3 . The PAL-V Liberty is a revolutionary vehicle that can travel on both land and air. It is the world’s first commercial flying car, and it is now available for pre-order. The PAL-V Liberty is developed by a Dutch company called PAL-V International B. V., which stands for Personal Air and Land Vehicle. The company has been working on the project since 2001, and has successfully tested the prototype in 2012.
The PAL-V Liberty is a two-seater hybrid car and gyroplane, which means it has a three-wheeled chassis and a foldable rotor on top. It can switch between driving mode and flying mode in about 10 minutes, with the help of a semi-automatic system. It has a top speed of 160 km/h on the road and 180 km/h in the air, and can fly up to 500 km on a single tank of fuel. It uses regular gasoline, and can be refueled at any gas station.
The PAL-V Liberty is expected to be delivered to customers in 2023, alter obtaining the necessary certifications from aviation authorities. The company claims that the vehicle meets the existing regulations of both cars and aircrafts, and that it is safe and easy to operate. However, the PAL-V Liberty is not a cheap vehicle, nor is it accessible to everyone. It costs599,000 euros (about 4.7 million yuan) for the Pioneer Edition, which includes flight training courses, power heating and personalization options. There is also a cheaper Sport Edition, which costs 299,000 euros (about 2.3 million yuan), but it has less features and requires the buy er to pay an additional 10,000 euros(about 78,000 yuan) for flight training.
To drive the PAL-V Liberty, one needs both a driving license and a pilot license. The vehicle also requires a runway or airstrip to take off and land, as it cannot do so vertically like a helicopter. The company says it has received 70 orders for the vehicle so far, mostly from customers in Europe and North America. The PAL-V Liberty is a groundbreaking innovation that could change the future of transportation, but it also faces many challenges and limitations.
1. What’s the limitation of the Pioneer Edition of the PAL-V Liberty?
| A．Lack of customized selection. | B．Failure to land and take off vertically |
| C．Extra money to be paid for flight training. | D．Disagreement with the existing traffic rules. |
2. What can we infer about from the passage?
| A．The PAL-V Liberty has been used in our daily life. |
| B．If you have a pilot license, you can drive the PAL-V Liberty. |
| C．It can switch between driving and flying mode in a short time |
| D．The Sport Edition is more attractive features than the Pioneer Edition. |
3. What's the author’s attitude towards the PAL-V Liberty?
| A．favorable | B．skeptical | C．objective | D．indifference |
4. What is the best title for the article?
| A．The Dutch Innovation | B．The Future of Transportation |
| C．The Hybrid Car and the Gyroplane | D．The World’s First Commercial Flying Car |
