The United States is a nation of car owners. Ninety-five percent of households own a car, and 85 percent of people get to work in one. This lifestyle contributes to congestion on our roads and damages the environment. As autonomous vehicles begin to hit the streets over the next decade or so, it's believed that all this will change.   

Autonomous vehicles will most likely decrease the number and severity of crashes, allow cars to travel more closely together and improve cooperation between vehicles, all of which tend to reduce traffic jams and increase capacity.

However, this future is not assured. To realize the full potential benefits of driverless cars, we will have to act soon to encourage a culture in which transportation is shared. Many people in the automobile industry assume that driverless vehicles will automatically be shared, but there is little evidence that this is true. Most estimates suggest that driverless cars will eventually be only slightly more expensive than traditional cars, which means they'll be within reach of many consumers, so users are not willing to share rides.

If most people are going to buy-in to a shared-ride culture, they need to get a significant benefit. Saving a few dollars off the fare isn't likely to promote the movement dramatically. A better benefit would be knowing that you're going to reach your destination more quickly. The way to guarantee quick passage is to redesign our roads to give priority to ride-sharing autonomous vehicles like building priority lanes. The cost of travel will also be varied based on how efficiently a vehicle uses the roads. Autonomous vehicles carrying multiple people should get higher priority than those carrying one or none at all.

Decision-makers must push for incentives that encourage the most efficient use of our limited roadway infrastructure(基础设施). The autonomous future is rapidly approaching; it is critical that we act now, while the impacts of autonomous vehicles on traffic jams and emissions are still largely within our control.

【小题1】What's the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To tell the severe traffic problem.

C．To prove the necessity of autonomous vehicles.

D．To show the damage of cars to the environment.

【小题2】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Autonomous vehicles worsen traffic jams on roads.

B．Autonomous vehicles are likely to reduce traffic jams.

C．Saving some fares contributes to shared-ride significantly.

D．Many people have ridden autonomous vehicles to avoid traffic jams.

【小题3】Which will be a benefit of sharing autonomous vehicles?

A．To save a large amount of money.

B．To promote the development of science and technology.

C．To redesign roads to prioritize car-shared modes.

D．To allow you to reach your destination much more quickly.

【小题4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Driverless Cars Will Make Our Traffic Problems Worse.

B．Autonomous Vehicles Will Make a Difference to Traffic.

C．Decision-makers Should Take Some Measures Quickly.

D．The Current Situation of Cars in the United States is Serious.