题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
四川省眉山市2019-2020学年高二上学期英语期末考试试卷
The world's top automakers are increasingly offering more electric vehicle models. This growth is expected to continue, with more people choosing to hit the road with clean-running electric cars.
Environmentalists have praised the automakers for taking major steps to limit harmful pollutants linked to worldwide climate change. But electric vehicles are also known for not producing another kind of pollution - noise. They run on batteries instead of fuel, and can operate in silence.
While many people might consider this a good thing, quiet cars can also cause problems. The main danger is that people around electric vehicles face a greater risk of being hit if they cannot hear the cars coming.
Governments in the United States and Europe have recognized this problem. So, they have set requirements for manufacturers to add warning sounds to electric vehicles.
The U.S. Department of Transportation finalized its rules a year ago. The rules require electric and hybrid (混和能源) vehicles to be equipped with some warning sounds when moving at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour. The rules are aimed at preventing injuries among people walking or riding bicycles and to protect the blind.
So what kinds of sounds can we expect to hear from the next generation of electric vehicles? One of the easiest solutions would be for carmakers to reproduce the sound a traditional car running on fuel. But many industry officials believe this would be a mistake. They say this would not support the electric vehicle's true identity.
Frank Welsch, the head of technical development at Volkswagen, said that finding the perfect sound mix is not an easy process. He said. "It cannot be too annoying. It cannot sound like anything we had in the past."
An official from Mercedes-Benz said the sound was designed to provide a safe warning without annoying passengers inside the vehicle. He said the goal was to create a car that remains completely quiet inside.
It might seem strange to think that part of our automotive future is currently being developed in the same kinds of recording studios used by musicians. But that is exactly what is happening.
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