611基础英语真题

科目代码：611

四川外国语大学

2015年攻读硕士学位研究生入学考试试题科目名称：基础英语

答题要求：所有答案必须写在答题纸上，否则不给分。全卷150分，3小时完成。

Fillintheblanksinthesentenceswiththeappropriatewordsderivedfromthewordsgivenintheparenthesesattheendofthesentences,andwritetheanswersontheAnswerSheet.(15points)

TheInternationalMonetaryFundwasestablishedin totheirresponsiblemonetarypracticesthatcontributedtotheGreatDepression.(react)

Somescholarshavecalledforanin-depth ofthesocialconstructionanduseoftheconceptitself.(investigate)

Allculturaltranslationnecessitatessome andsimplification.(interpret)

Itisimportanttonotethe betweenmethodandmethodology.Methodreferstotherangeoftechniquesthatareavailabletoustocollectevidenceaboutthesocialworld.Methodology,however,concernstheresearchstrategyasawhole.(distinct)

Modernstateboundariesarelargelya ofcolonialhistoriesandrivalries.(reflect)

Wealthand inthisviewaretwosidesofthesamecoin.(poor)

Theprocessofspatialthinkinginvolvesacontinuumfromspatial ,throughspatialperceptionandspatialreasoning,andfinallytospatialjudgment. (aware)

Prescriptivetheoryrecommendsthe ofparticularpoliciestorealizeobjectives.(adopt)

Anhoursittingwithaprettygirlonaparkbenchpasseslikeaminute,butaminutesittingonahotstoveseemslikeanhour.Thatis . (relative)

Greatspiritshavealwaysencounteredviolent frommediocreminds. (oppose)

Limitationsofcomputationhavebeenstudiedthoroughlyfrombothpracticalandpointsofview.(theory)

A illnessconfinedhimtobedforoveramonth. (mystery)

Thepracticalapplicationofurbanecologyistiedcloselytoideasassociatedwithdevelopmentofcities. (sustain)

Afrequentmisconceptionaboutglobalizationholdsthatitalwaysis . (benefit)

ContemporaryBulgarianshaveachievedexcellenceinmanyartforms,andsomeoftheirartists,suchasoperasingers,havegainedworldwide . (recognize)

Thereare15incompletesentencesinthispart.ForeachsentencetherefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.ChoosetheONEthatbestcompletesthesentence.ThenwritetheanswersontheAnswerSheet.(15points)

InTheArtofRhetoricAristotle uprhetoricintothestagesinwhichargumentsareproduced,arranged,andexpressedindiscourse—namely,invention,composition,andstyle.

A.realized B.recognized C.wound D.divided

Therearetwobroadly viewsaboutthenatureofknowledge,orwhatwecallcompetingparadigms.

A.diverse B.decimal C.divergent D.deficit

Thethirdkeyadvantageforadoptingamulti-strategyapproachinyourresearchisthatitislikelytoassistyouingainingacomplete ofthematteryouareinvestigating.

A.overview B.overlook C.oversee D.oversize

Ifmattercouldbe entirelytoenergy,asinglepaperclipwouldprovidethesameenergyastheatomicbombthatdestroyedtheJapanesecityHiroshima.

A.contributed B.connected C.conveyed D.converted

The1960sand1970salso thecreationofmanynewstatesasformercoloniesintheCaribbean,Africa,andAsiaachievedtheirformalpoliticalindependencefromcolonialpowers.

A.altered B.shaped C.filed D.witnessed

Theworddemocracy fromtheGreekwordsmeaning“thepeople”and“torule.”

A.originatesB.infers C.judges D.inherits

Whenbirthratesdropbelowdeathrates,asocietyexperiences populationgrowth.

A.positive B.active C.negative D.vigorous

HeemigratedtotheUSA in1933andhenevervisitedGermanyagain.

A.forall B.forgood C.farfrom D.sofar

Ababybornatsevenmonthsisconsidered becauseithasnotdevelopedfully.

A.prematureB.normal C.prevalent D.odd

Explainingwhysomethinghappensinvolves a“cause”anda“result.”

