2016考研英语暑期阅读训练：历史类(10)
Jim Boon is a hybrid kind of guy. He drives a Toyota hybrid to work， aHonda hybrid on weekends and， as a manager for Seattle public transit he
recently placed the world's largest order for hybrid electric buses.
Now， with the biggest hybrid-bus fleet in the world， Seattle has become the
main testing ground for a technology that claims it can drastically cut air
pollution and fuel consumption. In the 1990s， demo fleets of 35 buses or fewer
started cropping up in cities such as Tempe， Ariz. Sixteen of these early
hybrids still service Genoa， Italy， where drivers switch from diesel to electric
power when passing the city's downtown architectural treasures. But no city has
gone as far as Seattle， which last year bought 235 GM hybrid buses at $645，000 a
pop. When the final one rolls out this December， the region's bus system will be
15 percent hybrid.
But why Seattle， and why now? The Pacific Northwest has long been a hotbed
of both Green politics and cutting-edge technology. Fourteen years ago the
Seattle area bought 236 Italian-made Breda buses to service a mile-long downtown
tunnel. They were supposed to operate as clean electric trolleys underground，
but the switching mechanism often failed and “the bus drove through the tunnel
as a diesel，” says Boon. “It was pretty loud and smoky.”
When the Bredas hit retirement age in 2002， Boon went shopping. He chose
the GM buses because they use an automatic transmission and diesel boosters that
provide power to scale inclines without strain. In hilly Seattle， the prospect
of a hybrid that could climb like a diesel but accelerate without belching black
fumes helped justify a price $200，000 higher than that of a regular bus. “The
days of seeing a diesel pull away and pour out smoke are over，” says Boon.
“After we drove these hybrid buses across the country， I wiped a handkerchief
inside the tailpipe. It came out spotless.”
Experts say buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of greater
efficiency and cleaner air. It would take thousands of hybrid cars to save as
many gallons of gas (750，000) as Boon expects his buses to save Seattle each
year. GM claims that compared with conventional diesels， its new buses also
churn out 90 percent less particulate matter——a known carcinogen. “Buses are a
major source of pollution in any city，” says Dave Kircher of the Puget Sound
Clean Air Agency. “They operate where people are breathing this exhaust， so this
is a major step forward in terms of emissions.”
And a major step forward in the marketplace： Philadelphia; Honolulu; Long
Beach， Calif.， and Albuquerque， N.M.， have all bought the GM buses in recent
months. GM is now touting itself in ads as the top hybrid-bus innovator， but
Siemens is among the global giants dueling GM for new business， and New York
plans to deploy 325 BAE Systems hybrids by 2006. “There's room for competition，”
says James Cannon， editor of Hybrid Vehicles newsletter. Seems Seattle isn't the
only city trying to leave grunge behind.
注(1)：本文选自Newsweek; 9/20/2004;
注(2)：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年Text 1.
1. How does Genoa protect its architectural treasures?
Following Seattle‘s steps to reduce pollution.
Using electric power of the car when crossing.
Shifting the power of the hybrids when crossing.
Reducing the number of the buses crossing there.
2.Which of the following can be the main advantage of hybrid bus?
Cutting air pollution and fuel consumption
Producing less smoke and noise.
Owning strong switching mechanism.
Producing less dangerous matter.
3.The expression “churn out”(Line 4， Paragraph 5) most probably means
______.
increase
destroy
reduce
produce
4.Why buses are critical to realizing the hybrid dream of higher
efficiency?
Buses are a major source of pollution.
A single bus saves much more gas than a single car.
Buses carry more passengers.
New buses produce less harmful material.
5.Which of the following is true according to the text?
Many cities plan to buy GM buses.
GM buses have the incomparable advantages over other buses.
There is severe competition in the field of hybrid vehicles.
The best way to keep the city clean is to buy hybrid buses.
答案：CADBC
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