1 . Your next car might drive itself. After years of trials on city streets, driverless vehicles are now nearing the production phase. Last month, a driverless bus began carrying passengers through Lyon, France. Most in the automobile industry think self-driving vehicles will be on the road by 2020 or before.
Driverless cars will at first be huddled with human-driven cars. But the first places where they will become dominant（占支配地位的）are dense urban areas-precisely the spots most damaged by the automobile age. Many advanced cities are already reducing the role of human-driven cars. Driverless cars will quicken that process and will bring us great benefits.
Driverless cars will reduce accidents by around 90 percent. That's big-the annual death toll on the world's roads is about 1.2 million a year. Pollution and carbon emissions will drop, because urban driverless cars will be electric. The old, otherwise they would stay at home most of the time and the disabled and teenagers will suddenly gain mobility.
On the other hand, driverless cars will bring catastrophe（灾难）.The best thing about the automobile age is that it employs tens of millions of people to make, market, insure and drive vehicles. Over the next 20 years, most men who now drive trucks, taxis and buses will see their jobs reduced. Carmakers are especially scared. A few cars in the future might be made by tech companies such as Apple, Baidu and Google. Imaging the impact on Germany, where the automotive sector is the largest industry.
Dramatic change is coming, and driverless cars could arrive by 2020. But governments have hardly begun thinking about it. Only 6 percent of the biggest US cities have factored them into their long-term planning.
A decade ago anyone hardly saw the smartphone coming. It has brought an epidemic of mass addiction. Let's hope we do a better job of handling the driverless car.
1. The underlined words "be huddled with "in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by "________".| A．show up with | B．exist together with |
| C．get rid of | D．take the place of |
| A．Driverless cars reduce the number of human-driven cars. |
| B．Driverless cars will be powered by electricity. |
| C．Driverless cars save fuel by driving themselves. |
| D．Driverless cars will reduce too many accidents. |
| A．They will not hit the road until 2020. |
| B．They will only be used in urban areas. |
| C．They will not cause any road accident. |
| D．They aren't still seriously taken by governments. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Objective. | D．Worried. |
2 . Whether you use a GPS device（设备） in your car or Google Maps on your smartphone, few of us travel anymore without digital help.
However, paper maps still offer a few advantages that technologies can’t. For example, studying a map allows you to get a full view of where you’re going, including the roads, forests, towns, historic sites, rivers and mountains you’ll come across along the way. Many older maps are wonderful, offering a lovely feast for the eyes.
Research by Toru Ishikawa and colleagues at the University of Tokyo found that GPS users spent 30％ more time looking at their device than those who used a paper map.
Therefore, go ahead and use your GPS, but also carry a paper map as a handy backup.
| A．It will improve your travel experiences. |
| B．But don’t hurry to fold up your paper maps. |
| C．They also had a poorer recollection of surrounding scenery. |
| D．Compared with digital maps, paper maps do have disadvantages. |
| E．What’s more, paper maps tend to focus on smaller geographic areas. |
| F．They can also take you back in time to have a glimpse（瞥） of history. |
| G．In other words, they didn’t see or experience much during their travels. |
3 . Bedtime on the Orient Express. We stood in the corridor while a woman pulled our bunk beds (双层铺) into place-- there wasn’t room in the carriage for all three of us. Barking the news that she would be waking us at 7 a.m. with a cup of instant coffee and a piece of cheese, the woman left and we retired for the night.
‘ Bunk beds?’ you may be thinking. Small carriage? Instant coffee? This can’t be the real Orient Express! Oh, but it is. This is a very real Orient Express indeed. In search of a long weekend in Vienna, there seemed no more attractive way for my friend and me to get there.
The original Orient Express service was started in 1863. Luxury carriages ran the route from Paris, France to Giugiu, Romania. In 1934, Agatha Christie sent Hercule Poirot on just such a journey in her novel Murder on the Orient Express. However, there was a rise in air travel which was quicker and cheaper and eventually the whole operation was brought to a halt in 1977. The name was reused in 1982, when the Venice Simplon-Orient-Expresss took its first voyage between London and Venice.
Admittedly I would have loved to take the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, with its on-board shop and piano in the bar, but at around £1,700 per person for a four-night one-way journey, it was too expensive for us. So we chose this excellent way of buying into the romance for a small amount of the cost.
But we loved it. Ours was no luxury bedroom, but it had its own rough charm-- not to mention the magic of travelling across international borders overnight. I haven’t slept in a bunk bed since I was seven, and climbing up into it took 25 years off me. For one night only, it was comfortably appealing. Naturally, I took a copy of Murder on the Orient Express to read on the train. I smiled at the descriptions of airy dining cars and fresh coffee.
