Back in 1912, a man named Carl Fisher had an ambitious dream of creating a roadway that would cross the United States. He wanted the road to be in good condition and to handle the traffic. Eventually, his efforts led to the Lincoln Highway. It runs through 13 states. Originally, the surface of the highway was small stones, but over time, the project began to add new materials. Since then, people have made progress in creating more durable (耐用的) mixtures of road surfacing.
However, basically, highway technology hasn’t changed a lot since the early 20th century. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be driving on the same type of highways by 2050. Numerous companies are working on creating smart highways using sensors that will help observe and redesign traffic. More importantly, it’s not hard to imagine some parts of cars working along with the sensors in the highways. For example, safety measures in the highways will help prevent crashes by observing the position and speed of the cars. When conditions change suddenly on the road, the system will override a car’s control system, which leads to fewer accidents and traffic jams.
Perhaps we’ll even reach a point where our cars will connect with the highways so that we can renounce driving completely if we choose. Just imagine the day when we just tell our car where we want to go and then let it do all the work for us.
What’s more, research into self-repairing materials may lead to lower repair costs. And scientists are working on photoelectric panels (光电面板) that can support highway traffic. Our future highways will become large generators (发电机), collecting energy from the sun to be changed into electricity. We may be able to create a transportation system that provides its own power.
Solar panels in the road can have other parts as well. Imagine fixing LEDs into the panels, allowing transportation officials to display warning signs or other information on the road. Or they could include a heating element in the panels that allows the highway to increase its temperature, melting ice and snow. In this way, many accidents on icy roads can be prevented. And drivers can keep their car in a stable running condition.
1. What may be the key design for future smart highway systems?| A．The use of sensors to collect traffic information. |
| B．The functional combination of roads and cars. |
| C．The timely settlement of car crashes. |
| D．The strict control of cars’ speed. |
| A．Pick up. | B．Speed up. | C．Give up. | D．Keep up. |
| A．Durable and practical. | B．Flexible and moneymaking. |
| C．Convenient and time-saving. | D．Economical and environmentally friendly. |
| A．Improving cars’ efficiency. | B．Making traffic conditions safer. |
| C．Showing traffic signs more clearly. | D．Keeping drivers in good physical condition. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Last Thursday, the world’s first self-driving, electric container ship made its first trip to Oslo, Norway. The ship’s owners aim to cut pollution by transporting large quantities of products by water on the southern coastal of Norway instead of by truck.
The ship, called the Yara Burkeland, is owned by Yara, a company that makes fertilizer (肥料). The company wanted to develop a zero-emission (零排放的) ship that was completely self-driving. Yara worked with a ship-building company called Vard and the technology company Kongsberg to develop the ship. The company says that in the future everything, including loading and unloading the ship, will be handled completely automatically.
The Yara Birkeland can carry 120 large containers like those pulled by trucks. But the ship is fully electric and is powered by batteries. The company says the ship has roughly as many batteries as 100 electric cars. The electricity that will be used to recharge the batteries is from renewable hydroelectric (水力发电) sources, so there’s no pollution at all.
The Yara Birkeland won’t usually be going to Oslo, and it won’t be traveling far, either. It will travel along a regular route from Yara’s factory in Porsgrunn up to the port in Brevik. By road, that’s a distance of about 14 kilometers. Yara normally uses diesel-powered (柴油动力的) trucks to move fertilizer between these locations.
Now, with the Yara Birkeland moving huge amounts of fertilizer by water, the company expects to suspend 40,000 yearly trips by diesel-powered trucks. That will prevent about one million kilograms of carbon emissions every year.
In the future, as an autonomous ship, the Yara Birkeland is expected to operate without any human involved. Yara plans to spend the next two years improving and testing the ship. But, as with many autonomous cars, the ship will continue to have humans watching over even if it is driving by itself.
