children learn how to prepare foods from their parents |
| B．children will learn how to cook in the company of their parents |
| C．children may learn information unknown to their parents |
| D．children focus more on cooking skills than on information about healthy foods |
| A．Education Systems. | B．Science and Technology. |
| C．Parent-child Relationship. | D．Public Health Research. |
| A．to inform the reader | B．to entertain the reader |
| C．to discuss with the reader | D．to warn the reader |
【推荐2】Music makes life better in many ways. The fact that music can make a difficult task more tolerable may be why students often choose to listen to it while doing their homework. But is listening to music the smart choice for students who want to optimize their learning? A new study suggests that for some students, listening to music is a wise strategy, but for others, it isn’t. The effect of music on cognitive(认知的) functioning appears to depend partly on your personality — specifically, on your need for external stimulation.
Researchers not only assessed listeners’ personality but also changed the difficulty of the task and the complexity of the music. Participants first completed a personality test used to determine the need for external stimulation. They then engaged in an easy cognitive task (searching for the letter A in lists of words) and a more challenging one (remembering word pairs). Participants finished both tasks under one of two sound conditions: (1) no music, (2) with music.
The data suggest that for those with a high need of external stimulation, on the simple task of finding A’s, such subjects’ scores for the music condition were significantly worse than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, their performance was worse whenever music was played. For those with a low need of external stimulation, however, on the simple task of findings A’s, such participants’ scores for the music condition were dramatically better than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, the participants showed a small but reliable benefit when listening to music.
According to the study, there are substantial individual differences in the impact of music on cognitive function, resulting in personalized recommendations regarding its presence in the classroom. Students who are easily bored and who seek out stimulation should be cautious of adding music to the mix. On the other hand, students with a low need for stimulation may benefit significantly from the presence of music.
With the right personality, the right music and the right task, the presence of music may significantly improve cognitive functioning. Given the benefits of music, subscription to Spotify just might pay for itself.
1. What can we learn about the study in paragraph 2?| A．It only involved the participants’ response to music. |
| B．The difficulty of the two tasks decreased in the experiment. |
| C．Participants completed two tasks when composing songs. |
| D．Participants were grouped by their need for external stimulation. |
| A．The complexity of tasks might reduce the benefit of music. |
| B．Students should listen to music when performing complex tasks. |
| C．Students with less external stimulation perform badly with music. |
| D．The presence of music suits students seeking for external stimulation. |
| A．A psychology journal. | B．A music platform. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A personality test. |
| A．Why is music essential in your study? |
| B．Is music beneficial to your personality? |
| C．Does music boost your cognitive performance? |
| D．How can music affect your external stimulation? |
【推荐3】The Terracotta Army Museum is one of the must-visit attractions for all travelers to China. The attraction is located in Xi’an, in west China's Shanxi Province.
What’s special?
The terracotta Army is the buried army of Qin Shi Huang, an ancient Chinese emperor. These ancient sculptures were built and buried over two thousand years ago near the city of Xi'an. They were discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well looking for underground water. Over a thousand terracotta warriors and horses have been uncovered since then. Each warrior is made of clay (泥土). They are around two meters tall. The sculptures are so detailed that it is possible to guess the age, rank and personality of each one. None of the soldiers are the same.
The best time to visit
The Terracotta Army is an indoor attraction, which is not likely to be affected by weather, so it can be visited all year round.
As the Terracotta Army Museum is one of the must-visit attractions in China, it is crowded most of the time. We advise our customers to avoid the following periods when the museum is particularly crowded:
National Day holiday(October 1-7), when it is fully packed.
Labour Day holiday(May 1-3)
Weather in winter is dry, cold and the least comfortable, and it's also the worst season for air quality, but it's also low season.
Travel style: private, group or independent?
A private tour means a lot of flexibility and you will be well taken care of by a private guide and driver. The museum is crowded most of the time, but our guides know how to escape the crowds, and help our customers to enjoy more in the museum. See our 3-Day Terracotta Warriors Private Tour.
Going with a group you won't get lost, but i lacks flexibility and personal service.
Travelling on your own you may meet a lot of trouble, such as wasting time on finding a taxi or public bus to the attraction, lining up for tickets, reading maps, making sense of Chinese signs, etc.
1. The Terracotta Army ________.| A．was discovered by farmers when doing farm work |
| B．is a great underground army buried 1000 years ago |
| C．was made of clay with clearly recognized characteristics |
| D．has all been unearthed since its discovery in 1974 |
| A．All the year round. |
| B．Clear winter days. |
| C．Labour Day holiday. |
| D．National Day Holiday. |
| A．a family tour |
| B．a tourist group |
| C．travel on your own |
| D．a private tour |
