Electric vehicles are currently a part of the car market, which
Keeping electric motors charged is cheaper than
Going electric is not only an eco-friendly goal
2 . Imagine taking a flying taxi to the airport, or crossing crowded city streets at rush hour, getting where you want to go far faster than you could in a car. Believe it or not, you might be able to do these things in an electric air taxi sooner than you think.
An air taxi is a small aircraft—something like a mix between a helicopter(直升飞机) and a drone(无人机)—that, can carry people from place to place. Air taxis don’t need a long runway like planes do. They can go straight up and down, like a helicopter.
A company called Joby has been making and testing flying taxis since 2017. By 2025, Joby hopes to start carrying passengers for money. They’ve teamed up with Delta Air Lines to create a program to fly people from their homes to the airport. Joby also expects their air taxis to provide a ride-sharing service. Just like you might order a car to pick you up, you could use an app to order an air taxi. Joby’s air taxis will be flown by a pilot, and can carry four other passengers. They can fly as fast as 200 KPH and go around 100 miles before the electric batteries need to be recharged.
Joby claims their taxis are both quieter and cheaper than helicopters. The company expects to charge about $3 a mile at first. But over time, they hope to bring the price down to less than $1 per mile.
Exciting as the idea of flying taxis is, some people have concerns about them. The taxis may be quieter than helicopters, but they’ll still add noise and traffic to our skies and endanger public safety when passengers are flying through the air.
Still, it seems likely that air taxis will be part of the future of travel. The U.S. government says, “We could see air taxis in the skies by 2024 or 2025.”
1. What are the main features of the air taxi?| A．Traditional and expensive. | B．Convenient and economical. |
| C．Advanced but space-taking. | D．Safe but energy-consuming. |
| A．To give a guess. | B．To present an argument. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To introduce a phenomenon. |
| A．Its market risks. | B．Its promising future. |
| C．Its wide recognition. | D．Its possible weaknesses. |
| A．Flying Taxis Are Starting to Take Off |
| B．Joby Has Already Mass-produced Air Taxis |
| C．A Solution Is Used to Solve Traffic Problems |
| D．America Has Improved Ride-sharing Services |
3 . Riding the bus to school could be keeping some kids out of class. Most school buses run on fuel. Those buses send out pollution, including tiny particles and gases. Bus riders get exposed to high levels of this pollution. When breathed in, it can lead to breathing problems, such as asthma (哮喘), which may keep kids home from school. But replacing the worst-polluting buses should cut down on student absences, a new study shows.
The study focused on schools that were asked to take part in a U. S. government program. The program offered schools cash back for money spent on cleaner school buses. The 2, 816 school districts in the new study all asked for the money. But not all got it. Only 383 were picked to receive funding. Winning districts could buy new buses and desert old ones.
The program started in 2012. From 2012 to 2017, the winning districts very likely had less bus pollution. And a year after getting new buses, student attendance had improved in those districts. For an average district of 10, 000 students, about six more students attended school each day in the winning districts. Districts that replaced the oldest buses had an average of 45 more students in school each day.
Those numbers may sound small, but they can add up, says Meredith Pedde, an environmental epidemiologist (流行病学家). Almost 3 million U. S. kids ride school buses more than 20 years old, her team figures. Replacing all of those old buses could mean 1.3 million fewer student absences each year, the data suggest. And school attendance matters for student achievement.
Now the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a new program for school buses. It’s offering $5 billion through 2026 to replace old fuel buses with cleaner ones. Almost all U. S. school districts can apply for the new rebates. But schools in low-income areas and in rural areas will get priority. Kids in these areas tend to face the most health risks from old buses, EPA notes. And anything that cuts air pollution, Pedde says, should improve student health.
1. What is the primary reason why riding the bus to school might lead to student absences?| A．Serious fuel shortage for school buses. |
| B．Lack of available seats on school buses. |
| C．High risk of disease spreading in a bus. |
| D．High levels of pollution from school buses. |
| A．It increases health risks for students. |
| B．It is a costly and ineffective measure. |
| C．It helps to improve student attendances. |
| D．It has no significant effect on absences. |
| A．Financial aids. |
| B．School posts. |
| C．Health benefits. |
| D．Public resources. |
| A．To describe the potential risk of school buses. |
| B．To talk about the use of cleaner school buses. |
| C．To discuss the importance of decreasing absence. |
| D．To call on the government to improve school buses. |
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a well-known train route in the world. Thousands of travelers pack their suitcases every year into a train cabin (车厢)
The Trans-Siberian
5 . A driverless train took its first trip around Hamburg, Germany in 2021 and may greatly improve transportation in the city. Acknowledged as the world’s first, the train created by Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn (DB) officially went into service in December.
