It looks rather like a futuristic stretch limousine, but its actual function is rather more populist: the Superbus is a novel public-transport system being developed in the Netherlands by the Delft University of Technology. It is an electric bus designed to be able to switch seamlessly between ordinary roads and dedicated "supertracks", on which it can reach speeds of 250kph (155mph). It could thus present an alternative to much more expensive magnetic-levitation trains. Though it is as wide and long as a standard city bus, the Superbus is only 1. 7 metres high. Joris Melkert, the project"s manager, explains that the designers managed to keep the Superbus this small by doing away with the central aisle usually found in today"s buses, a vestigial design feature that allows passengers to stand upright, but also gives conventional buses the aerodynamic profile of a brick. The low-riding Superbus, in contrast, has a separate door for each of its 30-odd seats. The low ceiling and the use of lightweight materials make for a far more streamlined vehicle, which in turn requires only a modest electric motor: though engineers have not yet decided whether the Superbus will be powered by fuel cells or batteries, they estimate that it will be able to accelerate from rest to 100kph in a leisurely 36 seconds. The individual doors also allow for rapid loading and unloading of passengers, which will need to be fast if the Superbus is to live up to its promised door-to-door mission: instead of making predetermined stops, the vehicle will pick up and drop off passengers based on their text-messaged requests. This kind of flexibility is a central tenet of the project; the estimated three-year lifespan of a Superbus will also allow the latest technologies to be phased in quickly as they become available. To start with, that might include satellite-based tracking to keep the Superbus on course, sensors to scan the road for obstacles up to 300 metres ahead and a smart suspension system that remembers the rough spots in the road. Some detractors have suggested that making so many stops would erode the Superbus"s speed advantage, and others question whether a new cog in the Netherlands" already-intricate transport infrastructure is even needed. Furthermore, the Superbus does not yet exist, whereas maglev trains are already operating successfully in Shanghai. The future of the project is uncertain. Its intended route, a new transport link connecting Amsterdam with the northern city of Groningen, was recently scrapped by the Dutch government. In spite of the setback, the project has since received an extra 7m in government funding, plus lm from Connexxion, a local bus company. With its combination of low emissions, high speed and snazzy design, this might prove to be a bus that is worth waiting for.
单选题
Which of the following is true of the Superbus?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析:事实细节题。首段提到超级巴士的速度,第二句的定语从句中引导词which指的是supertracks,故[A]错误;由文章第二段首句中的only 1.7 metres high可知[B]正确,[C]错误;[D]与第二段第二句中的by doing away with the central aisle相反。故[D]错误。
【答案解析】解析:推理判断题。第五段提到satellite-based tracking,sensors和a smart suspension system,其目的就是为了介绍超级巴士利用了什么技术,由此推断答案为[A]“超级巴士拥有健全可行的技术基础”。[B]是该段描述的具体事实,无需推断,故排除[B];[C]中的more than 300 metres与原文中的up to 300 metres不一致,容易排除;[D]中的every spot与原文中的the rough spots相矛盾,也容易排除。需要注意的是,即使表述正确,如果只是文章内容的直接陈述,也不入选。
单选题
According to the last but one paragraph, some critics believe the Superbus
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析:事实细节题。第六段提到批评者对超级巴士的看法。其中others question whether a new cog in…transport infrastructure is even needed表达了批评者对超级巴士必要性的怀疑,他们担心超级巴士可能会给荷兰的基础交通造成麻烦,故答案为[B]。[A]是对首句第一个分句的误解,[C]是对该段第二句的误解,均可排除;[D]文章没有提及。
单选题
The word "scrapped" (Line 2, Para. 7) most probably means
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析:语义理解题。本题考查单词scrapped的含义,答案可以从下句获得。In spite of the set—back提示上句中scrapped表示否定含义,[A]、[B]与[D]均表示肯定,故答案为[C]“拒绝;驳回”。