Networked Automobile I’m driving through eastern France, the blip-blip of the lane markers running backward through my peripheral (边缘的) vision at about 90mph. I check the mirrors: nothing there. Pretending to doze off; I let the car drift gently to the left. Just as it begins to change its direction towards the dotted line, the left side of my seat vibrates, activated by an infrared (红外线的) sensor looking at the road paint. I can assure you that the buzzing seat would have jolted (摇晃) me back to the job at hand. The car I’m driving is a prototype from the French automaker Peugeot Citroen, but a showroom-ready copy isn’t many months away. Flash back five months: I’m at a test track at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, in a Lexus fitted with a pre-crash safety system. I drive down the track at about 40mph toward a rubber post. Instinct and education make it hard to keep my foot off the brake, but a group of earnest engineers insist that I aim their $70,000 sedan straight for the post. At the last fraction of a second, when the car’s radar sensors and microprocessors have determined that the idiot at the wheel really isn’t going to steer around the obstacle, the safety system shoots into action. Seatbelt pretensioners cinch up (系紧), and the front and rear suspension dampers stiffen. As soon as I touch the brake pedal — better late than never — the car’s brake-assist tugs them on at max effort. It isn’t enough to avoid the crash, but the impact speed is about half what it would have been without the new system. The next generation of environment-sensing cars will use more than just radar and infrared sensors to watch for signs of trouble. Video cameras will look for stoplights that have turned red and for children who are running toward the road. Distance-sensing lasers will check for vehicles in the driver’s blind spot and the passing lane. These sensors won’t do anything that a vigilant (警惕的) driver can’t already do, but what if they could What if your car could sense road conditions and traffic problems that are out of your sight That’s coming too. The next giant leap in sensing will be radio-networking that enables cars to exchange information. "Communication (between cars) will be like an additional sensor," says Ralf Herrtwich, director of vehicle IT research at DaimlerChrysler Car-to-car communication will ensure that your automobiles ahead. And this extra "sensor" will have almost unlimited range, because information can be instantaneously relayed from one vehicle to the next, to the next, and so on. No one doubts the extent of information-gathering and communication features that will be built into the networked cars of the future. Some of these features will merely assist the driver by, for example, pointing out a patch of black ice around the next bend. But what about the driver who fails to act on the warning Should his car be empowered to "take the wheel" Some automotive experts foresee a day when our cars will be so well- informed that we’ll be better off leaving some of the driving to them. Time for another demonstration. It’s Berlin, and I’m in a Smart car, DaimlerChrysler’s tiny two-seater that has become a familiar in Europe’s cramped city streets. But this Smart is different: it’s smart. On the dashboard, a flashing display warns me of an accident two streets away, and the navigation system suggests a detour (绕道). My car, outfitted with a GPS position finder and an off-the-shelf wireless local area network (WLAN) communication system, was informed by another car carrying the same gear. If knowledge is power, then the intellectual-horsepower rating of tomorrow’s vehicles is going to be high. Say just one car’s stability-control system is activated at an unusually slow speed on a highway off-ramp (驶出坡道). It will send out a slippery-road warning. All WLAN-equipped cars in the vicinity then get the message, but they will warn their drivers only if they are headed for the same off-ramp. The system will also provide traffic information on a need-to-know basis. Imagine there is a truck unloading in the next street on your route. It would never make the radio reports, but you could be trapped fuming for 10 minutes. WLAN — "traffic radar", as Herrtwich puts it — will let you know and reroute you. What is really new here is the way traffic will behave almost biologically, like a swarm of bees, a self-educating network. This is a killer apparatus, because it doesn’t require expensive infrastructure. No traffic- control center or information exchange. No need for roadside beacons (指向标) that the authorities would have to install. Instead cars will seamlessly (无线地) set up special networks, passing information from car to car. Virtually all of the necessary hardware is already on the shelf at companies such as Bosch, Delphi and Samsung. What is needed now is the software to tie everything together: sensors, wireless radio networks and GPS navigation systems. Together these technologies create a system that provides immediate warnings of delays, accidents, temporary speed restrictions and road conditions — the everyday hazards that lie in wait just around the comer. And because the system knows exactly where each driver is, it won’t drown drivers in a running commentary about what is happening on the other side of town (unless the other side of town is the destination they have programmed into their navigations systems). Of course, the system will not work well if there aren’t enough vehicles outfitted with the gear. The question is how to reach critical mass. Fortunately, WLAN networks are good for more than just traffic radar; they are also useful for downloading entertainment. "Ten years from now, we are talking about a radically changed way of listening to music, watching TV and videos," Herrtwich says. Once WLAN is adopted for in-car entertainment, the technology could also be used for road-safety and traffic-networking functions. But don’t hold your breath. Technical standards are still a few years away — Herrtwich predicts 2008. If the first networked cars roll out in 2010, such features will not be standard for at least another decade. WLAN or "traffic radar" is cheap because ______.