My weekend in Vienna was wonderful and reunited with the cut-price Orient Express at the end of the holiday, we were rather delighted to see our little carriage again. Good old bunk beds. Terrifying old attendant. And best of all, nobody got murdered.
1. What does the underlined word “halt” in Paragraph 3 mean?| A．Change | B．Trouble |
| C．Return | D．Stop |
| A．It was first put to use in 1863. | B．It runs between Paris and Giugiu. |
| C．It referred to a railway line at first. | D．It is luxurious and its fare is expensive. |
| A．The low price. | B．The bunk beds. |
| C．The air of romance. | D．The shop and the bar. |
| A．His experience was different from the book’s description. |
| B．He felt relieved that nobody got murdered on the train. |
| C．The book was very interesting and amusing. |
| D．He enjoyed his train journey very much. |
BRITISH AIRWAYS
27th AUGUST
Dear customer,
I am sorry for the disruption(扰乱) to your journey today. When flying Morocco, your aircraft changed its course and flew to Barcelona due to a medical emergency. As a result, the cabin crew are legally out of flying hours to continue on to Cape Town. The service has therefore returned to Heathrow Airport, London to allow for a change of crew.
Your new departure time will be 18:00 on 28th August, arriving in Cape Town at 06:40 on 29th August.
We have arranged rooms for you to stay at the Renaissance Hotel. Breakfast, lunch and a three-minute telephone call will also be provided for you.
We suggest that you take your hold luggage with you when you go to the hotel. For your transport to the hotel, you will need to make your way to bus stop 15. This is located outside the main Terminal (航站楼) building.
Transport back to Heathrow Terminal 4 has been arranged at 14:15 on 28th August. Check-in will be available at Zone A from 15:00. Passengers travelling in First or Club World may check in at Zone D.
I again apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you have been caused. I can assure you we are doing our best to make your wait as comfortable and brief as possible. Thank you very much for you understanding.
Yours faithfully,
Reg Harper
Customer Service Duty Manager
PO Box 10 Heathrow Airport
Hounslow Middlesex TW6 2JA
1. What will be offered to passengers?| A．Three meals. | B．Three telephone calls. |
| C．An overnight stay at a hotel. | D．Transport to and from their homes. |
| A．At 15:00 on 27th August. | B．At 14:15 on 28th August. |
| C．At 18:00 on 28th August. | D．At 06:40 on 29th August. |
| A．To give advice. | B．To issue an apology. |
| C．To show thankfulness. | D．To make an announcement |
5 . People traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly can anyone positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train carriages soon get crowded. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous(单调的) rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon makes you sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. While at night you rarely manage to sleep. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.
Long car journey are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speed, but more often than not, the greater span of the journey is spent on narrow, uneven roads which are crowded with traffic.
By comparison, trips by sea offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the broad decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good food-always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of traveling on a ship.
Airplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and a little expensive. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Traveling at a height of 30,000 feet and at over 500 miles an hour is a pleasant experience. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real relaxation can be a free film show and some other services. An airplane also offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from the view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch on for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and untired.
1. The author indicates that reading can help lessen _______.| A．the boredom of being in the train |
| B．the tiresome clicking of the wheels |
| C．the sleeplessness during the journey |
| D．the poor atmosphere of the carriages |
| A．It is safe because the car usually goes at high speed. |
| B．It is unpleasant because reading is quite impossible. |
| C．It is exhausting because you seldom manage to sleep. |
| D．It is dangerous because the traffic is always too busy. |
| A．traveling by air is not so tiring as the others |
| B．traveling by air brings more fun than the others |
| C．traveling by air is much more expensive than the others |
| D．traveling by air offers more time for sleep than the others |
| A．To introduce diverse ways of traveling. |
| B．To point out the best means of traveling. |
| C．To emphasize the advantages of traveling. |
| D．To introduce how to relax when traveling |
6 . A crew of six teenage girls completed a nine-day sailing trip in the US recently, after braving seasickness and strong winds.
For the past three years，the Sea Cadet teenagers who set sail were all male. Roger Noakes, who captained the boat，said this was the first time he’d taken out an all-female crew.
The girls asked for an a11-girls trip in August this year.The crew set sail along with three adults, Noakes and two Sea Cadet representatives.The original plan was for the girls to sail 24 hours a day in rotating shifts(轮流换班)along the coast and then return.Things turned out differently，however. “The first night was rough because the wind was really hard.The waves were going up and down，”said Abby Fairchild，16. “Everybody got seasick.” Noakes gave the girls the option of just sailing in the bay and not going into open water. “But they decided they were going.”
