Electric cars and buses

文章大意

学生Donna Williams研究电动汽车和电动巴士的发展，重点介绍工程师Howard Ross的发明：在路面下铺设充电条，车辆行驶时通过底部金属板吸取电能，使电池小型化。文章对比了柴油发动机与电动机的寿命，并讨论人们是否愿意放弃内燃机转向电力驱动。

题目与答案

1. 31 Donna first chose electric cars and buses for her project because this topic
   • involved the latest technology
   • was easy to understand
   • was a field she knew a lot about

   答案：was easy to understand

   原文定位：Now, lots of you will probably be surprised that I chose this topic because I'm not familiar with the field at all. But when I was looking around for a subject, I accidentally came across a feature article reviewing the work of engineer Howard Ross. I was struck by how accessible the science behind these new vehicles was, and it gave me confidence to investigate further

   同义替换：「easy to understand」↔「accessible」

2. 32 Donna felt the main problem with previous electric vehicles was that they
   • were extremely hard to manoeuver
   • needed large batteries to run them
   • had to stop very frequently to recharge

   答案：needed large batteries to run them

   原文定位：As I see it, the main concern;is that in the past, vehicles were stuffed with huge batteries to stop them grinding to a halt every few miles

   同义替换：「problem」↔「concern」，「previous」↔「in the past」

3. 33 The ‘charging strip’ technology has been used for several years in
   • equipment used in homes
   • simple electric cars
   • environmental schemes

   答案：equipment used in homes

   原文定位：The basic technology for this system has been around for years. For example, some electric toothbrushes and hand drills use it, but nobody has seen that it could, without too much effort, be used for ecologically friendly transport

4. 34 Donna feels that what will persuade the public to accept electric vehicles is their
   • longer life
   • non-polluting technology
   • low running costs

   答案：low running costs

   原文定位：Not that I think it'll be that which will convince people to make the switch. I think it'll be because the annual fuel bill could be reduced by sixty percent. Sadly, the obvious fact that this technology is much cleaner and healthier for us all will probably be of only secondary importance

   同义替换：「persuade」↔「convince」，「accept」↔「make the switch」，「low running costs」↔「annual fuel bill could be reduced by sixty percent」

5. 35 What does Donna admire about Howard Ross?
   • his business sense
   • his realism
   • his enthusiasm

   答案：his enthusiasm

   原文定位：I was so impressed by his passion for the project. It's this that has already persuaded several businesses to sponsor further trials

   同义替换：「admire」↔「so impressed by」，「enthusiasm」↔「passion」

6. 36 In a bus trial, unexpected results were obtained due to the effect of
   • sleep gradients
   • the weight of passengers
   • large bumps in the road

   答案：the weight of passengers

   原文定位：Initially, they'd done several runs with the bus over different types of terrain;but they hadn't had any passengers in it. When people came into the picture, boarding the bus and altering the distance between the bus and road, they had to revise their planning

   同义替换：「unexpected results」↔「had to revise their planning」

7. | 标题1 | Length of charging strip | Location of strips | Main trail area | Concerns |

   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

   | Bus | 5 metres | At bus 37_____ | 38..... (limited circuit) | Magnetism might affect passengers’ credit cards |

   | Car | About 39..... | Every 3 kms | Sections of a nearby road | Might interfere with local 40..... |

   答案：stops

   原文定位：The charging strips are only five meters long, but are placed at bus stops, so the vehicle is charged while the passengers are boarding and paying and so on

8. | 标题1 | Length of charging strip | Location of strips | Main trail area | Concerns |

   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

   | Bus | 5 metres | At bus 37..... | 38_____ (limited circuit) | Magnetism might affect passengers’ credit cards |

   | Car | About 39..... | Every 3 kms | Sections of a nearby road | Might interfere with local 40..... |

   答案：university

   原文定位：Now, these electric buses have been extensively trialed already, principally at a university, because it provided a limited circuit that could be followed

9. | 标题1 | Length of charging strip | Location of strips | Main trail area | Concerns |

   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

   | Bus | 5 metres | At bus 37..... | 38..... (limited circuit) | Magnetism might affect passengers’ credit cards |

   | Car | About 39_____ | Every 3 kms | Sections of a nearby road | Might interfere with local 40..... |

   答案：300 metres

   原文定位：So Ross has developed much longer charging strips of approximately three hundred meters, which are placed at an average of every three kilometers

   同义替换：「About」↔「approximately」

10. | 标题1 | Length of charging strip | Location of strips | Main trail area | Concerns |

    | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

    | Bus | 5 metres | At bus 37..... | 38..... (limited circuit) | Magnetism might affect passengers’ credit cards |

    | Car | About 39..... | Every 3 kms | Sections of a nearby road | Might interfere with local 40_____ |

    答案：TV stations

    原文定位：They have been extremely successful, although one trial did indicate that there may be problems with interference with TV stations in the immediate area

    同义替换：「Concerns」↔「problems」