综合类AB级：讲义资料Motoring Technology
1.2 million road deaths worldwide occur each year， plus a further 50 million injuries. To reduce car crash rate， much research now is focused on safety and new fuels – though some electric vehicle and biofuel research aims at going faster.
Traveling at speed has always been risky. One cutting edge area of research in motoring safety is the use of digital in-car assistants. They can ensure you don’t miss crucial road signs or fall asleep. The use of artificial intelligence software allows these assistants to monitor your driving and makes sure your phone or radio doesn’t distract you at a vital moment. Most crashes result from human and not mechanical faults.
Some safety developments aim to improve your vision. Radar can spot obstacles in fog， while other technology “sees through” high-sided vehicles blocking your view.
And improvements to seat belts， pedal controls and tyres are making driving smoother and safer. The color of a car has been found to be linked with safety， as have， less surprisingly， size and shape.
And alternatives to fossil-fuel based petrol， such as plant oils， are a hot area of research. Fuel cells based on hydrogen burn cleanly， and are the subject of a serious research effort.
But whatever is in the fuel tank， you don’t want a thief in the driving seat and there have been many innovations， some using satellite tracking and remote communications， to fight against car theft. These communication systems can also come into play if you crash， automatically calling for help.
Accidents cause many traffic jams， but there are more subtle interplays between vehicles that can cause jams even on a clear but busy road， such jams can be analyzed using statistical tools. Robotic drivers could be programmed to make traffic flow smoothly and will perhaps one day be everyone’s personal chauffeur， but their latest efforts suggest that won’t be soon. (311 words)
1. What are researchers interested in doing as the road accidents worldwide increase to a shocking rate？
A. they are developing faster electric vehicles
B. they are analyzing road deaths occurring worldwide every year.
C. they focus their research on safety and new fuels
D. they are designing fully automatic cars
2. According to the second paragraph， most road accidents happen
A. because drivers fall asleep
B. because drivers make mistakes
C. because of engine failure
D. because of speeding
3. Which of the safety developments is NOT mentioned in the passage？
A. radars that can help drivers to see obstacles in fog
B. devices that help drivers to see through big vehicles
C. improvements in seat belts， pedal controls and tyres
D. windscreens that can help drivers to improve their vision
4. What is NOT the purpose of innovations that use satellite tracking and remote communications？
A. to prevent car thieves from getting into your car
B. to call for help when one’s car crashes
C. to call for help when the car gets jammed in the traffic
D. to track the car down when it is being stolen
5 What is true of robotic drivers？
A. it will take some time before robotic drivers can be put to practical use
B. robotic drivers are not allowed to drive on busy roads
C. robotic drivers can never replace human drivers
D. robotic drivers are too expensive to use
Motoring Technology参考答案
1． C． 解析： 问题问“当世界范围内的道路事故发生率增加到了一个令人震惊的数量时， 研究者们对做什么产生了兴趣？”被选项C直接与文章主题呼应(第1段第2句是答案相关句)， 所以C是答案。
解题思路2： 问题句中出现了修饰词语（worldwide， shocking）， 利用这些修饰结构作为答案线索， 这样在文章中找到答案相关句：
1.2 million road deaths（死亡） worldwide（世界范围地） occur（发生） each year（每年）， plus（加上） a further（更多的） 50 million injuries（伤害）。 To reduce（减少） car crash（撞车） rate， much research now is focused on（关注。。。） safety（安全） and new fuels（燃料） – though some electric vehicle（电动汽车） and biofuel（生物燃料） research aims at（致力于） going（驾驶） faster.
第1段第1句是答案相关句（worldwide直接出现，该句隐含shocking （rate）），但是该句并没有说“研究者们在做什么”， 因此关注后面的句子。 接下来的一句说“为了减少车祸发生率， 现在许多研究关注汽车的安全性和新型燃料的使用”，该句内容与C呼应， 因此C是答案。