A.peeling B.mediating C.initiating D.identifying

Clearideas,then,areideasthatfaithfullyreflecttheobjectiveorderfromwhichtheyderive.Unclearideas, ,arethosethatgiveusadistortedrepresentationoftheobjectiveworld.

A.converselyB.frankly C.conventionallyD.ridiculously

Asdeathratesdropped,thepopulationsofindustrializingcountriesincreaseddramatically.Thischangewasalsoaccompaniedbya fromtheextendedfamilytothenuclearfamily.

A.preferenceB.favor C.shift D.shaft

HeconsidersthatthetheoryofEvolutionisquite withthebeliefinaGod.

A.compulsoryB.prior C.compatibleD.superior

Insufficientsamplesizemayleadto conclusions.

A.sound B.valid C.rational D.erroneous

Inparticular,whenasolidobjectiscompletely inwater,thevolumeofthewaterdisplacedmustbeequaltothevolumeoftheobject.

A.immersedB.dived C.bathed D.soaked

CLOSE(20points)

Decidewhichofthechoicesgivenbelowwouldbestcompletethepassageifinsertedinthecorrespondingblanks.WritethebestchoiceforeachblankontheAnswerSheet.

InsomepartsoftheAmazonrainforestinBrazil,allthetreeshavebeencutdown.Theearthlies 1 anddryinthehotsun.Nothinggrowsthereanyhow.

Overvastareasofevery 2 ,therainforestandvegetationnecessaryforlifeare

3.Alreadymorethan50percentoftheearth’slandisdesertordesert-like.About128millionpeople,oneoutofseven,liveinthesedryregions.Inthepast,they4tosurvive,butwithdifficulty.Now,largelythroughproblemscausedbymodernlife,theirexistenceis

5bytheslow,steadyspreadoftheearth’sdesert.

Manycountriesfirstbecame6inthe1920safterterribledroughtandfamine

7Africa’sSahel,thefragiledesertalongthesouthedgeoftheSahara.Thousandsofpeopledied8therewasaworldwideefforttosendfoodandmedicinetothe9people.

Droughtsandcrop 10 arenotnewindesertregions.Theyhavebeena 11 oflifeforthousandsofyears.Fewpeoplelivedindesertregionsinthepast.Theykeptfewanimals,andtheymoved 12.Today’sproblemsarecaused 13greatpartbydistinctlymodernfactors.IntheSahel,forexample,Africans 14 fromimprovementsinpublichealthandmodernfarmingmethods.Newwaterwells 15 peopletosettledownonthelandnearthewells.Thepopulationgrew.Farmersplantedmorecropsandenlargedtheir 16ofcattle,sheep,andgoats.Theybecame 17 onthenewwells.Whenthe 18 came,thecropsfailedandthecattleateallthegrassaroundtheoverworked 19 Thefragilelandquicklylostitstopsoilandthen,became 20 butsandanddust.

1.A.smooth

B.bare

C.vacant

D.empty

2.A.continent

B.crust

C.territory

D.peninsula

3.A.dying

B.extending

C.disappearing

D.stretching

4.A.managed

B.resolved

C.afforded

D.yearned

5.A.inspired

B.threatened

C.risked

D.hailed

6.A.confirmed

B.concerned

C.conformed

D.confessed

7.A.destroyed

B.elevated

C.spoiled

D.intensified

8.A.nevertheless

B.sothat

C.incase

D.eventhough

9.A.undermining

B.declining

C.requiring

D.starving

10.A.defeats

B.yields

C.failures

D.frustrations

11.A.crisis

B.necessity

C.fact

D.threat

12.A.abnormally

B.frequently

C.concretely

D.linearly

13.A.in

B.for

C.on

D.from

14.A.stemmed

B.derived

C.skipped

D.benefited

15.A.tied

B.made

C.encouraged

D.limited

16.A.swarms

B.packs

C.schools

D.herds

17.A.attached

B.dependent

C.relied

D.reliable

18.A.drought

B.danger

C.famine

D.problem

19.A.crops

B.wells

C.rivers

D.farms

20.A.anything

B.everything

C.nothing

D.something

OULINE(10points)

Readthefollowingpassage,andthenfillintheblanksinthefollow-upoutlineforthepassage.WritetheoutlineontheAnswerSheet.MakesurethateachcomponentoftheoutlineiscompletedinaFULLsentence,thatyoursentencesareasSUMMARYaspossible,andthattheoriginalsequenceanddirectingwordsoftheoutlineareNOTCHANGED.

