文章大意：本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了法国官员计划在2024年巴黎夏季奥运会期间提供飞行出租车服务。德国的Volocopter计划成为第一家获得批准的公司。空中出租车面临政府批准和全球经济放缓的挑战，许多投资者更倾向于投资无人机。初期的空中出租车行程可能会短暂且昂贵，但随着行业的发展，空中出租车的数量预计将达到数百万辆。
10 . French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. If the taxis are actually used in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world show of the flying technology.
Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support. One of the companies in attendance was Germany’s Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.
But so far, no air taxi maker has received government permission to launch service in France. Volocopter hopes to be the first. But the company still needs to run its aircraft through rigorous weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Company chief Dirk Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, air taxi companies have also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world. Robin Riedel, who co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey, said companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years. In addition, many investors(投资人) have decided to put money into drones(无人机) instead of flying taxis.
Hoke has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis-French President Emmanuel Macron. “That would be super amazing,”Hoke said, “That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying.”
In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly. This is because current battery technology limits the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry. The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies. Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers. As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis is expected to reach into the millions.
1. What does the underlined word “rigorous” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Strict. | B．Simple. | C．Creative. | D．Similar. |
2. Why does Hoke want Macron to be the first to take the air taxi?
| A．To secure the president’s investment. |
| B．To welcome the Paris Summer Olympics. |
| C．To increase public trust in air taxis. |
| D．To get government approval more quickly. |
3. What probably make air taxi trips short and costly at present?
| A．Crowded roads. | B．Limitations of batteries. |
| C．Investors’ requirements. | D．The government’s decisions. |
4. What is important for the long-term success of air taxis?
| A．The rapid development of drones. |
| B．An industry report to ensure safety. |
| C．The strong support from French officials. |
| D．A good system for managing all air traffic. |