A. electronic equipments develop fast
B. expensive infrastructure is not required
C. it largely reduces cars in traffic
D. it doesn’t need special networks
Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage. The word science is heard so often in modern times that almost everybody has some notion of its meaning. On the other hand, its definition is difficult for many people. The meaning of the term is confused, but everyone should understand its meaning and objectives. Just to make the explanation as simple as possible, suppose science is defined as classified knowledge (facts). Even in the true sciences distinguishing fact from fiction is not always easy. For this reason great care should be taken to distinguish between beliefs and truths. There is no danger as long as a clear difference is made between temporary and proved explanations. For example, hypotheses and theories are attempts to explain natural phenomena. From these positions the scientist continues to experiment and observe until they are proved or discredited (使不相信). The exact status of any explanation should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The objectives of science are primarily the discovery and the subsequent understanding of the unknown. Man cannot be satisfied with recognizing that secrets exist in nature or that questions are unanswerable; he must solve them. Toward that end specialists in the field of biology and related fields of interest are directing much of their time and energy. Actually, two basic approaches lead to the discovery of new information. One, aimed at satisfying curiosity, is referred to as pure science. The other is aimed at using knowledge for specific purposes, for instance, improving health, raising standards of living, or creating new consumer products. In this case knowledge is put to economic use. Such an approach is referred to as applied science. Sometimes practical-minded people miss the point of pure science in thinking only of its immediate application for economic rewards. Chemists responsible for many of the discoveries could hardly have anticipated that their findings would one day result in applications of such a practical nature as those directly related to life and death. The discovery of one bit of information opens the door to the discovery of another. Some discoveries seem so simple that one is amazed they were not made years ago; however, one should remember that the construction of the microscope had to precede the discovery of the cell. The host of scientists dedicating their lives to pure science is not apologetic about ignoring the practical side of their discoveries; they know from experience that most knowledge is eventually applied. Which of the following statements does the author imply
A. In science, it is not difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
B. Today few people have any notions of the meaning of science.
C. Practical-minded people can understand the meaning and objectives of pure science.
D. Scientists engaged in theoretical research should not be blamed for ignoring the practical side of their discoveries.
Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage. The word science is heard so often in modern times that almost everybody has some notion of its meaning. On the other hand, its definition is difficult for many people. The meaning of the term is confused, but everyone should understand its meaning and objectives. Just to make the explanation as simple as possible, suppose science is defined as classified knowledge (facts). Even in the true sciences distinguishing fact from fiction is not always easy. For this reason great care should be taken to distinguish between beliefs and truths. There is no danger as long as a clear difference is made between temporary and proved explanations. For example, hypotheses and theories are attempts to explain natural phenomena. From these positions the scientist continues to experiment and observe until they are proved or discredited (使不相信). The exact status of any explanation should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The objectives of science are primarily the discovery and the subsequent understanding of the unknown. Man cannot be satisfied with recognizing that secrets exist in nature or that questions are unanswerable; he must solve them. Toward that end specialists in the field of biology and related fields of interest are directing much of their time and energy. Actually, two basic approaches lead to the discovery of new information. One, aimed at satisfying curiosity, is referred to as pure science. The other is aimed at using knowledge for specific purposes, for instance, improving health, raising standards of living, or creating new consumer products. In this case knowledge is put to economic use. Such an approach is referred to as applied science. Sometimes practical-minded people miss the point of pure science in thinking only of its immediate application for economic rewards. Chemists responsible for many of the discoveries could hardly have anticipated that their findings would one day result in applications of such a practical nature as those directly related to life and death. The discovery of one bit of information opens the door to the discovery of another. Some discoveries seem so simple that one is amazed they were not made years ago; however, one should remember that the construction of the microscope had to precede the discovery of the cell. The host of scientists dedicating their lives to pure science is not apologetic about ignoring the practical side of their discoveries; they know from experience that most knowledge is eventually applied. Pure science, leading to the construction of a microscope ______.
A. is not always as pure as we suppose
B. may lead to anti-scientific "impure" results
C. necessarily results from applied science and the discovery of a cell
D. necessarily precedes applied science, leading to the discovery of the cell
Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage. According to the Encyclopedia of Stress, "stress" is one of the most frequently used but ill-defined words in the English language. We say we’re stressed when we’re late for work and when we can’t pay our bills. We laugh about the stress of the holidays and cry over the stress of a divorce. Even an ostensibly (表面上) happy occasion — such as the birth of a child — can be stressful. The encyclopedia defines stress as a "real or interpreted threat to the physiological and psychological integrity of an individual that results in physiological and/or behavioral responses". In other words, stress is any change in your world that evokes some reaction from you. If you’re a neatness nut, having 10 people staying in your house for a long weekend could be incredibly stressful; but if you don’t mind chaos and clutter, then let the fun begin. If you thrive on to-do lists and deadlines, a week with absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go could make you crazy; another person might feel positively reborn. "People talk about stress as though it’s a bad thing," says stress researcher Catherine M-Stoney, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Ohio State University, "but stress exists inside us. It’s really the interaction between what’s in our environment and how we cope and deal with it." Stress is often linked to a short-lived event, such as an argument. But it can be prolonged as well in fact, the persistent yet subtle pressures of modern-day living are an ever-increasing — yet harder to diagnose — cause of stress. Doctors identify three main classes of stress: Acute stress. This is the most common form, stemming from the demands and pressures of the recent past and the anticipated demands and pressures of the near future, such as a fast-approaching deadline. Episodic acute stress. People in this category move from one episode of acute stress to another. Typically they live lives filled with chaos and crisis. They take on too much, they’re always running late, and their homes are filled with clutter. They never seem to slow down, are quick to anger and, not coincidentally, have higher rates of heart disease. Chronic stress. This is the subtler, prolonged stress — often linked to large life issues — that wears you down every day. It exists in the background of your daily routine. You become so used to it, you don’t even know it’s there anymore. If you take on too much but never slow down, you are likely to have______.