Electric Cars
Where do cars get their energy from? For most cars, the answer is petrol. But some cars use electricity. These cars have special motors that get their power from large batteries.
Most people tend to think of electric cars as a new invention, but they have been around for a long time. They were popular when the technology for petrol engines was not very advanced. Recently, electric cars have again become popular because people want cars that pollute less.
Electric cars are better than petrol cars in several ways. The biggest benefit is reduced pollution. In areas where there is a high percentage of electric cars, there is less pollution. But it is important to understand that electric cars still cause pollution. Remember that the electricity to power electric cars has to come from somewhere, which is most likely a power station. Unless these power stations run on solar or wind energy, they are most likely burning coal and oil to make electricity. The second benefit of electric cars is a reduction in the dependence on foreign oil.
There are several countries, including the United States, which don't want to rely on oil coming from other countries to power their transportation systems. They want the power to come from within their country, and since electric cars can run on electricity from coal or nuclear power stations, there is less of a need to import oil.
Despite the benefits of electric cars, there are some problems with them as well. One disadvantage is that electric cars are more expensive than petrol cars. This is mostly due to the high cost of the batteries these cars need. Electric cars run on batteries, just like a mobile phone does. But unlike a mobile phone, you cannot charge your electric car's battery by plugging it into a wall. They need to be charged in special places. Now, there is a lack of places where people can charge the batteries. Another problem is that electric cars cannot travel as far as petrol cars. Some people are afraid that the battery will run out of electricity (and the car will stop) before they reach their destination.
Despite these problems, many people, including automobile industry experts, believe that the percentage of electric cars will increase in the future.
【小题1】What's the main idea of Paragraph 3?| A．Electric cars make some countries independent. |
| B．Electric cars cause no pollution to the environment. |
| C．Electric cars have some advantages over petrol cars. |
| D．Electric cars need electricity from solar or wind energy. |
| A．Electric cars need special motors to get power. |
| B．Petrol cars are cheaper than electric cars. |
| C．Petrol cars can travel farther than electric cars. |
| D．Electric cars need special places to get charged. |
| A．electric cars will take the place of petrol cars |
| B．no one holds hope for electric cars at present |
| C．electric cars waste more energy than before |
| D．more and more people will use electric cars |
| A．argue and prove | B．inform and explain |
| C．attract and discuss | D．advertise and conclude |
In recent times, with the coming of electric cars, the idea to fuel them with solar energy gained momentum (势头). Electric cars — even though they run on electricity and don’t use fossil fuels — are still NOT GREEN! People suffer from the misconception that not using fossil fuels means “green” which is kind of absurd, considering the electricity we use is produced by burning the very same fuels!
However, what if your car had solar panels that could charge it? Now that would indeed be a green machine! Though we would like to incorporate (使并入) this energy source into our car, the efficiency of the currently used solar panels is subject to the fulfillment of different criteria.
Firstly, solar panels take up a large amount of area. An average car has an area of 10-25 square feet on the roof, which can produce between 50-150W under ideal conditions. This is hardly enough power to make a light bulb function normally! Also, the moderate sunny temperature is ideal, as extremely high temperatures can reduce the efficiency of the solar panels. Cars must work in all weather conditions, so if a solar panel limits the car’s function, it will become practically useless. More importantly, the cost of the panels and development required to power the electronics using the sun’s energy outweighs the benefits that solar panels provide.
Most cars today that have solar roofs use solar energy to power only a few basic functions of the car. While there is still time before we will be able to drive cars fully powered by solar energy, there are some alternatives (可供选择的事物), such as solar power stations, which are being designed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity.
Solar-powered vehicles are surely the future, but not the near future. As the cost of solar panels continues to fall and their efficiency increases, things will begin to look much “brighter” for this alternative and sustainable option!
