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.

3 . 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 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.

2. 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.

3. What is Joe Minutolo's attitude towards the increased sales of bicycles?

A．Doubtful.	B．Positive.
C．Uncertain.	D．Critical.

4 . North American Train Routes for a Family Vacation

The Adirondack

Considered one of the top ten scenic train rides in the world, the Adirondack train route travels from New York City's Penn Station to Montreal, Canada. The trip is great for a weekend away in either Montreal or Manhattan. The route will take you past West Point Academy, the Hudson River Valley and fifty miles of Lake Champlain.

The Vermonter

The trip from Washington, D. C. to St. Albans, Vermont, takes you from the U.S. capital, through the beautiful New England states of Connecticut and Massachusetts on the way to Vermont. As you travel through New England towns, you'll be able to see some of the most beautiful scenery in this area, including rivers, falls and covered bridges.

The Downeaster

The Downeaster was established in 2001 and was expanded several years ago northward to Freeport and Brunswick, Maine. The short ride (between three and four hours) includes a trip along the beautiful Maine coastline. With five round-trips offered each day, this route is a great way for Massachusetts families to visit Maine for a day or longer. Many of these routes carry volunteers to aid passengers with questions about local attractions and destinations.

The Pennsylvanian

Both New York City and Pittsburgh are great family vacation destinations and the Pennsylvanian route takes you through the beautiful Pennsylvanian landscape between the two major cities. The 9.5-half hour trip travels through a variety of different terrains(地形), and stops along the way including Newark, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Altoona. The connecting train service is available for those looking to travel to Cleveland, Chicago, and Toledo from Pittsburgh.

1. Where is St. Albans?

A．In Vermont.	B．In Washington, D. C.
C．Near Lake Champlain	D．In Main

2. Which train route offers the best choice for a one-day family sightseeing?

A．The Adirondack.	B．The Vermonter.
C．The Downeaster.	D．The Pennsylvanian.

3. How can you go to Chicago?

A．By taking a train at Penn Station to Montreal.

B．By taking a connecting train at Pittsburgh.

C．By traveling to Cleveland and then to Chicago.

D．By traveling through New England states to Chicago.

5 . Transport has a lot to answer for when it comes to harming the planet. While cars and trains are moving towards greener, electric power, emissions（排放）from air travel are expected to increase massively by 2050. If we want big green sky solutions, we need blue sky thinking. Fortunately, there's plenty of that happening right now, particularly the short - haul flights powered by batteries.

Harbour Air is the largest seaplane airline in North America, flying 30,000 commercial flights in 40 seaplanes each year. Significantly, all Harbour Air routes last less than 30 minutes, making it perfectly fit for electric engines. "As an airline, we're currently in the process of turning all our planes into electric airplanes. says CEO Greg McDougall. To make this happen, the airline has partnered up with MagniX to create the world's first commercial flight with an electric engine.

Making the skies electric isn't just good for the environment, it also makes sound financial sense： a small aircraft uses $ 400 on conventional fuel for a 100 - mile flight, while an electric one costs $ 8 12 for the same distance, and that's before you factor in the higher maintenance costs of a traditional engine. There's also the added bonus that electric planes are just much more pleasant to fly in. No loud engine noise, no smell of fuel, just environmentally friendly peace and quiet.

While there has been real progress in the e-plane industry, the technical challenges that remain are keeping everyone's feet firmly on the ground. A battery, even a lithium one, only provides 250 watt-hours per kilogram； compare this to liquid fuel, which has a specific energy of IL 890 watt-hours per kilogram. Carrying adequate batteries, however, would make the plane too heavy to get off the ground. In aircraft, where every bit of weight counts, this can't just be ignored.

The transition （过渡 ） from gas to electric in the automobile industry has been made easier by hybrids - vehicles powered by both fuel and electricity. Many believe the same pattern could be followed in the air. Fuel consumption could be reduced as the electric component is switched on at key parts of the journey, especially on take-off and landing.

It's certainly an exciting time for electric flying. With companies like Harbour Air taking the lead, battery-powered planes, especially on short-haul journeys, are set to become a reality in the next few years.

1. According to Para l, what is happening in air transport?

A．New explorations of the sky are being launched.

B．Pollution caused by batteries is being controlled.

C．Efforts are being made to make air travel greener.

D．Demand for short-haul flights is increasing massively.

2. Why is Harbour Air fit for electric flights?

A．It runs short routes.	B．It has a strong partner.
C．Its planes can land on the sea.	D．It has planes with powerful engines.

