1 . The world’s first fully electric plane has flown successfully for almost 15 minutes. The world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft took its first test flight on Tuesday, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and offering hope that airlines may one day end their polluting emissions.
“This proves that commercial airmail in all-electric form can work,” said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Seattle-based engineering firm MagniX. The company designed the plane’s motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air, which carries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities. Ganzarski said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines—not to mention zero emissions. “This signifies the start of the electric airmail age,” he told reporters.
Civil airmail is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions as people increasingly take to the skies and new technologies have been slow to make remarkable progress. At 285 grammes of CO2 emitted per kilometre (mile) travelled by each passenger, airline industry emissions far exceed those from all other transport, according to the European Environment Agency.
The e-plane—a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC –2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane improved on with an electric motor—was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and CEO of Harbour Air. “For me that flight was just like flying a Beaver, but it was a Beaver on electric steroids (电动兴奋剂). I actually had to turn off the power button,” he said. McDougall took the plane in a short circle along the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport in front of around 100 onlookers soon after sunrise.
1. What can we know from the first fully electric plane’s success?| A．The flying time of e-plane is 15 minutes at most. |
| B．The fully electric commercial airmail has functioned. |
| C．Airlines may realize the goal of zero emissions. |
| D．The fully electric plane never does damage to the environment. |
| A．Means. | B．Proves. | C．Changes. | D．Follows. |
| A．The pollution caused by passengers. | B．The backward airmail technology. |
| C．The current situation of civil airmail. | D．The growing sources of carbon emissions. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
1. Why is the woman late?
| A．She got off at the wrong exit. |
| B．She had to buy Mary a gift. |
| C．She was caught in a traffic jam. |
| A．To join a party. | B．To see off the man. | C．To attend a meeting. |
| A．Sad and regretful. | B．Anxious and upset. | C．Surprised and joyful. |
| A．At 8:00 a.m. | B．At 9:00 a.m. | C．At 3:00 p.m. |
4 . To get from New York City (NYC) to Chicago, there are several transportation options. Consider the pros and cons of each option to choose the best one for you.
Time | Cost | Best for | |
Train | 20 hours | from $70 | seeing scenery |
Flight | 3 hours | from $48, but varies widely | getting there quickly |
Bus | 19 hours | from $38 | travelers on a budget |
Car | 12 hours | from $60 | stopping for attractions |
By train
Traveling by train from NYC to Chicago is a relatively long journey. Trains go from Penn Station in Manhattan to Union Station. The route is serviced by Amtrak, via the Lake Shore Limited or Cardinal to Chicago or by changing trains either in Washington, D. C. or Pittsburgh. You can purchase tickets in advance by Amtrak or in person at Penn Station.
By plane
Flying to Chicago is the fastest and most convenient way to travel there from NYC. The major carriers include JetBlue, Delta, United, and American Airlines, as well as budget carriers including Southwest and Spirit Airlines.
By bus
Bus service from NYC to Chicago is a long journey, too. Greyhound is the only company that services this route and buses depart from Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan and arrive at Union Station. These buses offer Wi-Fi service.
By car
You'll drive through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and then along the Michigan and Indiana border until you go around the southern tip of Lake Michigan and back up into Chicago. While this trip is long, the most significant advantage of traveling by car is that there are a few interesting places to stop along the way.
1. How should you go to Chicago from NYC if you want to save money?| A．By train. | B．By plane. | C．By bus. | D．By car. |
| A．Union Station. | B．Penn Station. | C．Delta. | D．Greyhound. |
| A．Saving more money. |
| B．Spending less time. |
| C．Stopping to enjoy scenery. |
| D．Staying in NYC for a long time. |
5 . Cars could soon be communicating with each other using 5G to make drivers aware of upcoming dangers, scientists claim. The ultra-fast mobile Internet would allow for rapid information transmission and could make drivers aware of black ice, pot holes or other dangers up ahead.
Several car manufacturers are already integrating 5G into their vehicles, including as a tool to welcome the coming of self-driving vehicles. Experts believe the high-speed connection will also improve the reliability and capability of automated vehicles to the point where they will be safer than the manual cars being driven today. They predict the number of road traffic accidents—which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) account for more than 1.3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year—will drop thoroughly as a result.
Dr Dimitrios Liarokapis, a member of the research group, said: "With the help of 5G, an early warning system that alerts (给……报警）drivers is possible within the next few years. Cars that are close enough to the danger area will send warning messages to other cars around them using short-range communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably. Then those cars will transmit the same information to cars near them and so on, forming a joined-up, multi-vehicle communication chain that stretches far and wide."
Automotive giant Ford is already working on connected cars. Earlier this year it revealed its intention to fit 80 percent of its 2020 vehicles with technology that warns drivers about upcoming road accidents, bad weather and traffic jams. The system pools data from other connected road users, emergency services and the authorities and sends it from the cloud directly to the car. Alerts are shown on the car's dashboard display warning the driver about what lies around the corner.