This is part of a large modernization project for the city’s S-Bahn urban rail. There were no changes to the tracks, as the autonomous(自动的) trains run on the same network as the current trains that have drivers operating them.
“The railroad has arrived in the digital future and Digital Rail Germany may become a reality. With automated rail operations, we can offer our passengers a significantly expanded and improved service,” said Dr. Richard Lutz, CEO of DB. “The new trains can transport up to 30 percent more passengers and operate on time, and they will be more energy-efficient. They are also encouraged for environmental protection reasons.”
The trains receive signals via radios. There will be drivers present when there are passengers on board but they will only supervise(监督) the run and the passengers. There are now plans to digitize Hamburg’s S-Bahn system entirely by the end of the decade and the government has already decided to put money into new trains and infrastructure (基础设施) improvements.
Autonomous transportation technology is being used in taxis by Waymo, which started as the Google self-driving project in 2009. Other companies that are working on driverless cars include Tesla,GM, Nissan, and Zoox. These cars have to find their ways on roads with the help of GPS technology but driving on a track is much simpler and safer. “The new technology has already been officially approved and, since it features open interfaces (接口), it can immediately be used by operators worldwide for all types of trains,” said Dr. Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens. Maybe it’s time for the new autonomous revolution.
1. What’s special about the new trains created by Siemens Mobility and DB?| A．They make long-distance trips much safer. |
| B．They use new driverless track systems. |
| C．They share tracks with traditional ones. |
| D．They still require human drivers’ operation. |
| A．The new trains greatly change the German lifestyle. |
| B．The digital railroad is spoken highly of by passengers. |
| C．The new trains benefit both people and the environment. |
| D．The digital railroad has promoted the development of tourism. |
| A．Worried. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．The digital technology has a big potential market. |
| B．Germany’s design of trains needs to be further improved. |
| C．American companies see an increasing demand for self-driving taxis. |
| D．Operators have responsibility for ensuring fully autonomous driving. |
1. Why does the woman talk to the man?
| A．To ask for information. |
| B．To hand out leaflets. |
| C．To book some tickets. |
| A．At King Street. | B．At Central Station. | C．At Regional Station. |
| A．Every hour. | B．Every half an hour. | C．Every two hours. |
| A．The Special ticket. |
| B．The Supersave ticket. |
| C．The standard open ticket. |
7 . Suppose you find a bright yellow bike on a street corner in the city. You hop on (跨上) it and
You
The
Portland’s
| A．drive away | B．ride away | C．ride back | D．run away |
| A．No one | B．Someone | C．Anyone | D．Everyone |
| A．whether | B．so | C．because | D．though |
| A．have to | B．don’t have to | C．can’t | D．can |
| A．expensive | B．crowded | C．free | D．common |
| A．protect | B．control | C．make | D．bring |
| A．out of | B．into | C．up | D．near |
| A．ended | B．started | C．changed | D．refused |
| A．public | B．private | C．clean | D．dirty |
| A．but | B．as | C．until | D．or |
| A．next | B．last | C．best | D．first |
| A．break | B．make | C．discuss | D．follow |
| A．buy | B．repair | C．produce | D．steal |
| A．citizen | B．street | C．idea | D．school |
| A．looked up | B．made up | C．put up | D．set up |
8 . Carbon dioxide emissions from transportation are now thought as the top source of green-house gases. One of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reconsider how much, and how often, you travel.
Going car free for a year could save about 2. 6 tons of carbon dioxide, according to a study from the University of British Columbia. How can you stop using a car? Try taking a train, bus or better yet, riding a bike.
But let’s be realistic. You will likely need to use a car this year. So, when you do, here are some tips to make your trip more climate-friendly. Driving efficiently can help to reduce emissions. Go easy on the gas and brakes and drive like you have an egg under your foot. Regularly service your car to keep it more efficient. Keeping your tires pumped correctly can re-duce emissions. Low tire pressure will hurt your fuel economy. Air conditioning and frequent city driving can make emissions go up. So cut down on these as often as possible. Use cruise control (定速巡航) on long drives-in most cases, this can help to save gas. Don’t weigh your car down with extra things that you don’t need on your trip.
Fly often? Taking one fewer long round-trip flight could reduce your personal carbon footprint significantly. If you use public transportation often and fly less, your carbon foot-print might still be relatively sustainable, but if you drive and fly a lot, your emissions will be sigher. If you can’t avoid flying, you can offset them by donating money to sustainable proacts, such as supplying efficient stoves to rural homes, or projects which help farmers deal with crop waste environmentally.