PeoplearemistakenwhobelievethehighRockiesarehardtoclimb.TothetravelerwhohaspassedthroughtheplainsofKansasandeasternColorado,thehighRockiesmightseemlikeabeautifulbutforbiddingwilderness,approachablebyonlythetoughestmountaineers.Itistruethatthe53peaksintheRockiesthatsoarover14,000feetinelevationshouldonlybeattemptedbyseasonedclimbers.However,thepeaksunder14,000feet,thefourteeners,canbeeasilyclimbedbytheaverageperson.Actually,climbingColorado’sfourteenersishardlyaruggedexperiencebecausemostofthemtakeonlyadaytoclimb,involvenomorethanhikingandsimplescrambling,andareconqueredbymanypeopleeachyear.

Surprisingly,unlikeexpeditionstoMt.McKinleyorMt.Everest,aclimbuponeofColorado’s14,000footpeaksrarelytakesmorethanaday.Pike’sPeak,withthestate’sgreatestbase-to-summitelevationgain,isadmittedlyastrenuousclimb,yetaretiredcollegeprofessorinhismiddleseventiesmakesthehikeeverydayinthesummer.Afriendofmine,CarsonBlack,inaday,onceclimbedfourfourteeners,threeofwhich—CrestonePeak,CrestoneNeedle,andKitCarsonPeak—arethemostchallenginginthestate.EvenmorerevealingistheBicentennialcelebrationbytheColoradoMountainClub.ItplannedtohavemembersonthesummitofeveryfourteenerinthestateonJuly4,1976.Onlyahandfulofascentstookmorethanaday.

Colorado’s14,000-footpeaksarealsofairlyeasytoclimbbecausetheyrequirenospecialclimbingtechniques.The“knife-edgetraverse”onCapitolPeakisprobablythemostinfamouschallenge,yetmosthikerswhocarryropesdon’tusethemwhentheyseetheridgeisnotveryintimidating.Thehighestpeakinthestate,Mt.Elbert,issosimpletoclimbthatajeepmadeitin1949,andoneman“rodea24-year-oldbicycletothesummitin1951”(PerryEberhartandPhilipSchmuck,TheFourteeners,p.38).Ipersonallysawtwomotorcyclesonthe14,000-footridgebetweenMt.DemocratandMt.Lincoln.

AnotherindicationthatclimbingColorado’shighestpeaksisnotverydifficultisthesheernumberofpeoplewhosucceedeachsummer.AfterdescendingfromTorrey’sPeakoneweekendinAugust,Icountedoverseventycarsintheparkinglot.OnaweekthepreviousAugust,IpassedfiftypeopleinvariousstagesofclimbingMt.Elbert.Evenyearsago—in

1968—4226peopleclimbedLongsPeak(PaulW.Nesbit,LongsPeak,p.68).Itsparkinglottoday,toaccommodatethenumberofclimbers,isaboutaquarter-milelong.

IfI’veshatteredyourbeliefthatColorado’speaksarethedomainofonlybearsandmountainmenwholooklikebears,considerhowZebulonPikemightfeelaboutPikesPeaktoday.In1806,he“predictedthatthemountainwouldneverbeclimbed”(EberhartandSchmuck,p.6).Now,viathecograilwayorthetollhighway,hecouldreachthesummitwithoutmovinghislegs.

IntroductionThesisStatement:

Body

BodyParagraph1:

BodyParagraph2:

BodyParagraph3:

Conclusion:

READINGCOMPREHENSION(90points)READINGPASSAGE1

Questions1-11arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Eachyear,businessexecutivesaroundtheworldstruggletofindoriginalandcatchynamesfortheircompaniesandtheircompanies’products.Accordingtobusinessexperts,thesedecisionsareamongthemostimportantdecisionsthatfirmsevermake.Anameisthefirstpointofcontactthatacompanyhaswiththeworld,anditcanbeaneffectivemarketingtool.Andrespectednameshavevalue.Whenacompanyissold,thereisoftenafeefortransferringthecompanynametothenewowners.TherightstothenamesIndianMotorcyclesandPanAmAirlinesweresoldyearsafterthosecompanieswentbankrupt.Namesaresoimportantthatsomecompanieshirespecialnamingfirmsthatdevelopalistofnames,testthematfocusgroups,screenthemtobesuretheyareavailable,andthentrademarkthefinalselections.Howdofirmsdecideonnames?Hereareafewofthewayscompaniesplaythenamegame:

