单选题 .  Imagine you enter a car with no steering wheel, no brake or accelerator pedals (踏板). Under a voice-activated command, you say an address. "The fastest route will take us 15.3 minutes. Should I take it?" You say "yes" and you are on your way. The car responds and starts moving all by itself. All you have to do is sit back and relax.
    How weird would it be if, one day in the future, everyone had such a car? No crazy driving, no insults, no cutting in, traffic laws would be respected and driving much safer. On the other hand, imagine the cost savings for local police enforcement and town budgets without all those speeding and parking tickets.
    A new technology has the potential to change modern society in radical ways. There's no question that self-driving vehicles could be an enormous benefit. The potential for safer cars means accident statistics would drop: some 94% of road accidents in the U.S. involve human error. Older drivers and visually- or physically-impaired people would gain a new level of freedom Maintaining safe speeds and being electric, self-driving cars would drastically reduce pollution levels and dependency on non-renewable fuels. Roads would be quieter, people safer.
    But we must also consider the impact of the new technology on those who now depend on driving for their livelihoods. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in May 2015 there were 505,560 registered school bus drivers. The American Trucking Associations lists approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the U.S.
    The companies developing self-driving vehicles should be partnering with state and federal authorities to offer retraining for this massive workforce, many of whom will be displaced by the new technology. This is similar to what's happening in the coal and oil industries, a situation that fuels much of the current political discontent in this country.
    New technologies will, and should, be developed. This is how society moves forward. However, progress can't be one-sided. It is necessary for the companies and state agencies involved to consider the ethical consequences of these potential changes to build a better future for all.1.  What would be the impact of the extensive use of driverless cars? ______
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】 想象一下，你进入了一辆没有方向盘、没有刹车或油门踏板的车。在语音激活的命令下，你说出一个地址。“最快的路线将需要15.3分钟。我应该选择这条路线吗?”你说：“是的”，然后就上路了。汽车作出响应并开启自动驾驶模式。你所要做的就是坐在车后面好好休息。
   如果将来有一天，每个人都拥有一辆这样的车，那会有多奇妙?没有人疯狂飙车，没有辱骂，没有插队，交通法规得到遵守，驾驶更加安全。另一方面，想象一下，如果没有那些超速现象和停车罚单上当地警察执法和城镇预算可以节省多少开支。
   一项新技术有可能彻底改变现代社会。毫无疑问，自动驾驶汽车可以带来巨大的利好。更安全的汽车意味着交通事故统计数据将减少：美国约94%的道路交通事故都与人为错误有关。年长的司机以及视力或身体受损的人将获得新的自由。通过保持安全的速度和使用电能，自动驾驶汽车将大大降低污染程度，减少对不可再生燃料的依赖。道路会更加安静，人们更加安全。
   但我们还必须考虑新技术对那些依赖驾驶谋生的群体的影响。美国劳工部称，2015年5月，共有505560名注册校车司机。美国卡车运输协会列出了美国约有350万名专职卡车司机。
   开发自动驾驶汽车的公司应该与州和联邦政府携手合作，为这个庞大的劳动力群体提供再培训，这个群体中的许多人将会被这项新技术所取代。这种情况跟煤炭和石油行业正在发生的情况类似，都大大助长了对本国当前政策的不满情绪。
   新技术将会并且应该被开发。这是社会向前发展的方式。但是，进步不能是片面的。相关企业和国家机关必须考虑这些潜在变化的道德后果，从而为所有人创建一个更美好的未来。
   根据题干中的the extensive use of driverless cars定位至第2段。
   本题询问广泛使用无人驾驶汽车带来的影响。第2段最后一句提到，想象一下，如果没有那些超速现象和停车罚单，当地警察执法和城镇预算可以节省多少开支。B“这会给当地政府节省大量资金”与此处表述相符，故为答案。
   根据第2段第1句“如果将来每个人都拥有一辆这样的车(即上一段提到的自动驾驶汽车)”可知，文章假设的是汽车无人驾驶的情形，下文No crazy driving, no insults...是无人驾驶汽车带来的效果，不是人驾驶出来的效果，故排除A“人们以更文明的方式驾驶”。第2段最后一句提到没有超速现象和停车罚单，当地警察执法可以节省很多开支，据此推断，巡逻的警察应是减少了，C“更多警察会在街道上巡逻”为反向干扰，也排除。第2段第2句提到，交通法规会得到遵守(traffic laws would be respected)，由此可见，交通规则并没有被淘汰，故D“交通法规会成为历史”也不正确。