1. How can 5G help reduce road accidents?| A．By offering the fast mobile Internet. |
| B．By helping drivers overcome dangers. |
| C．By offering practical safety programs. |
| D．By helping WHO calculate traffic accidents. |
| A．To track other drivers. |
| B．To send warning messages. |
| C．To collect drivers' information. |
| D．To send the traffic situation to the police. |
| A．They will be safer. |
| B．They may be bigger. |
| C．They may replace other vehicles. |
| D．They will be more personalized. |
| A．Cars of Ford are the most intelligent. |
| B．Warning messages are shown on phones. |
| C．Ford is the first producer to use 5G. |
| D．Connected cars are equipped with 5G. |
| A．He can’t decide how to go. |
| B．He doesn’t like going by train. |
| C．He can’t decide whether to go. |
| A．The noisy plane. |
| B．The safety of the airplane. |
| C．The service of the flight attendant. |
8 . The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed breakers(减速带) on major highways and roads, in order to check speeding and careless driving, and finally make its deadly roads a little safer. ''We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers, '' India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari wrote.
The optical illusions(视觉错觉) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a safety hazard for high-speed vehicles. India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 200,000 people are killed by road accidents.
The use of optical illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings. In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, a mother and her daughter, both artists, have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of 2016. The artists say their motto is ''to increase the attention of drivers'', and that the concept has been successfully tested in accident-prone zones on a highway.
However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large number of pedestrians. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.
1. Why are 3D paintings used on main highways and roads?| A．To make the surroundings more beautiful. |
| B．To attract the attention of tourists. |
| C．To reduce the rate of traffic accidents. |
| D．To try out this kind of new painting. |
| A．Threat | B．Reminder |
| C．Regulation | D．Theory |
| A．The idea tested in Ahmedabad recently has been a failure. |
| B．The new policy of 3D zebra crossings must be carried out. |
| C．Philadelphia is the second place to use virtual speed breakers in the US. |
| D．The use of optical illusions as speed breakers is debatable in India. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Objective. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Critical. |
9 . Statistically, air travel is by far the safest way to travel, and you can make flying even safer, just by following these simple rules. As your chances of being involved in an air accident are practically nil（零）, many of these rules concern what you should and shouldn't do to make your journey safer when you are in the air.
Fly on non-stop routes
Most accidents occur during the take-off, climb, descent and landing period of a flight, so flying non-stop reduces your exposure to these complex procedures.
Choose larger aircraft
Although small aircraft have very good safety records, those with more than 30 passenger seats are designed to comply（遵守）with much stricter regulations and are tested more regularly to make sure they still comply. Also, in the unlikely event of a serious accident, larger aircraft provide a better opportunity for passenger survival.
Pay attention to the pre-flight safety briefing (简报)
The information may seem repetitious（重复的）, but it's worth listening to the flight attendants. And even if you’ve flown before, it doesn’t mean you know everything about the aircraft you're on, such as the location of the closest emergency exit.
Store things safely
Never put very heavy articles in the overhead storage bins. They may fall out when someone opens the bin and cause injury. Also, the bin may not be able to hold heavier objects during turbulence（气流）.
Keep our seat belt fastened while you are seated
Cabin crew always tell you this, but it’s important. You would be seriously injured if the plane hits unexpected turbulence. Always fasten your seat belt if you are told to. The general rule of flying is this: If you are told to do something, do it first and ask questions later.
Let the flight attendant pour your hot drinks
Flight attendants are trained to handle hot drinks like coffee or tea in a crowded aisle on a moving aircraft, so allow them to pour the drink and hand it to you. Never ask to take a coffee pot from one of them.
1. Whom is the passage meant for?| A．Pilots. |
| B．Flight attendants. |
| C．Passengers. |
| D．Airlines. |
| A．smaller planes |
| B．passengers |
| C．larger aircrafts |
| D．safety records |
| A．Larger planes have more safety checks and are safer. |
| B．Take-off is safer on non-stop flights than landings. |
| C．Every aircraft is different, so the safety procedures may be different. |
| D．Seat belts should be worn to protect against turbulence. |
| A．The safest way to travel |
| B．Air safety tips |
| C．Non-stop routes |
| D．How to fly a plane |
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As more and more people choose bike-riding instead of drive, bike-sharing enjoys great popularity in China. It’s very convenient of you to use a mobike if you have a mobile phone. You just need to find the nearest mobike through the APP, scan the QR code on the bike, but enjoy your trip. Compared with other form of shared bikes, a mobike have many advantages. One obvious advantage is that you can find a mobike easy and never worry about where to park them. In word, bike-sharing benefits people a lot. It has become a new way of transportation, that reduces traffic jams and helps protect the environment as well as.