Somecompanieschoosestraightforwardnames.Thesemayincludethenameornamesofthefounders(Proctor&Gamble,HewlettPackard),theplacewheretheyfirstdidbusiness(MinnesotaMiningandManufacturing,MutualofNewYork),ortheirprimaryproducts(GeneralElectric,GeneralMotors).Tomakeastraightforwardnamememorable,though,isachallenge.

Somecompaniesaremainlyidentifiedbyinitials.InternationalBusinessMachinesisalmostuniversallycalledIBM,AmericanTelephoneandTelegraphhasbecomeAT&TandKentuckyFriedChickenhasconsciouslychosentobeknownasKFC.Insomecases,though,itisnotexactlyclearwhattheinitialsstandfor:ThecomputercompanyNBI’sinitialsstandfor“NothingButInitials.”OrtakethecaseofIKEA,theSwedishdesignfirm:TheinitialsIKcomefromthenameofthefounder,IngvarKomrat.TheEcomesfromthenameofhisfamily

farm,Elmtaryd,andtheAcomesfromthenearbytownofAgunnaryd.Somefirmscreatenamesbyaprocesscalled“morphemeconstruction,”firstshorteningandthenfusingpartsofthecompany’sfullnames.Forexample,UnitedinformationSystemsisgenerallyreferredtoasUnisysandFederalExpressasFedEx.FedExsavedmoneywithitsnewnametoo:theshorternamecost$1,000lesstopaintoneachofthecompany’s10,000trucks.Somecompaniesuseunusualspellingsofcommonnames:CingularforSingular,CitibankforCityBank,andSunkistforSunKissed.

Somecompanieschoosenamesthatareinspiredbyothercompanynames.AccordingtothefounderoftheCarnationEvaporatedMilkCompany,thenameforhisproductwassuggested,strangelyenough,byabrandofcigarsknownasCarnations.SteveJobs,founderofAppleComputers,wasaBeatlesfan,andhenamedhiscompanyafterAppleRecords,thelabelfoundedbytheBeatles.This“borrowing”isperfectlylegalaslongasthetwocompaniesarenotinthesamelineofbusiness.(Reportedly,SteveJobshadtosignanagreementnottoproducerecords.)However,insomecases,companylawyershavesaidthatuseoftheirname,orevenpartoftheirname,resultsin“dilution”ofthestrengthofthatname,andtheyhavesuedothercompaniestopreventthis.Toys-B-Us,forexample,hastriedtoprotectthe“Fi-Us”portionoftheirnameevenwhenithasbeenappliedtocompletelydifferentproducts,suchascheeseorflowersorguns,andMcDonald’shastriedtopreventcompaniesfromusingthe“Mc”prefixthathasbeenusedformanyoftheirproducts.

Somefirmshavechosennamesthathavenothingtodowiththeirbusiness.Appleisnotinthefruitbusiness;itmakescomputers.BedPepperdoesnotsellspices;itsellssoftware.Domino’shasnothingtodowithgames;itmakespizza.Anumberofcompanieshavechosenoff-the-wallorplayfulnamesfortheirproducts.Therearethosenamingexpertswhowarnagainstthis,sayingthatconsumerswillnottaketheseseriously,andinthecaseofB,theymayhavebeenright:Thiswomen’sfashioncompanywentbankruptinnotime.However,M,Google,andYahoo!havesucceededdespite—ormaybebecauseof—theirunusualnames.

Somecorporationshaveturnedtootherlanguagesfornames.AcompanyorproductnamemaycomefromLatin(Aquafinabottledwater,Aviscarrentals,Volvoautomobiles)orGreek(Amphionmultimedia,Oreocookies),Spanish(ElPolloLocofastfoodrestaurants,Fuegotechnology),Danish(Haagen-Dazsicecream),orHawaiian(Akamaiinternettechnology).Othercompaniesborrowfrommythology:Nikeshoes,Ajaxcleanser,andMidasmufflersareallnamedafterfiguresinclassicalmyths.

