1 . This week, Parisians have been treated to the sight of ecotaxis, transporting people up and down the river Seine. They are called SeaBubbles and are being tested ahead of the decision to introduce them into the Parisian transport network. The SeaBubble is still in its early testing period, using technological know-how from several industries. The boat sits in the water as the passengers get on and off but once the door is closed the boat starts moving at 12 kmh (7.5 mph) along the surface. It is 100% electric.
The foils(箔) they use are not new technology. They date back to 1898 and an Italian engineer called Enrico Forlanini. The Germans tested foil boats in the 1940s, the first hydrofoil ferry(水翼渡船) was used between Switzerland and Italy in the 1950s and by 1965, a hydrofoil boat was good enough for the James Bond baddie in Thunderball. What has changed, however, is the technology, which has improved to the point where it can now succeed in dealing with some of the shortcomings which prevented their widespread use.
The company has big goals; it wants to use the world’s waterways—and not roads—to transport people from A to B, and it wants to do so with “zero wave, zero emission(排放), zero noise.” The SeaBubbles would travel at the same speed as cars and the goal is to provide these at the same cost as a taxi, with customers ordering them through an app as they would an Uber.
Anders Bringdal, SeaBubbles CEO, told Associated Press that he hopes to change the way people move about cities. SeaBubbles are one more example of how shared public transport can change the mobility of large cities, much like shared bikes are now doing. People are increasingly looking to rivers as a means of moving around large cities to compete with the subway or buses—in London, travel cards are now accepted on river boats.
1. What do we know about the SeaBubble?| A．It has been used in Paris. | B．It moves as fast as a car. |
| C．It is under water when it moves. | D．It uses knowledge from other industries. |
| A．To give special importance to the breakthrough of foils. |
| B．To explain the reasons for creating the SeaBubble. |
| C．To point out the disadvantages of foils. |
| D．To show how the SeaBubble works. |
| A．To put traditional taxis out of business. |
| B．To work with Uber to transport more people. |
| C．To transport people on waterways worldwide. |
| D．To make environment-friendly inventions at low prices. |
| A．It may have an important place in public transport. |
| B．It has been widely accepted by many countries. |
| C．It will make the company world-famous. |
| D．It still needs more tests. |
