China_is_going_green. In order to reduce air pollution and oilshortages, automobile manufacturers
have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles (混合燃料汽车) for the Chinese market.
Toyota's hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week. Let's have a look at the new car.
Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a
rechargeable battery and gasoline. Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional
gasoline engines. They run at 99 percent of their power when the car is cruising (匀速行驶). A specially
designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when extra acceleration is needed.
Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine. The first thing you notice is how much quieter it is than a
traditional car. At this point, the car's gasoline engine is dormant (休眠). The electric motor will provide
power until the car reaches about 24 km/h. If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an
electric car, with no gasoline being used, and no waste gas gives off.
The onboard(车载的) computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine, when to go
electric, and when to use a combination of the two. If you go over 24 km/h, when you step on the gas
pedal (油门), you are actually telling the computer how fast you want to go.
The electronic motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries. When driving at high speed, the
gasoline engine not only powers the car, but also charges the batteries. Any time you use the brake, the
electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator and produce electricity to recharge the batteries.
As a consequence, the car's batteries will last for around 200,000 miles.
1. The author writes this passage mainly to________.
A. teach people how to drive a hybrid car
B. introduce a new kind of “green” car
C. show how to save their gasoline when driving a car
D. announce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for China
2. The first sentence probably refers to ________.
A. there will be more and more green land in China
B. China is still young and lacking experience
C. China's new cars are combinations of different green models
D. China has started producing environmentally friendly cars
3. Which of the followings is NOT true?
A. The hybrid cars reduce air pollution and oilshortages.
B. The car's gasoline engine doesn't work until it reaches about 24 km/h.
C. This kind of car is completely controlled by an onboard computer.
D. A specially designed battery motor provides extra power when needed.
4. What is the most important feature of hybrid cars?
A. They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gasoline.
B. They are much quieter than traditional cars.
C. They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hills.
D. They have smaller engines than traditional gasoline ones.
5. What can we conclude from the story?
A. The batteries can be recharged at any time you want.
B. Using the brake suggests that the gasoline engine should work.
C. The batteries will last for 200, 000 miles without being recharged.
D. The gasoline engine charges the batteries as well as powers the car.