The teenagers then sailed a long way overnight and slept in shifts. “We’ve learned everything from steering(掌舵) the boat itself to putting up the sails to cooking while we have rough seas，”said 15-year-old Olivia Wilcox.
The teenagers stopped on land in Massachusetts. They didn’t make it to their original destination in Maine，where they were supposed to have a celebratory dinner，due to the weather and winds. They said they weren’t disappointed，however，as they’d learned a lot. “They learned about boating，and above all，they built confidence and character，” said Noakes.
1. What was special about the US Sea Cadet trip this year?| A．It was the longest sailing trip ever. |
| B．It was the first all-female-crew sailing trip. |
| C．It was the most dangerous sailing trip ever. |
| D．It was the first sailing trip for teenagers. |
| A．They all got seasick. | B．They regretted taking the trip. |
| C．They decided to stay in the bay. | D．Some of them were injured. |
| A．Determined and cooperative. | B．Hard-working and talented. |
| C．Understanding and creative. | D．Adventurous and skillful. |
| A．They acquired excellent sailing skills. |
| B．They learned to work in teams. |
| C．They built confidence and character. |
| D．They knew the sea better. |
7 . March1，2019
Dear Residents
RE. NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION-SHORELINE EROSION PROTECTION
Sheet Pile Wall，Rip Rap Protection(抛石护岸) and Spot Repair on SA SU Road between Church and Jimmy Road, Tsawout First Nation. Our File: CPMS 6849
Beginning April 1, 2019, our community, Tsawout First Nation, will be beginning work on the Shoreline Erosion(侵蚀)Protection project along SA SU Road between Church and Jimmy Road. Workers employed by Donn Mann Excavating and Tsawout First Nation Public Works Department will be onsite working from 7: 00 am until 5: 00 pm daily Monday to Friday until September 30，2019.
PROJECT RELATED INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Traffic Delays -In order to safely and efficiently complete this construction item, there will be some lane(车道)restrictions. Car drivers must follow the polices orders, slow down the speed，and pass the construction area extremely cautiously. The construction item may cause traffic delays. We will make every effort to minimize any potential inconvenience and provide you with the latest notice when disruptions( 中断)must occur. Police and emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.
Truck Traffic -At times you will notice increased truck traffic in the construction area. Please be aware and use extra caution while driving
Vibration -You may experience some vibration at home during the construction. The shaky motion happens due to the work being done. We recommend that you remove or secure objects on shelves and walls.
This construction item is part of the Tsawout First Nation Shoreline Erosion Protection project that will be beginning in April 2019 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. Please see upcoming newsletters and notices for further updates.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation
Sincerely
Rob Mortin
Tsawout First Nation
1. How long will the construction item last?| A．bout 4 months. | B．About 5 months. | C．About 6 months. | D．About 7 months. |
| A．Car drivers shall pass through the construction area with great care |
| B．Only emergency vehicles can pass through the construction area |
| C．No vehicle will be allowed to pass through the construction area |
| D．All vehicles shall be checked before entering the construction area. |
| A．avoid driving their vehicles in the rush-hours |
| B．make sure that their walls are in good condition |
| C．update upcoming newsletters and notices daily |
| D．have their photo frames taken down from the walls |
8 . When a driver slams on the brakes to avoid hitting a pedestrian crossing the road illegally, she is making a moral decision that shifts risk from the pedestrian to the people in the car. Self-driving cars might soon have to make such ethical (道德的)judgments on their own — but settling on a universal moral code for the vehicles could be a tough task, suggests a survey.
The largest ever survey of machine ethics, called the Moral Machine, laid out 13 possible situations in which someone’s death was unavoidable. Respondents were asked to choose who to spare in situations that involved a mix of variables: young or old, rich or poor, more people or fewer. Within 18 months, the online quiz had recorded 40 million decisions made by people from 233 countries and territories.
When the researchers analysed these answers, they found that the nations could be divided into three groups. One contains North America and several European nations where Christianity has been the dominant (占支配地位的)religion; another includes countries such as Japan, Indonesia and Pakistan, with strong Confucian or Islamic traditions. A third group consists of countries in Central and South America, such as Colombia and Brazil. The first group showed a stronger preference for sacrificing older lives to save younger ones than did the second group, for example.
The researchers also identified relationships between social and economic factors in a country. They found that people from relatively wealthy countries with strong institutions, such as Finland and Japan, more often chose to hit people who stepped into traffic illegally than did respondents in nations with weaker institutions, such as Nigeria or Pakistan.