1. What does the author think of going car free?| A．Efficient. | B．Costly. | C．Impractical. | D．Reliable. |
| A．Maintaining your car properly. | B．Using cruise control in the city. |
| C．Stepping hard on the gas and brakes. | D．Geiting rid of all the necessary loads. |
| A．Make up for. | B．Team up with. | C．Set foot in. | D．Put up with. |
| A．How to save fuel when driving cars | B．How to reduce your carbon footprint |
| C．Reduce carbon footprint by all means | D．Lower carbon footprint in transportation |
9 . With new advances in AI and autonomous driverless cars and trains, it makes sense that this mode of transportation could be expanded to buses, too. Now a full-sized autonomous bus service is up and running in Scotland. The buses began running in May, 2023, and are carrying passengers between Ferrytoll Park and the Edinburgh Park train and tram exchange. This 14-mile route is the first of its kind in the UK.
The autonomous buses are being operated by Stagecoach, the largest coach operator in the UK. While the buses are autonomous, fully self-driving vehicles are not currently permitted in the UK so a driver has to be onboard at all times.
The vehicles are required to have a safety driver to monitor the technology and a bus captain that will help passengers board and purchase tickets. The driver can take control in case of an emergency situation. And the vehicles use sensors to travel on specific routes and can reach the top speed of 50 miles per hour.
It took almost 10 years of research and development to reach this milestone, which is considered the first full-size use of autonomous buses in Europe. Scottish transport minister, Kevin Stewart, said in a press release, “It’s really exciting to see the innovative and ambitious CAVForth project take to the roads after all the hard work of the partner organizations involved in bringing this world first to Scotland.” This project was one of six to receive funding from a joint UK government and industries undertaking to speed up the commercialization of self-driving technology, reported The Guardian. The government hopes the autonomous buses will be faster and more reliable to use than conventional buses since 88% of road accidents are caused by drivers’ errors.
Other countries in Europe are exploring using driverless buses. There have already been short trials in several cities in Italy, Finland and France and there’re plans for driverless electric minibuses to be introduced in Switzerland, Germany and Norway. An autonomous bus may be just around the corner in a city near you.
1. A driver is needed in an autonomous bus to ________.| A．monitor the route | B．deal with emergencies |
| C．direct the bus | D．help passengers buy tickets |
| A．It is very easy to develop the driverless buses. | B．The autonomous buses won’t cause accidents. |
| C．Scotland becomes popular for the driverless buses. | D．The UK government values the autonomous buses. |
| A．Promising. | B．Hopeless. | C．Worrying. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Autonomous Buses Are Widely Used in the UK | B．Self-driving Technology Has Been a Hit |
| C．Autonomous Buses Hit the Road in the UK | D．Conventional Buses Are Much Safer |
10 . According to a report by South China Morning Post, China is planning to launch a hyperloop (超级高铁), also known as a super-high speed pipeline maglev system by 2035. If the project goes as planned, the new train will be the world’s fastest ground-based transport technology.
Chinese authorities have announced the approval of the country’s first hyperloop line. Its length will be 175 kilometers, and it will pass between the cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou. These are two key metropolitan areas for the country’s economy, known for their large populations.
The distance between these two cities can now be covered in about three hours by car or an hour by high-speed train. However, the hyperloop can reach speeds of up to 1000 km/h, which means that the route can be completed in just 15 minutes. That’s 2 times faster than commercial passenger planes and 10 times than traditional high-speed trains.
The proposed project will make China one of the pioneers in hyperloop technology, allowing faster travel between several major cities. The hyperloop provides a high-security level with low energy consumption. It reduces noise and pollution levels while still being faster than commercial flights and the fastest current bullet train. The technology will further advance China’s position as a leader in transport.
A super-fast hyperloop train in China has completed its first test runs. These consisted of three test runs at a superconducting maglev test line in Datong, Shanxi province that reached the speed of 50 km/h. However, the current tube available for trials measures only 2 km in length. It is expected to be extended to 60 km over the next few years.
1. What is the project about?| A．Building the world’s longest rail line. |
| B．Enlarging the passenger capacity of the train. |
| C．Constructing the first hyperloop line in China. |
| D．Expanding the coverage of the railway system. |
| A．To prove the high speed of the hyperloop. |
| B．To stress the convenience of traveling by railway. |
| C．To state the necessity of developing high-speed trains. |
| D．To show China ‘s great efforts to improve transport technology. |
| A．Its main purposes. |
| B．Its potential value. |
| C．Its specific tasks. |
| D．Its environmental benefits. |
| A．Extending the railway line for trials. |
| B．Increasing the length of the hyperloop trains. |
| C．Conducting the train’s first test runs in Datong. |
| D．Reducing noise and pollution levels of the train. |