3. What might be the biggest challenge of electric flying?

A．To improve the ground service for e-planes.

B．To find qualified technicians for e-plane industry.

C．To calculate the energy needed to power e-planes.

D．To balance power and weight of batteries in e-planes.

4. What could be done during the transition from gas to electric in air flight?

A．To produce new electric components.	B．To increase battery consumption.
C．To use mixed - power technology.	D．To expand the landing field.

5. What is the author's attitude towards the prospect of electric flying?

A．Short-sighted

B．Wait-and-see

C．Optimistic

D．Skeptical

6 . London Underground

The world's first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease（减轻）the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system, was born.

The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers（3.7 miles）long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot（煤灰）, as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.

1. What led the British government to build the London Underground?

A．Traffic jams and pollution.	B．Population and pollution.
C．Overcrowding and traffic jams.	D．The poverty and subway problems.

2. How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem?

A．It made the tunnels larger.	B．It put fans in the tunnels.
C．It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.	D．It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．To relocate the workers' homes outside London, the government built the subway.

B．There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.

C．The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.

D．There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

New cars sold in Europe after May 2022 will be required to have     1     variety of new safety technologies. New safety rules from the European Union will require new cars to have ''intelligent speed assistance" systems as standard equipment. Besides, all cars will be fitted with breathalyzers （呼吸分析器）    2     won't allow driving if the driver has drunk too much alcohol.     3    （help） avoid accidents, cars must also have     4    （advance） systems to monitor the driver's attention levels.

Around 25,000 people     5    （kill） each year on Europe's roads, and most accidents are caused by human error. The European Commission has announced the new rules recently,     6    （say）intelligent speed limiters alone can     7    （effective） reduce road deaths.

There has been a mixed reaction to the new safety technologies. The European Union said the technologies would make driving much     8    （safe）. It said, “With the new technologies, we can have the same kind of impact （影响）as when safety belts were first introduced. "It added the new safety technologies could save up to 10,500 lives and avoid up to 60, 000 serious     9    （injury） by the year 2030. But many drivers are unhappy with the technologies. They thought     10     would be more dangerous to employ them, since driving requires human judgment.

8 . 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.

9 . Foreign drivers will have a pay on-the-spot fines of up to ￡900 for breaking the traffic law to be carried out next month.

If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card, their vehicles will clamped(扣留) until they pay—and they will face an additional fee of ￡80 for getting back their vehicles.

The law will also apply to British citizens. The fines will be described officially as “deposits” when the traffic law takes effect, because the money would be returned if the driver went to court and was found not guilty. In practice, very few foreign drivers are likely to return to Britain to deal with their cases.

Foreign drivers are rarely charged because police cannot take action against them if they fail to appear in court. Instead, officers often merely give warnings.

Three million foreign-registered vehicles enter Britain each year. Polish vehicles make up 36 percent, French vehicles 10 percent and German vehicles 9 percent.

Foreign vehicles are 30 percent more likely to be in a crash than British-registered vehicles. The number of crashes caused by foreign vehicles rose by 47 percent between 2003 and 2008. There were almost 400 deaths and serious injuries and 3,000 slight injuries from accidents caused by foreign vehicles in 2008.

The new law is partly intended to settle the problem of foreign lorry drivers ignoring limits on weight and hours at the wheel. Foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a crash than British lorries. Recent spot checks found that three quarters of lorries that failed safety tests were registered overseas.

The standard deposit for a careless driving offence —such as driving too close to the vehicle in front or reading a map at the wheel—will be ￡300. Deposits for speeding offences and using mobile phones will be ￡60. Foreign drivers will not get points as punishment added to their licenses, while British drivers will.

1. The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.

A．explanation	B．introduction
C．comment	D．background

2. The foreign drivers who break the traffic law and do not pay on the spot are likely to be fined up to ________.

A．￡60	B．￡300
C．￡900	D．￡980

3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．many foreign drivers have been fined by Britain police

B．300,000 German vehicles enter Britain every year

C．25 percent of foreign vehicles entering Britain have failed safety tests

D．British drivers will be punished with points and fines for breaking the traffic law

4. The new traffic law is mainly intended to ________.

A．limit the number of foreign vehicles entering Britain

B．increase the Britain government’s additional income

C．reduce the rate of traffic accidents and injuries

D．get foreign drivers to appear in court

10 . 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.