Somenamesaretotallyinvented.Oneadvantageforacorporationinmakingupanameisthatthisnameisthentheunambiguouspropertyofthecompany,anditiseasytotrademark.Someofthesecoinednames,whilenotrealwords,aresuggestiveofactualwords.Forexample,Nyquil,abrandofcoughmedicinemeanttobetakenatnight,suggeststhewordsnightandtranquil.Aleve,apainmedicine,isreminiscentofthewordrelieve,andAcuraissimilartothewordaccurate.Othercoinednamesarecompletelymeaningless:Exxon,Kodak,Xerox,andSONYareexamplesofsuccessfulnamesofthistype.Notallcoinednamesarewellliked.The

famedentrepreneurDonaldTrumponcesaidthatthecorporatenameAllegissoundedlike“aworldclassdisease.”That’sbecausethenamesofsomanydiseases—arthritis,gingivitis,encephalitis—endin-is.

Choosinggoodnamesbecomesmoredifficultwhenafirmmarketsinternationally.Today,throughtheInternet,evensmallbusinessesoftendobusinessinseveralcountries.Sometimestheleapfromonelanguagetoanothercanbepositive;theChinesepictogramforthesoundsofthenameCoca-Colacontainsthewordsfor“delicious”and“leisure.”Moreoften,though,aproblemoccurs.TheclassicexampleofaninternationalnaminggaffeisthatoftheGeneralMotorscarcalledtheNova.Namedforanexplodingstar,theNovawasareliablecar,butitssaleswereneverbriskinSpanish-speakingcountries.ThiswassupposedlybecauseNovacouldbereadasnovainSpanish,meaning“Itdoesnotgo.”InGerman,thewordmistmeansdirtormanure,soCountryMistmakeupandthenasalsprayPrimateneMisthadtoberenamedfortheGermanmarket.AfoodcompanyliterallymadeabigmistakewhenitnamedaburritoBurrada.(Burradameans“bigmistake”inSpanish.)BranBuds,atypeofbreakfastcereal,soundslike“burntfarmers”inSwedish,andthewordDainty,thenameofatypeofsoap,soundslikethewordfor“aloof”inFinnishandlikethewordfor“stupid”inFarsi.FirmsandproductsfromEnglish-speakingcountriesarenottheonlyoneswithproblematicnames:BimbobreadfromSpain,ZitsoftdrinksfromGreece,CreapcoffeecreamerfromJapan,SwinechocolatesfromChina,andPocariSweatsportsdrinkfromJapanmaydowellintheirregionalmarkets,butwouldprobablynotbeverysuccessfulinEnglish-speakingcountries.ThenameoftheJapanesecomputermakerToshibasoundslike“tou-chu-ba”tospeakersofMandarinChinese.Thisphrasemeans“Let’sstealit.”

Thelessonsfromnamingmix-upsisthatglobalmarketersmustdotheirhomework.Theymustmakesurethatthenamestheychooseareeasytopronounceandthattheydonothaveanynegativelinguisticorculturalmeaningsinthetargetlanguage.Forlargeinternationalbusinesses—infact,foranycompanyofanysize—playingthenamegameisaseriousbusiness.

Accordingtothereading,whatroledofocusgroupsplayinnamingcompaniesandproducts?

Theyhelpnamingcompaniesdetermineifanameisacceptable.

Theythinkuporiginal,attractivenames.

Theymakesurethatanamehasnotalreadybeentrademarked.

Theyselectnamesfromalist.

WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutKentuckyFriedChicken?

Itmaychangeitsnameinthenearfuture.

Ithastriedtopreventitsnamefrombeingshortened.

Itpreferstobeknownbyinitialsratherthanbyitsfullname.

Itmaysoonmergewithanothercorporation.

WhatdotheinitialsEandArefertointhenameIKEA?

Nothing;theyaremeaninglessinitials.

Theyrefertothefounder’sfirstandlastnames.