1. Why will the products be delivered by ship rather than by truck?| A．To reduce the transport costs. | B．To shorten their delivery time. |
| C．Out of environmental concern. | D．Out of concern for their safety. |
| A．It uses natural gas as power. | B．It has more than one developers. |
| C．It is a completely self-driving ship. | D．It belongs to the government. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By presenting reasons. | D．By following time order. |
| A．Roll out. | B．Stick to. | C．Cut out. | D．Turn to. |
【推荐2】About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies like Australia, and Ireland. But Thailand, Indonesia and Japan have also developed this habit.
This strange quirk puzzles the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700s, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it is the sensible option for violent, feudal societies of mostly right-handed people. Soldiers with their swords under their right arms naturally passed on each other’s right, and if you passed a stranger on the road, you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between you and him.
Revolutionary France, however, did away with this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink, and thanks to Napoleon, this change was carried out all over continental Europe. Because he was left-handed, his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent. From then on, any country colonized by the French took to driving on the right.
After the American Revolutionary War (1775 — 1783), the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut all remaining links to its British colonial past. Once America became the center of the car industry, if you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought American right-hand-drive. From then on, many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EU would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this is no longer possible. It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round. The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. This ironically caused a reduction in car accidents because everyone drove carefully while getting used to the new system.
1. Why did people travel on the left before the late 18th century?| A．They were required to do so. | B．They were mostly left-landed. |
| C．It was easier to cross the street. | D．They could feel safer from attacks. |
| A．Support. | B．Disapproval. | C．Doubt. | D．Indifference. |
| A．the connection with France was broken | B．the US was no longer ruled by the UK |
| C．the American Revolution War had ended | D．America was the center of the car industry |
| A．It would cost too much to change. | B．Its increasing traffic accidents. |
| C．Its influence on colonies. | D．Its fast-developing car industry. |
【推荐3】In the UK, there is one car for every 5 people. In the USA there is one for every 2.5 people. So Americans sometimes have one car for every member of the family.
The family, with whom Liz, a student from Britain, is staying, have got four cars: a Mercedes-Benz for father, who drives it to work, a Chevrolet for mother, who uses it for shopping and visiting her friends, and Alex and his sister both have Fords. All the four cars are less than two years old, but none of them are as large as Liz has imagined.
“Smaller Cars have been made for a long time now,” Alex explained.“Partly because large cars burn up too much gas, and partly because of competition from smaller foreign cars, mostly Japanese and German.”
“I’ve noticed,” Liz said, “that your sidewalks don’t go as far as the suburbs, and yet you’re not supposed to walk along the highway.”
“That’s because nobody walks to work here,” Alex explained. “We do as little walking downtown as possible. We can’t do without our cars. We can do almost everything by using cars.”
“Did your father give you and June your cars?”
“Sure! But he won’t have money for gas or repairs or license. That’s why we both have part-time jobs three times a week. June waits table. I’m a teaboy.”
“But June’s just 17. At home we can’t get a learner’s license till we’re 17.” “We get one at 16 here. So all we have to do is to take a road test and get a driver ‘s license the moment we’re 17.”
1. June’s mother________.| A．is a housewife | B．is a teacher | C．is visiting her friends | D．doesn’t know Liz |
| A．are new and larger than Liz has bought |
| B．were made in Japan and Germany |
| C．aren’t old and they aren’t allowed to go to the suburbs |
| D．were bought less than two years ago and smaller than Liz has imagined |
| A．because they are poor |
| B．because they want to buy cars |
| C．to pay for gas and repairs and license |
| D．to pay for education |
| A．Nearly every American citizen has two cars. |
| B．A family has more cars in the USA than in the UK on average. |
| C．Both in the USA and the UK, people are allowed to get the license at the same age. |
| D．There will be no sidewalks at all in the near future in the USA. |
Some people dig holes in the ground that serve as individual toilets. However, micro-organisms from human wastes can reach water supplies and cause cholera or other diseases.
A United Nations team is now developing a toilet for disaster areas. The experimental project is called eSOS—for the Emergency Sanitation Operation System. The system is lightweight and operates on sunlight power.
Scientists are working on the toilet at the UN’s Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands. Damir Brdjanovic is heading the project. He says his team hopes to bring disaster assistance into the 21st century.
