题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
四川省成都外国语学校2018-2019学年高二上学期英语入学考试试卷
Preparing Cities for Robot Cars
The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist's dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn't leading the way here. Companies have been testing their vehicles in cities across the country. It's hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars (and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions (排放) and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy—or even worsen—the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport—an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing (叫车) services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure (基础设施) and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues (责任与维护问题). But driverless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn't extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
Do you want to learn the material you're studying—like, reallylearn it? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}One learning theory suggests that if you overlearn, you'll gain the ability to do something without having to think about it — and eventually obtain more knowledge. Here's what overlearning is and how to do it.
What is overlearning?
Simply put, overlearning means studying something even once you're sure you know it. Don't stop reviewing or studying just because you succeeded in memorizing something. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}
The purpose of overlearning is to make the task easy to ensure it is completed to a high standard with no stress. For example, a student wants to pass their spelling test which has 10 words. Knowing about overlearning, she doesn't just memorize each word, but also learns about the origins of each word. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Similarly, a teacher wanting to learn about teaching strategies might not simply read one book — they may read ten books, watch videos, attend lectures (and maybe even write their own book).
How do you overlearn?
{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For instance, when using the Leitner method, always review all the flashcards you're assigned on a particular day, even if you feel like passing over them because you got them right last time. Repeatedly going over material you know well is the key to overlearning and eventual automatic recall.
Schedule blocks of time in your week for reviewing materials you've already mastered. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Continually reintroducing familiar ideas to yourself will dig them deeper into your long term memory.
A. Overlearning has several benefits. B. Then what you need to do is overlearn it. C. Review material you already know front to back. D. This takes time, but it makes the spelling test a walk in the park. E. Instead, keep going, digging it deeper and deeper into your brain. F. In real life, we sometimes want to learn more than one similar task. G. This can be as easy as re-reading your notes, or as complex as taking practice tests. |
试题篮