1 . In one of the more unusual experiments we’ve seen recently, researchers attached a large pair of cartoonish huge eyes to the front of a small, self-driving vehicle—and it turns out that this kind of adaptation could actually improve pedestrian (行人) safety.
A pair of eyes on the front of driverless vehicles could, according to the researchers, give people standing by the road a better idea of whether they’ve been seen. That’s one useful bit of information to have when it comes to determining the perfect moment to cross in front of oncoming traffic. “If the car is not looking at the pedestrian, this implies that the car does not recognize the pedestrian,” said one of the researchers. “Thus, pedestrians can judge that they should not cross the street, thereby avoiding potential traffic accidents.”
For the purposes of this study, the researchers used a car which seemed as if no one was inside. A pair of large, swiveling (旋转的) eyes on the front were controlled by researchers, but in the future could be controlled by the car’s AI on an actual self-driving vehicle.
To keep the 18 participants safe, experiments were conducted in virtual reality. The volunteers—nine men and nine women—were asked to decide whether or not to cross the road as the car approached. Four scenarios(方案) were tested in total; two when the car was fitted with eyes, and two when it wasn’t. The researchers measured how often people hesitated to cross when it was in fact safe to do so, and how often they chose to cross when it was dangerous. Overall, the presence of the eyes led to safer and smoother crossing experiences for the participants.
However, there was a gender split in the results. For men, the eyes only really helped in dangerous situations, warning them to pause when they might otherwise proceed. For women, the eyes boosted confidence by signaling it was safe to cross.
1. What is the function of cartoonish huge eyes?A.Improving the safety of self-driving vehicles. |
B.Helping people decide when to cross the road. |
C.Keeping pedestrians in a complete safe state. |
D.Promoting the appearance of self-driving vehicles. |
A.There was a robot in the car. |
B.The pair of large eyes were controlled by AI. |
C.The experiments were designed by 18 volunteers. |
D.Experiments weren’t conducted in real surroundings. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Objective. | C.Negative. | D.Positive. |
A.To advertise a new self-driving technology. |
B.To enhance pedestrians’ awareness of safety. |
C.To inform us of a new research on driverless vehicles. |
D.To introduce the influence of a new type of car. |
2 . Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire. But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel(英吉利海峡). They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice(威尼斯)in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”. They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far-away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China's social development.
1. In the early times, the travelers __________.A.only came from Roman |
B.traveled by boat |
C.were very wealthy |
D.were very young and strong |
A.The young men learned little from Grand Tour. |
B.More people chose planes for its cheap price. |
C.In 2002, tourism became a fundamental part of China's social development. |
D.Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century. |
A.Education | B.Money |
C.Transportation | D.People's ideas |
A.in 1949 | B.in 1978 |
C.in the early 17th century | D.in Roman times |
A.a plane rising into the air | B.develop very fast |
C.remove hats and clothes | D.bring down the prices |