TheyarethefirstlettersoftheSwedishwordsfordesignandfirm.

Theyrefertothefounder’sfarmandanearbytown.

Whichofthefollowingnamechangesisanexampleofmorphemeconstruction?

3MinplaceofMinnesotaMiningandManufacturing.

NabiscoinplaceofNationalBiscuitCompany.

WidgetWorksInternationalinplaceoftheU.S.WidgetCorporation.

NuFotoStudiosinplaceofNewPhotoStudios.

WhenFederalExpresschangeditsnametoFedEx,whichofthefollowingcouldbereduced?

Thecostofpaintingitstrucks.

Thenumberoftrucksthatitowned.

Thenumberofdriversthatitemployed.

Thesizeofthetrucksthatitused.

WhatdidSteveJobsreportedlyhavetoagreetowhenhenamedhiscompanyApple?

Nottoperforminamusicalgroup.

TopayafeetotheBeatlesfortheuseoftheirname.

Nottogointotherecordingbusiness.

Toproduceonlycomputers.

WhichofthesenamesforanewcompanywouldToys-R-Usprobablyobjectto?

Toys-R-Fun.

McToys,Inc..

Games-R-Us.

Chocolates-4-U.

WhatislearnedinthereadingaboutB?

Itnowmakesmen’sfashionsaswellaswomen’sfashions.

Itwasnotinbusinessforlong.

Todayithasamoreconventionalname.

Althoughnamingexpertsthoughtitwasapoorname,itturnedouttobesuccessful.

WhichofthesequestionscanNOTbeansweredbyreadingthesixthparagraphofthereading?

WhatlanguagedoesthenameAkamaicomefrom?

WhatdothenamesNike,Ajax,andMidashaveincommon?

WhatdoesthewordUreameaninGreek?

WhattypeofproductdoestheHaagen-Dazscompanymake?

WhichoftheseproductnamescanbetranslatedinanunintendedwayinTWOlanguages?

BranBudscereal.

Daintysoap.

CountryMistmakeup.

Toshibacomputers.

Translatethefollowingsentenceswhichisfromtheendofthefirstparagraphofthepassage.WriteyourtranslationontheAnswerSheet.

Namesaresoimportantthatsomecompanieshirespecialnamingfirmsthatdevelopalistofnames,testthematfocusgroups,screenthemtobesuretheyareavailable,andthentrademarkthefinalselections.Howdofirmsdecideonnames?Hereareafewofthewayscompaniesplaythenamegame:

READINGPASSAGE2

Questions12-22arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Carstodayaresmart.No,theymaynotbesmartenoughtochangetheirownoilorfindthelostcoinsintheirseats,buttheyaresmartandgettingsmarter.Theaveragecartodayhasmorecomputingpowerthanthe1969Apollo11spacecraftthatcarriedthefirstastronautstothemoon.Everycarproducedtodayhasatleastonecomputerformonitoringfuelconsumptionandpollutioncontrols.Theaveragecarusestwelvecomputerizeddevices,andhigh-endcarshavemanymore,controllingeverythingfromthesunrooftothebrakingsystem.Inthenearfuture,carsmaybevirtuallystuffedwithcomputerchipsfromfrontfendertotaillight.That’sbecausemotoristsenjoycomputerizedgadgets,andprovidingtheselittledevicesischeaperforautomakersthanbuildingabetterengineormakingotherengineeringchangesthatmightactuallybemoreimportant.

Manyofthesmartfeaturesweareseeingtodayaresafety-related.Somearesystemstoavoidcollisions.Thesemayusesonar,radar,lasers,computers,orvideocameras,orsomecombinationofthese.Thesesystemsbeeporwarndriverswithavoicesignalifthevehiclegetstooclosetoanobjectoranothervehicleorifitstraysoutofitslane.Thesystemcansuggestactionstothedriveroreventemporarilytakecontroltoavoidaccidents.Anothersafetydeviceisasmartairbagsystem.Todeployairbagswiththeminimumnecessaryforce,sensorsdetermineanoccupant’sweightandsizeandtheseverityofimpact.Thissystemshouldreducethenumberofchildrenhurtbyairbagsthatopentoovigorously.Anothersystemcanautomaticallynotifyemergencyservicesthatanaccidenthashappenedand,usingaGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS),canpinpointthelocationofthevehicleforpoliceandrescueunits.This“maydaysystem”cansavepreciousminutesandmanylives.