The eSOS system has several ‘smart’ features, such as a self-contained energy supply unit. Another is a global positioning system sensor, very much like the GPS equipment in some vehicles. There is also equipment that measures waste buildup. All of the information from the toilet system can be shared with an emergency organization center. Officials at the center can then identify the needs of an affected disaster area. The eSOS system can also recycle liquid wastes into water that can be used for farming. This involves treating the urine(尿液)with the help of a membrane bioreactor system(膜生物反应器系统).
The smart toilet is being tested. Damir Brdjanovic and his team plan to test the toilet at a refugee camp in the Philippines later this year. The developers hope this disaster relief will save the lives of many refugees.
1. What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Toilet for Our Future Life |
| B．Machine to Recycle Human Wastese |
| C．New Technology to Reduce the Risk of Disease |
| D．SOS—the Emergency Sanitation Operation System |
| A．It weighs light. |
| B．It serves as individual toilet for disaster survivors. |
| C．It doesn’t need any power. |
| D．It is equipped with a global positioning system sensor. |
| A．eSOS can prevent any risk of disease. |
| B．eSOS will be put into use in the near future. |
| C．Damir Brdjanovic holds a negative attitude to eSOS. |
| D．The eSOS system can recycle liquid wastes into drinkable water. |
【推荐2】Worn-out tires are no good for a car, right? But they can be good for another type of transportation: walking!
In Zimbabwe, and in many other countries, old tires are not thrown away. Instead, craftsmen cut them up and make them into sandals (凉鞋). One of these craftsmen is Casper Mamutse, who runs a small sandal-making business just outside his house.
When Casper first saw a man named Isaac wearing tire sandals, he thought they looked funny. So he asked Issac where he got them. Issac said he had made them himself. Casper decided to buy a pair to make his friends laugh. But his friends didn’t laugh, instead they wanted their own. “Finally, I asked him to teach me how to make tire sandals,” says Casper.
For more than six months, Casper learned how to cut and shape soles (鞋底) from tires. To make the right size, Casper traces a shoe sole on the tire and cuts out a sole. “Cutting a tire with a knife requires as much brains as strength,” he says. “You have to use a lot of power and concentration or else you will cut your finger along with the tire.” After the sole is cut, Casper tears off the soft inside part of the tire and cut it into strips (带状物). He attaches the strips to the sole for “belts”. From one tire, Casper can make about four pairs of sandals for adults or about six pairs for kids.
The Zimbabwe countryside is full of sharp stones. Unless you have thick soles, your shoes can be easily pierced (刺穿). But strong boots are expensive, and many people walk barefoot. But now they can get tire sandals, which are strong enough and much less expensive than leather shoes.
Fedzai, a 10-year-old boy, thinks that what his friends need now are not cars to take them to school, but shoes. “Going to school on foot instead of in a car does not bother me very much,” he says. “After all, we are still moving on tires.”
1. Why did Casper buy a pair of tire sandals at first?| A．To entertain his friends |
| B．To keep it as a souvenir |
| C．To learn the producing technique |
| D．To prepare for his sandal-making business. |
| A．Cutting soles from tires only needs power and strength. |
| B．Tire sandals are much stronger and more comfortable than boots. |
| C．It took Casper over six months to learn to make a pair of tire sandals. |
| D．Many people can’t afford to buy strong boots in Zimbabwe countryside. |
| A．Special Sandals |
| B．Walking on Tires |
| C．Tire-sandals Business |
| D．A Journey in Zimbabwe |
【推荐3】Nature is one of the greatest sources of inspiration for engineers and computer scientists to develop new technological tools. Over the past decade or so, roboticists have developed countless robots inspired by the behavior and biological mechanisms of snakes, fish, birds, insects and countless other animals.
Researchers at Beijing Institute of Technology recently designed a new bio-inspired robot that can maintain its balance using tail-like mechanism. The robot is made up of a main body, two wheels and the tail-inspired component, which is controlled by an adaptive controller that allows it to turn in different directions within an area parallel (平行的) to the robot’s wheels. The specific patters that are designed to increase the robot’s stability are calculated using the so-called Lyapunov stability theorem, which is a theoretical construct that describes the stability of dynamic systems.
