Passage 1
Many Americans think of driverless cars as a futuristic technology that will revolutionize travel in cities and along state highways.But recent experiments are proving that autonomous vehicles also have the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans underserved by traditional modes of transportation,such as the elderly and disabled,so long as lawmakers make smart policies that pave the way for innovation.
A retirement community in San Jose,Calif.,which has been transformed by a small fleet of driverless taxis,shows the potential of self-driving cars to transform people’s lives.Built by a tech start-up called Voyage,the modified Ford Fusions are currently limited to a two-mile road,but residents are already having the benefits of these autonomous vehicles,which allow them to participate in social activities they would otherwise be unable to enjoy simply because they could not get to them.
When the trial run finally expands to 15 miles of road,these residents—whose average age is 76—will also have a convenient and reliable new way to appointments.As these cars continue to serve residents there,it is easy to understand why California is moving to simplify regulations for the industry.
In Michigan,forward-thinking policies have the potential to unlock other hidden benefits of autonomous vehicles,especially for those with physical disabilities.The Michigan Disability Rights Coalition has strongly advocated for the development of this technology,saying that it could give people with disabilities greater opportunities in the workforce and enable them to lead more fulfilling and independent lives.
Many recognize that autonomous vehicles will be the future of transportation,but it is too often overlooked that this future cannot arrive fast enough for millions of Americans who are forced to depend on others for day-to-day travel.The policymakers should follow the lead of places like California and Michigan,and pass rules and regulations to unlock these hidden benefits of driverless cars.
1.What’s the attitude of most American people to the future of autonomous vehicles?
A.Uncertain.
B.Doubtful.
C.Indifferent.
D.Optimistic.
2.What is the modified Ford Fusion?
A.The collection of social activities.
B.The name of a retirement community.
C.A kind of autonomous vehicle.
D.A two-mile road for self-driving cars.
3.Examples are given in the third and forth paragraphs to prove .
A.what is preventing the development of the technology
B.why driverless cars are restricted in many states in America
C.how driverless technology benefits the aged and disabled
D.when driverless cars can enter people’s life eventually
4.What does the author attempt to inform us in the last paragraph?
A.The concept of autonomous vehicles has been widely recognized.
B.The weak groups are often overlooked despite technology advances.
C.The benefits of driverless cars have been fully unlocked.
D.Regulations should go hand in hand with driverless technology.
Passage 2
Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years,but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going.When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers,small,tightly knit(聯(lián)系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other.Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago,when the world had just five to ten million people,they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.
Soon afterwards,many of those people started settling down to become farmers,and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number.In recent centuries,trade,industrialisation,the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education,especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades,all have caused many languages to disappear,and dominant languages such as English,Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
At present,the world has about 6,800 languages.The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven.The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages,often spoken by many people,while hot,wet zones have lots,often spoken by small numbers.Europe has only around 200 languages;the Americas about 1,000;Africa 2,400;and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200,of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800.The median number(中位數(shù)) of speakers is a mere 6,000,which means that half the world’s languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
Already well over 400 of the total of 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡),with only a few elderly speakers left.Pick,at random,Busuu in Cameroon(eight remaining speakers),Chiapaneco in Mexico(150),Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia(one,with a question-mark):none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
1.What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?
A.They developed very fast.
B.They were large in number.
C.They had similar patterns.
D.They were closely connected.
2.Which of the following best explains“dominant”underlined in paragraph 2?
A.Complex. B.Advanced.
C.Powerful. D.Modern.
3.How many languages are spoken by less than 6,000 people at present?
A.About 6,800. B.About 3,400.
C.About 2,400. D.About 1,200.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.New languages will be created.
B.People’s lifestyles are reflected in languages.
C.Human development results in fewer languages.
D.Geography determines language evolution.
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