Oneofthemostconvenientaspectsofsmartcarsistheirabilitytonavigate.Driverstellthemwheretheywanttogoandthen,bymeansofaGPSnavigationdeviceandcomputerizedmaps,smartcarscanfigureoutthebestwaystoreachthedrivers’destinations.Thecarscanshowtheinformationonamaporgivedriversvoicedirections.Theycanevencorrectdriversiftheymakeamistake(“ITOLDyoutoturnLEFTbackthere,youidiot!”).UsingcommunicationdevicesconnectedtotheInternet,carscaninformdriversofproblemsahead-constructionwork,trafficjams,andaccidents—andthensuggestdifferentroutestothedrivers’offices,favoritepizzaplaces,orclosestshoppingmalls.

Smartcarscreateproblemsaswell,however.Oneproblemishowtocontrolallthisautomotivetechnology.Morebuttonstakemoreofthedrivers’attention.Evenvoicecontrols

aredistractingfordrivers.Arecentstudyshowedthatdriverstalkingonhandheldcellphoneswerefourtimesmorelikelytobeinvolvedinaccidentsasdriverswhowerenot.Infact,driversusingcellphoneswerealmostaslikelytobeinvolvedinaccidentsasthosewhowerelegallyintoxicated.Usingvoicecontrols,evenahands-freesystem,mightprovetobeasdistractingaschattingonthephone.Nevertheless,theautoindustry’sanswertothecontrolproblemsofarhasbeenvoicecontrol.Whenitcomestosimpletasks—changingchannelsontheradiooropeningthetrunk—voicecontrolsworkwellenough.ButitisprobablynotthebestmethodfordirectingmoredifficultoperationssuchasnavigatingtheInternetorcontrollingthecaritself.Enginenoise,highwaynoise,andthemusiconthestereotendtogarbleinstructions,andvoicerecognitionsystemsoftencannotdecipherstrongaccents.

Nomatterhowsmartcarsbecome,theycannotsolvealltheproblemsfacinga“car-crazy”worldbythemselves.Anyonewhohastraveledbycarinoraroundalmostanycityintheworldknowsthattheproblemoftrafficcongestionisbecomingworseeveryyear.Cars,buses,andtruckscaughtupinthechronictrafficjamsinthecitieswastevastamountsoffuelandpourpollutionintotheatmosphere.Thentherearetheterriblestatisticsforhighwayfatalities.IntheUnitedStatesalone,over40,000peopledieayear.Aroundtheworld,itisbelievedthatbetween800,000and1.15millionperishinautomobileaccidentsannually.Sometransportationplannersbelievethatbettermasstransportationistheanswer—moremonorails,subways,andbullettrains.Otheranalystsbelievethattherewillalwaysbeademandfortheconvenienceandindependenceofprivateautomobiles.Thetraditionalsolutionhasbeentosimplybuildmoreroads.However,anothersolutionliesinself-drivingvehiclesoperatingonautomated“intelligent”roadways.

Whatisan“intelligent”roadway?Onetypeofautomatedhighwayfeaturesoneormorelanesonwhichvehicleswithspecialsensorsandcommunicationssystemscantravelcompletelyundercomputercontrol.Thevehiclesfolloweachotheratcloselyspacedintervalsingroupscalled“platoons.”(Somelaneswouldalsohavetobeopentoconventionalcars.)Vehiclesinplatoonstravelingontheautomatedlaneswouldbetemporarilylinkedintocommunicationsnetworks.Thesevehiclescouldthenconstantlyexchangeinformationaboutspeed,acceleration,braking,andsoon.Tokeepvehiclesintheirlanesandcontroltheirspeedanddirection,carsmightusemagnemeters,devicesthatsensemagnetsburiedintheroadbed.Oneexperthassaidthatthetypicalhighwaylanetodaycanhandle2,000vehiclesperhourbutestimatedthatanintelligenthighwaylanecouldaccommodateupto6,000vehicles,dependingonthenumberofen