基础自测 (二十)
必修4 Module 2 Traffic Jam 姓名: 时间:30分钟
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
主题 送货机器人
词数 320
Nowadays six Amazon Scout delivery robots are rolled out in a pilot programme in Snohomish County, Washington. The robots carry meals, groceries and packages to homes and offices in this region just north of Seattle. They have also appeared on the sidewalks of London, Beijing and other cities and communities worldwide. These machines must overcome pedestrian legs, naughty dogs and broken pavements, which raise some questions.
These services are gaining attraction as a growing number of city residents expect immediate or scheduled delivery of just about everything. Between 2017 and 2024 online retail sales in the US increased by 16 per cent. In the final step of all these deliveries, called the last mile, humans on bicycles, motor scooters (小型摩托车) or large delivery trucks typically deliver packages. All the vehicles compete for space on busy urban streets. “There is an upward trend in
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deliveries in all crowded city centres, and if city and state leaders don’t start thinking about creative solutions like robot deliveries, we can expect even worse traffic jams,” says Paul Mackie, former director of a research centre for transportation policy in Arlington.
A study by this centre found 73 per cent of delivery vehicles in Arlington were parked outside of authorized areas, often blocking bike lanes and crosswalks. By moving the last step of deliveries from the road to the sidewalk, cities could reduce traffic jams and solve the parking problem entirely, Mackie says.
Companies such as Amazon are not developing this delivery technology simply to clear up urban traffic. Self-driving vehicles and sidewalk robots could cut down last-mile delivery costs in cities by as much as 40 per cent, according to a 2024 report by a consulting firm. A delivery robot can cost thousands of dollars to manufacture, and most currently require human management and conservation. But in the long run companies that use autonomous delivery vehicles in the next several years could end up saving billions of dollars, the report stated.
( )1.Why does Amazon introduce delivery robots? A.To amuse its customers.
B.To avoid pedestrians, dogs and broken pavements. C.To meet the increasing demand of delivering packages. D.To confirm the company’s innovation spirit.
( )2.What does Paul Mackie mean by his words in Paragraph 2? A.Retail sales in the US increased fast.
B.Deliveries stay steady in all crowded city centres.
C.Regardless of robot deliveries, traffic jams will remain the same. D.Robots can help ease the traffic pressure. ( )3.What can delivery robots bring to the city? A.Block bike lanes and crosswalks.
B.Relieve urban traffic as well as save delivery costs. C.Increase danger to pedestrians. D.Lead to traffic jams.
( )4.Which word can best describe the future of the robot delivery? A.Uncertain. B.Hopeless. C.Promising. D.Unacceptable.
B
主题 无人驾驶汽车
词数 293
Research has shown that nearly 90 per cent of traffic accidents are caused by human errors. So our aim is a fully autonomous car(无人驾驶汽车) that gets rid of the cause of most accidents: the driver. Researcher James Hodgson points out, “For safety, the faster you can remove humans, the better,
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even if there are unfortunately a few accidents from new causes. It’s a question of balancing the number injured or killed by autonomous vehicles with the people whose lives are potentially saved.”
It’s an idea that Elon Musk, chief executive of electric car company Tesla Motors, has long believed. His company is determined to be the first to deliver a fully autonomous vehicle to consumers. Last year, Musk announced that Tesla’s 2024 goal was “to do an example drive of full autonomy all the way from L.A.to New York, and have the car park itself.”
However, even Tesla admits that there are problems to overcome—the software needs further validation(证实) and the appropriate regulatory approval needs to be in place. Indeed, recent crashes of Tesla vehicles and Google cars confirm that the software isn’t ready yet.
The UK government appears committed to encouraging the development of autonomous vehicles. It’s supporting four city trials, publishing the Modern Transport Bill to reduce red tape around their introduction and adapting the legal system to take account of problems such as the insurance liability when a human isn’t in control of a vehicle.
The insurance industry is similarly eager to help increase autonomy in cars. As the Association of British Insurers points out, “Nearly 90 per cent of road accidents are caused by human errors.” This costs motor insurers a shocking $20 million per day in claims.
( )5.What difficulty does the company Tesla Motors have?
A.The company lacks confidence to make new creations. B.New inventions may cause more injuries and deaths. C.The software should be made officially acceptable. D.The traffic regulation has proved unreasonable.
( )6.What is the UK government’s attitude to autonomous cars? A.Cautious. B.Positive. C.Ambiguous. D.Disapproving.
( )7.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.Insurance companies would like to support autonomous cars. B.Human mistakes may be the key cause of traffic accidents. C.Traffic accidents make insurance companies earn a lot. D.Motorists are surprised to hear about autonomous cars. ( )8.The purpose of writing the text is to . A.amuse readers with funny examples
B.show the author’s deep love for autonomous cars C.introduce a new development in technology D.provide a persuasive argument against autonomy Ⅱ.语法填空
主题 太阳能公路
词数 216
体裁 说明文
必修4 Module 2 Traffic Jam-黑龙江省海林市朝鲜族中学2024届高三英语一轮复习题(外研版)