Most existing approaches to balancing vehicles with two wheels work by collecting a vehicle’s body height data using an inertial (惯性的) measurement unit (IMU), which is an electronic device that can measure a specific force acting on a body or object. Conventional approaches process the data collected by an IMU device and then carry out balancing strategies accordingly, typically by adjusting its tilt (倾斜的) angle.
While many of these approaches achieved satisfactory results, the design put forward by this team of researchers introduces a practical alternative that does not involve adjusting the robot’s tilt angle. It is one of the few existing techniques that are inspired by the tails of animals, to enhance a wheeled robot’s balance while considering uncertainty in the environment.
The researchers evaluated the effectiveness of the tail-like robotic mechanism in a series of tests. Their findings were very promising. as when the robot lost its balance in the tested environment, the artificial “tail” was able to re-balance it within no more than 3.5 seconds.
In the future, this tail-like mechanism could be adapted to enhance the stability and balance of other existing or newly developed robots. In addition, the findings gathered as part of this study could inspire other roboticists to design similar tail-like components.
1. What’s special about the new robot?| A．It is a bio-inspired robot. |
| B．It is identical to an insect. |
| C．Its “tail”promotes the stability control. |
| D．Its wheels are used to sustain its balance. |
| A．By giving a definition. | B．By setting an example. |
| C．By analyzing reasons. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．The adaptive controller. | B．The bio-inspired robot. |
| C．The tail-like component. | D．The surrounding environment. |
| A．Reasons for the research. | B．Potentials of the research. |
| C．Complexities of the research. | D．Challenges of the research. |
【推荐1】Eating a traditional Mediterranean-type diet-rich in foods such as seafood, fruit, and nuts- -may help reduce the risk of dementia (痴呆) by almost a quarter, a new study has revealed.
Experts at Newcastle University found that individuals who ate a Mediterranean-like diet had up to 23% lower risk for dementia than those who did not. This research, published today in the journal BMC Medicine, is one of the biggest studies of its kind.
Scientists analyzed data from 60,298 individuals from the UK Biobank, including individuals from across the UK, who had completed a dietary assessment. The authors scored individuals based on how closely their diet matched the key features of a Mediterranean one. The participants were allowed for almost a decade, during which time there were 882 cases of dementia.
The authors considered each individual’s genetic risk for dementia by estimating what is known as their polygenic (多基因的) risk-a measure of all the different genes that are related to the risk of dementia. They found that there were similar associations between sticking to Mediterranean diet and dementia risk in individuals with higher and lower genetic risk for this condition, which may indicate that even for those with a higher genetic risk, having a better diet could reduce the likelihood of developing the condition.
Dr Janice Ranson, joint lead author on the paper, said: “Dementia impacts the lives of millions of individuals throughout the world, and there are currently limited options for treating this condition. Our study shows a Mediterranean diet that has a high intake of healthy plant-based foods may be important for future strategies to reduce dementia risk. For example, the dementia prevention efforts could go beyond general healthy diet advice and focus on choosing specific foods and nutrients.”
The authors caution that their analysis is limited to individuals who self-reported their ethnic background as white, British or Irish, as genetic data was only available based on European countries, and that further research is needed in a range of populations to determine the potential benefit.
1. What did scientists do during the study?| A．They scored the Mediterranean diet. |
| B．They tracked the participants’ health. |
| C．They collected data from 60298 families. |
| D．They selected 882 potential dementia cases. |
| A．Its effect is closely related to the polygenic risk. |
| B．It increases one’s chance of developing dementia. |
| C．It can reduce dementia risk regardless of one’s genetic risk. |
| D．It can provide protection against various genetic diseases. |
| A．Values of the study. | B．Features of the study. |
| C．Elements of a healthy diet. | D．Ways to deal with dementia. |
| A．Finding out more benefits of the Mediterranean diet. |
| B．Applying the findings to the treatment of dementia. |
| C．Involving participants of diverse races and nationalities. |
| D．Studying the rate of dementia within different age groups. |
【推荐2】New Year's Day is worth celebrating and you probably celebrate New Year's Day together with your family and friends，enjoying drinks and watching the ball drop. If you're lucky，perhaps you share a kiss with that special one when the clock hits 00：00 am. But how New Year's Day would look in another country? Listed below are four of the top ten “Unique New Year Traditions from Around the World.”
