2 . Will there be a time in our lives when cars don’t crash? When we can just sit back and relax and our cars will drive themselves. Auto technology experts say “yes”. And they say that some of those advances may happen quicker than you might think.

They will require the users to input the name of the destination or the complete address of the location that they want to go and the cars’ artificial intelligence takes them there automatically without a driver. They will run on solar power in the daytime and ethanol fuel(乙醇燃料) at night. Toyota, BMW and Honda will completely control the trade of driverless car business together and will have the cheapest driverless cars. Fossil fuels(矿物燃料) will be completely incompatible(不相配的) with these cars.

Driverless cars will not require a driver’s license of any grade to operate. Anyone with basic literacy and computer skills who are at least 16 years of age will be legally allowed to operate the vehicle with absolutely no restrictions. This would give the young users permission to operate the driverless cars on major highways as well as secondary roads without needing a separate classification. In addition to all this, drunken people will be able to use their own automobiles to return home because they are not “driving” the vehicle.

What’s more, car insurance will become obsolete because there will be no more automobile accidents after the year 2025. This is because the driverless car will have all safety methods in place by the car’s artificial intelligence to prevent automobile accidents. Global positioning systems will become mandatory(强制的) in all newly-manufactured cars after 2010, and will be the most important part in the driverless car.

1. We can infer from the second paragraph that driverless cars ______.

A．will need fewer fossil fuels	B．will be environmentally friendly
C．will run on solar power only	D．will not need a human’s instructions

2. Who will not be able to use driverless cars?

A．People with basic literacy and computer skills.

B．People who are drunk.

C．People without computer skills.

D．People without a driver’s license.

3. The underlined word “obsolete” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.

A．difficult to get

B．quite important

C．dangerous

D．out of business

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Car safety.

B．Driverless cars.

C．The future cars.

D．New technology in cars.

4 . As the coronavirus (冠状病毒) outbreak continues, many Americans are fearful of using public transportation. They are also looking for ways to get exercise without going to a gym. So, it may not be surprising that the pandemic (疫情) has led to a major increase in bicycle sales.

In the US, bicycles at big stores have sold out. And small bicycle stores cannot keep up with demand for “family-style” bicycles: the low-cost, easy-to-ride models. “The bicycle industry is seeing its biggest sales increase since the oil crisis of the 1970s,” said Jay Townley, an industry expert. He compared the sale of bicycles to the rush to buy products like toilet paper at the start of the pandemic.

The rise in bicycle sales is not happening just in the US. Italy has created bicycle paths for the growing number of people who want to avoid public transportation. In London, city officials plan to ban cars from some central roads. Bike shop owners in Manila say demand is even stronger than what they see at Christmas time.

Of course, you can only buy a bicycle if you can find one. In the US, the shortages now mean it may take many months to get a bicycle. High demand is not the only reason for the shortage. Many bicycle factories were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. The increase in bicycle demand began in March as countries began to close down. In April, the sale of bicycles increased 200 percent in the US.

Joe Minutolo is the co-owner of Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop in Maine. He said he hoped the increased sales meant a change in the way people think about transportation. “People are having a chance to rethink things,” he said, “Maybe we’ll all learn something out of this, and something really good will happen.”

1. What causes the increase in bicycle sales?

A．Shortage of public transportation.

B．Outbreak of the coronavirus.

C．People’s desire to defeat disease.

D．People’s fear of natural disasters.

2. What change has the pandemic caused in Italy?

A．More bikes are sold than at Christmas time.

B．“Family-style” bicycles are in great need.

C．Cars are banned from some central roads.

D．New bicycle paths have been built.

3. What can we know from Paragraph 4?

A．It’s impossible to buy a bike.

B．Bike factories were closed in April.

C．High demand for bikes began in March.

D．It takes many months to produce a bike.

4. What is Joe Minutolo’s attitude towards the increased sales of bicycles?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Uncertain.

D．Critical.

5 . Petrol and diesel (柴油）cars may still dominate our roads, but their days are numbered. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 per cent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 per cent by 2020.

One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been ‘range anxiety’ — drivers’ concerns about running out of juice on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.

Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed quite considerably over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their large price tags（标签） drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade critics. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion（燃料） engine models a run for their money.

As well as advancements on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.

Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions. Were the US to act on the study’s findings and replace 87 per cent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 per cent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.

1. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．My Dream Car	B．History of Electric Cars
C．Problems with Petrol Cars	D．Driving into the Future

2. As used in Paragraph 2, the underlined word “hurdle” means _______.

A．aim	B．barrier
C．consequence	D．step

3. In the past, why did many people refuse to buy the electric cars?

A．They were expensive.

B．They were very poorly made.

C．They were not widely promoted.

D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed.

4. What is the function of Paragraph 4?

A．To introduce the history of electric travel.

B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars.

C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars.

D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used.

6 . 语法填空

It's common to see food delivery workers riding electric bikes in a hurry through big cities in China. Some of them even risk     1     (run) red lights to deliver their meals in time. However, such careless behavior often causes serious problems.

The reason for the rise of such a careless behavior is that there is     2     large demand for food delivery workers, and many companies offer high salaries     3    (attract) new workers.

In fact, food delivery workers are often under high     4    (press) from their employers. They face company fines for delivering food late. Moreover, the more orders they take, the more money they can earn,     5     leads to some workers checking     6    (they) mobile phones for new orders while they are riding their bikes

While most companies require delivery workers to follow traffic rules, it remains a problem whether these requirements and rules are     7    (strict) obeyed

To solve the problem, some cities     8    (take) action since last year. Shanghai required the delivery workers should    9    (train) on traffic rules and safety. Now in Shenzhen, if a delivery worker gets caught breaking traffic rules more than twice, he or she will be banned     10     driving food delivery vehicles for a whole year.

7 . 阅读理解
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn’t built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.
Even so, travel isn’t difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go.   People in Venice move from place to place by boat.
Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences. One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge, and there’s nothing special. But when they come back to the bridge an hour later, it’s underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes.
Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) melt (融化). Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.
Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy’s biggest companies to build the MOST project, which was planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water. Anyway, this project is helping solve the problem.
1. Which is the best way to travel in Venice?

A．The waterways.	B．Taxis and cars.
C．400 bridges.	D．Boats and rain shoes.

2. What doesn’t cause Venice to get lower and lower?

A．The ice of the Arctic Ocean melt.

B．Seawater is everywhere around the city.

C．People used too much underground water

D．The temperature has become higher over the years.

3. What can we infer from the last passage?

A．Venice is sure to stop getting lower.

B．High waters won’t hit Venice any more.

C．Scientists can solve the problems easily.

D．Some possible ways help to solve the problem.

4. What’s the best title of this passage?

A．The History of Venice

B．The MOST Project of Venice.

C．The Places of Interest of Venice

D．The Specials and Problems of Venice

8 . Bicycle Safety

Operation  Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus. Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.

Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It's fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.

Equipment.

Brakes  Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.

Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.

Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.

Rules of the Road

Riding on Campus  As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.

Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.

If Things Go Wrong

If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:

No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25

Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30

Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40

Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35

1. Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.

A．find y our stolen bicycle	B．get your serial number
C．receive free repair services	D．settle conflicts with walkers

2. According to the passage, what bike equipment is a free choice for bicycle riders?

A．Brakes.	B．A helmet.
C．A headlight.	D．A taillight.

3. When you ride a bicycle on the campus, ___________.

A．ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks

B．cycle at a speed of over 15 mph

C．put the walkers' right of way first

D．call the police before leaving in a case of accident

4. If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined _________.

A．$25	B．$30
C．$35	D．$40

9 . Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a project to improve the situation.

Under the Velib project (‘Velib’ comes from velo liberty, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25 kg), and they are all gray and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!

Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle - they’ll still use their cars.”

A city spokesman said, “The bicycle project won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”

1. What can we learn about the Velib project?

A．Its bikes have no baskets.	B．Its bikes are light and colorful.
C．It aims to make traveling easier.	D．It owns more stations than the subway.

2. If you use a Velib for 1 hour, you should pay       .

A．Free.	B．€1.
C．€29.	D．€30.

3. Why do some people disagree with the Velib project?

A．The cost is rather high.

B．It’s hard to find a Velib station.

C．It’s not suitable for a long journey.

D．The distance between two Velib stations is long.

4. What’s the city spokesman’s attitude towards the bicycle project?

A．Worried.	B．Positive.
C．Uncaring.	D．Doubtful.