People rarely face such moral dilemmas, and some cities question whether the possible situations posed in the online quiz are relevant to the ethical and practical questions surrounding driverless cars. But the researchers argue that the findings reveal cultural differences that governments and makers of self-driving cars must take into account if they want the vehicles to gain public acceptance.
At least Barbara Wege, who heads a group working on autonomous-vehicle ethics at Audi in Ingolstadt, Germany, says such studies are valuable. Wege argues that self-driving cars would cause fewer accidents, proportionally, than human drivers do each year—but that people might focus more on events involving robots.
Surveys such as the Moral Machine can help to begin public discussions about these unavoidable accidents that might develop trust. “We need to come up with a social consensus,” she says, “about which risks we are willing to take.”
1. Why is it difficult to set universal moral rules for programming self-driving cars?| A．Social values always change with the times. |
| B．Moral choices vary between different cultures. |
| C．Drivers have a preference for sacrificing the weak. |
| D．Car makers are faced with decisions of life or death. |
| A．using a massive online quiz worldwide |
| B．comparing different cultures and customs |
| C．dividing the respondents into three groups |
| D．performing a series of controlled experiments |
| A．Nigeria | B．Colombia |
| C．Finland | D．Indonesia |
| A．Self-driving cars will greatly improve the traffic environment |
| B．Accidents caused by self-driving cars might receive more attention |
| C．Problems involving self-driving cars might shake the public trust in society |
| D．Car makers needn’t take the risk of solving self-driving car ethical dilemmas |
9 . Saturday, 22 April, 2017
We are currently on a camp site near Calais, on our way to the UK, and it is pouring with rain. As if gods want to prepare us for the UK at all costs. As if we don't know what rain is... Our ferry to the green isles will leave tomorrow at 10：30 and despite the rain, I am really looking forward to it.
It has taken us a while to get here, as we already left EI Chorro on 4 April. After rushing through Spain in two days, however, we came to an inevitable slow－down when we entered France. Inevitable, as France has simply too much to offer for us, so as soon as we crossed the Pyrenees, our driving sequence became something like driving a few kilometres, visiting a castle, driving a few kilometres, taking pictures of a nice church, driving a few kilometres, having a quick peek at a flea market, driving a few kilometres, visiting a museum etc. When we entered Brittany the real sightseeing started, in Vannes, in Lorient, in Brest and then on to Normandy: Le Mont St Michel, Bayeux and finally, finally the D－Day beaches. I always wanted to visit these, for obvious reasons I would say, but my father, realistic as he was, calculated the chances that it would rain a considerable amount of days of a three－week holiday and always decided against it. But a few days ago I finally stepped onto Gold Beach (where the Brits landed) and I was greeted by the Norman sun. A beautiful day.
1. According to the passage, the Pyrenees must be a place in ________.| A．Spain | B．France |
| C．Netherland | D．UK |
| A．They spent 2 days in Spain travelling. |
| B．The writer thought France has a lot of places to visit. |
| C．The writer thought the real sightseeing was in EI Chorro and Brest. |
| D．The writer's father was a realistic person. |
| A．a travel journal | B．a science fiction |
| C．a news report | D．a film review |
10 . People have been enjoying the benefits of cycling（骑自行车） in Amsterdam(阿姆斯特丹) for years. It is a good city for cycling because it is flat and there are plenty of places for bicycle parking. Today some people call Amsterdam “City of Bicycles” because of the convenience for bicycles there.
In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans had an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if cars weren’t allowed in the city center and only bicycles were. They were hopeful that this would help to save energy, reduce pollution and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in lots of neighborhoods around Amsterdam for people to use. Then a problem came-- thieves took all the bicycles within weeks!
However, more than thirty years later, the “white bike’ is back in town--this time with a computer chip（芯片） to record its every move! To take a bicycle, you have to insert(插入) a special card. The new “ white bike” is not actually white but is an unusual design with bright colours. The bikes are parked at special parking places and people who want to use them have to take them to another special parking place that has enough room.
There is already less traffic in central Amsterdam, because both locals and tourists have been using the white bikes. Instead, thanks to the good ideas of lots of people, like the cycling fans in the 1960s, many people around the world have been enjoying city centre streets without cars many years.
1. Amsterdam is called the “City of Bicycles” because of_________.| A．the cycling fans there | B．the appearance for bicycles |
| C．the convenience of bicycles | D．the quality of bicycles |
| A．be specially designed | B．help to save energy |
| C．be placed anywhere | D．be painted in different colours |
| A．There were not enough parking places. |
| B．The government allowed people to drive cars freely. |
| C．Thieves took all the bikes within weeks. |
| D．People were tired of riding bikes. |
| A．A special computer. | B．A common chip. |
| C．A special card. | D．A white key. |