1．Breaking Dishes on Neighbor's Door－Denmark
A strange Danish New Year tradition，depending on how you look at it，is throwing dishes at neighbor's door.The family with the tallest tower of broken plates，glasses，cups and other crockery is considered to be the luckiest person because it symbolizes their large crowd of loyal friends.
2．Talking to Spirits－Mexico
Mexicans strongly believe that they can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. New Year's Eve is considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits to convey a message or ask for guidance. Taos Inn，in New Mexico for example，offers 15 minutes session of spiritualism and deep thought for $15. Not a bad price for some helpful guidance!
3．Wearing Polka Dots－Philippines
Imagine people wearing polka dots and dining room tables full of round shaped food and fruits on one single day of the year in Philippines. And they believe that this will bring them prosperity by associating the round dots to coins and wealth.
4．Burning Scarecrow Dummy－Ecuador
Ecuador has a custom of crafting scarecrows and burning them. As midnight approaches，gathering outside，each family burns their own scarecrow filled with newspapers and pieces of wood. The tradition says that this destroys all the bad things that took place in the past 12 months. The scarecrow also scares away bad luck，which in turn，fills their new year with luck and happiness.
The world is large but different. People of all nations may celebrate New Year's Day much differently，but a lot of general themes are to be seen. We all want to start a new，fresh year with renewed enthusiasm and hope no matter what happened during the past year. We all want to be happier，find love，renew friendships，increase our wealth and also hope for a little extra luck in the coming new year.
1. People generally celebrate New Year's Day in the following ways except________．| A．sharing the time with their family | B．getting together with their friends |
| C．participating in the ball drop | D．spending the time with their lovers |
| A．The more broken plates，glasses，cups you have at your door，the more good friends you have according to Danish New Year tradition. |
| B．By paying $15 in Taos Inn，Mexicans can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. |
| C．Wearing polka dots can help people in Philippines to gain wealth. |
| D．People from Ecuador make and burn scarecrows to win good luck and happiness. |
| A．No matter how we celebrate New Year，increasing our wealth is very important. |
| B．The traditions will be changed with the time going by. |
| C．We seldom experience different traditions to celebrate New Year. |
| D．Celebrating New Year's Day means looking forward to a happier and better coming year. |
【推荐3】There are many American expressions about insects - like bees, for example.
You might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn.
Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee's knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. If fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!
If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet. If someone asks you a personal question, you might say "that is none of your beeswax." This means none of your business.
Hornets are bee-like insects that sometimes attack people. If you are really angry, you might say you are mad as a hornet. And if you stir up a hornet's nest, you create trouble or problems.
Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your pants. That is, to be restless and unable to sit still.
Here are some expressions about plain old bugs, another word for insects. If a friend keeps asking you to do something you do not want to do, you might ask him to leave you alone or "stop bugging me." A friend also might tell you again and again to do something. If so, you might say he put a bug in your ear.
If you were reading a book in your warm bed on a cold winter's day, you might say you were snug as a bug in a rug. And, if you wish someone good night, you might say, "sleep tight — don't let the bed bugs bite."
1. If you are going to give a speech before a big audience, you would probably______.| A．have ants in your pants |
| B．have a bug in your ear |
| C．have a bee in your bonnet |
| D．have a butterfly in your stomach |
| A．bees are popular insects |
| B．bees fly to a place directly |
| C．bees actually have no knees |
| D．bees sometimes refer to babies |
| A．The various insects commonly seen in America. |
| B．The interesting expressions concerning bugs in America. |
| C．The different explanations for particular idioms in America. |
| D．The amazing richness of English expressions in America. |
