1 . A new study has found that many drivers using driver assistance (辅助) tools often treat their vehicles like they are fully self-driving. The study warns that drivers who put too much trust in driver assistance technologies are putting themselves at risk for serious accidents.
The research involved drivers of three vehicles that offer advanced driver assistance systems. Each vehicle came from one of three companies: Cadillac, Nissan / Infiniti and Tesla
The study was led by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a nonprofit group. The group carries out research and crash tests and seeks to persuade car makers to design safer vehicles.
Cadillac’s driver assistance tool is called Super Cruise. The study found that 53 percent of active users of that system said “they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving.” Tesla’s driver assistance system is called Autopilot.
The results come even as car makers have repeatedly warmed drivers that they must never fully depend on driver assistance for full operation of the vehicle. Users are asked to be fully prepared to regulate driving at any time. There have also been highly publicized accidents involving cars with driver assistance programming.
Both Super Cruise and Autopilot have a feature that the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system will be turned off if users do not appear to be attentive (专心的) while driving. The study found that about 40 percent of the users of Autopilot and Super Cruise reported the systems had at some point turned off while they were driving and would not reactivate.
The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examines a series of crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations into 18 crash deaths involving Tesla vehicles where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use.
Tesla has said that Autopilot is meant for use with a fully careful driver who is prepared to take control of vehicle operation. General Motors, which produces Cadillac models, said it “believes driver engagement is very important.”
1. What’s the problem with some drivers according to the study?| A．They drive with too much tension. | B．They refuse to accept high technology. |
| C．They rely too much on driver assistance tools. | D．They have caused many traffic accidents |
| A．To watch over car making in the world. | B．To develop advanced vehicle technology |
| C．To judge various cars based on their quality. | D．To push car makers to improve vehicle safety. |
| A．Enjoy. | B．Stop. | C．Control. | D．Ignore. |
| A．They praised their self-driving technology. |
| B．They stressed the importance of human driving. |
| C．They admitted the disadvantages of self-driving. |
| D．They promised to improve their self-driving technology |
2 . American researchers say the thought that machines could take over the world is becoming an increasing reality, rather than the nightmarish plot of a sci-fi horror movie. Now, they are fueling workplace worry, with some employees reportedly sabotaging (暗中破坏) and even attacking their robot replacements.
However, psychologists think that reminding ourselves of our humanity could help alleviate irrational (不合理的) fears about machines replacing people in the workplace. It involves repeating positive statements used to promote confidence and belief in your own uniquely human abilities. These statements help shift focus away from perceived failures or inadequacies and onto a worker’s strengths — those you already have and those you want to develop.
Lead author Professor Kai Chi Yam says in a media release, “Some economists theorize that robots are more likely to take over blue-collar jobs faster than white-collar jobs. However, it doesn’t look like robots are taking over that many jobs yet, at least not in America, so a lot of these fears are rather subjective.”
Yam’s team carried out tests and analyzed data from participants in the U.S., Singapore, and India. In one experiment, working with industrial robots fueled stress and unrest among 118 engineers employed by an auto manufacturing company in India. An online survey of 400 participants found self-affirmation exercises reduced feelings of hopelessness. The workers then wrote about characteristics or values that were important to them. “Most people are overestimating the capabilities of robots and underestimating their own capabilities,” Yam says.
While some individuals may have legitimate concerns, media coverage may be unnecessarily heightening fears among the general public. “Media reports on new technologies like robots and algorithms tend to be apocalyptic (毁灭性的) in nature, so people may develop an irrational fear about them,” Yam concludes.
1. Why do people hate robots in workplace?| A．They are attacked by robots. | B．They feel threatened by robots. |
| C．Robots appear in sci-fi horror movies. | D．Robots take charge of their workplace. |
| A．Remove all their fears and horrors. |
| B．Remind them of their advantages. |
| C．Help them focus better on their work. |
| D．Rid them of failures and inadequacies. |
| A．White-collar jobs won’t be replaced. |
| B．There are too many robots in the U.S. |
| C．Worries about robots are not justified. |
| D．Robots have taken the place of labor. |
| A．One of factors fueling people’s worries. |
| B．Other irrational fears of general public. |
| C．The media’s attitude toward robots. |
| D．The nature of robots and algorithms. |
3 . Scot Case, Vice President of the environmental marketing firm Terra Choice, was not happy. Case last year sent his researchers into a big-box retail store to evaluate the green advertising claims of some of the products on its shelves. The results were shocking, of the 1,018 products Terra Choice surveyed, all but one failed to live up fully to their green boasts.
He couldn’t believe the result, and had his team redo the survey, but the results came back the same. “It just shows we’re awash in greenwash.” He said.
Many consumers may not have heard the term green washing, but they’ve surely experienced it — misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product. Greenwashing isn’t new — ever since the environment was an issue in the early 1970s. As going green has become big business, environmental advocates worry that truly green companies could get lost in the situation.
“We have such a challenge ahead of us on climate change, says Kevin Tuerff, a co-founder of the marketing consultancy EnviroMedia. “Greenwashing harms the effort we need to be making.”
The first step to cleaning up greenwashing is to identify it, and Tuerff and his partners have hit on an innovative way to spotlight particularly abnormal examples. They’ve launched the Greenwashing Index a website that allows consumers to post ads that might be examples of greenwashing and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 — 1 is a little green lie; S is a big green lie.
It’s a simple device, but it shows the power of the Interne to uncover misleading ads with a simple Web search, any consumer can find out the index they want to know. Googling isn’t the only way to take out the greenwashing, however. The Terra Choice website offers a list of what it calls the “six sins of greenwashing” — six simple signs that should remind consumers of a company that is more interested in selling the earth than saving it.
“We have better green products but a lot of exaggerated (夸张的) claims,” says Case. “That could be enough to destroy the whole green movement” — and that’s not a little green lie.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about greenwashing?| A．It is harmful for the environment. |
| B．It is a special way to wash so as to save water. |
| C．It is environment-friendly so it should be advocated. |
| D．It is beneficial for both the consumers and the companies. |
| A．Holding hearings to tell genuine environmental claims from false ones. |
| B．Launching the Greenwashing Index a website to expose greenwashing. |
| C．Offering a list of “six sins of greenwashing” for companies’ reference. |
| D．Updating Green Guide for consumers which hasn’t changed since 1998. |
| A．Organic products but without any certificates. |
| B．Energy-efficient products made of harmful material. |
| C．Food which is low in nutrition but high in calorie. |
| D．Pesticides which are said to be environment-friendly. |
| A．The effort on environmental protection. |
| B．The advocation of green advertisements. |
| C．The distinction between green products and common ones. |
| D．The distinction between real environmental claims and false ones. |