【小题1】Why aren’t electric cars environmentally friendly?| A．They are not powered by solar energy. | B．They cause more pollution to the world. |
| C．They won’t work as well as the common cars. | D．They run on electricity produced by burning fuels. |
| A．Powering the electronics costs little. |
| B．Temperatures have little effect on solar panels. |
| C．A car’s roof generates enough power to light a bulb. |
| D．The performance of current solar panels depends on various factors. |
| A．They have already been in use. |
| B．They will be available in the near future. |
| C．They will be powered from solar-power stations soon. |
| D．They can use solar energy to power all functions of the car at present. |
| A．What do solar cars look like? | B．How do solar cars work? |
| C．Could solar cars replace the electric cars? | D．Why don’t we power the car with solar energy? |
China Train Guide
Quick Guide on China Train Travel
If you’re looking for an affordable and comfortable way to get around China, train travel is the way to go. Getting train information and cheap train tickets has never been easier. Online train ticket booking makes it easy for travelers to look through China’s train timetable, compare train fares, and look for ticket availability. Once you’ ve found a suitable train, you can book online and pick your tickets up at the train station or get them delivered to your home or hotel. Train tickets can be booked online a minimum of 35 minutes and a maximum of 60 days before departure.
How to choose train types
When you’re buying China train tickets online, you’ll notice that the journey duration (期) differs depending on which type of train you choose. China train types can be recognized by their letter codes G, D and C trains are high-speed trains, while Z, T and K are slower or overnight trains. China’s high-speed trains run between Chinese provincial capitals and first-tier Chinese cities. G trains (high-speed trains, standing for gāotiě) are China’ s bullet trains — the fastest trains with a maximum speed of 400 km/ h. Tickets for these trains are the most expensive.
How to buy train tickets
Unless you can read Chinese, there are only two ways to make train reservations in China:
— Online train ticket booking with a travel agency (up to 60 days before departure).
— At the train station / local ticket agency with your passport (up to 58 days before departure).
How to read train tickets
When reading your train ticket, please take note of the Chinese characters and Pinyin printed next to your departure / arrival city. Directions (North, South, East, and West) appear in Pinyin (Bei, Nan, Dong, and Xi), not English. Please make sure you are going to the correct train station.
【小题1】If Mr. Smith needs to travel from Jinan to Beijing for something urgent, he’d better take ________..| A．G trains | B．Z trains |
| C．D trains | D．Overnight trains |
| A．Native tourists. | B．Travel agencies. |
| C．Businessmen. | D．Foreign travelers. |
| A．It’s difficult to get train information in China. |
| B．You can get on the train without tickets after booking online. |
| C．Traveling by train in China is not very expensive. |
| D．Train tickets online are available at any time within 60 days before you leave. |
The world’s first hydrogen-powered trains have been unveiled in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany’s northern Lower Saxony state. The new train will run 100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.
A French railroad company called Alstom rolled out the two trains. Teams in Germany and France worked in collaboration on the project which was approved by the German government. The new train model, called the Coradia ilint, signifies the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to seek an alternative to pollution-producing diesel (柴油) trains, the number of which in circulation is still high.
The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise. It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The train is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, its only emission being steam and condensed water.
A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.
Hydrogen-fueled trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company confirms another 14 Coradia iLint trains will make their first appearance in Lower Saxony by 2023.
The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwabl, paid replacing diesel trains with hydrogen a compliment. She said the move was a significant milestone in the field of clean transportation.
Hydrogen it uses as fuel is the by-product of an industrial process. In future, Alstom intends to produce hydrogen from wind energy. The area’s many wind turbines (涡轮机) will also produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen.
Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in embracing a new journey of clean-burning technologies. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2024.
【小题1】Why did Germany build the new trains?| A．To substitute for diesel trains. | B．To transport more passengers. |
| C．To make traveling much easier. | D．To strengthen friendship with France. |
| A．It runs without making any noise. | B．It doesn’t use electrical power. |
| C．It is less costly to run. | D．It is cheaper to manufacture. |
| A．are in wide circulation | B．can contribute to green mobility |
| C．can wipe out air pollution | D．can discharge water and oxygen |
| A．A Pioneer in Natural Resource Conservation | B．Efforts to Reduce Emissions |
| C．The First-ever Hydrogen Trains | D．A New Way to Make Electricity |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
