Question

【题目】 With self-driving vehicle technology rapidly advancing, many companies are turning to autonomous robots for the final leg of the delivery process, from the store or local distribution center to the customer. The latest to join the trend is e-commerce giant Amazon. Following a successful eight-month test run in Snohomish County, Washington, the company’s Scout robots have been making the rounds of Irvine, California, since August 6, 2019.

The six-wheeled Scout is about the size of a large cooler with the capacity to carry small or medium-sized packages. The battery-powered vehicle, which moves at a regular walking pace, has been programmed to avoid pedestrians, animals, and unexpected obstacles, such as garbage cans. Its powerful sensors can also detect the movement of a car backing out of a driveway.

To accelerate Scout’s development and bring it nationwide sooner, the company has created several detailed virtual maps of American suburbs and conducted trial deliveries to homes there.

Though Amazon has not shown how Scout ensures the delivery is picked up by the right person, it most likely requires the customers to apply a unique code, texted to them prior to the delivery, to unlock the store box. Also unclear is the number of deliveries Scout can complete before its battery needs to be recharged. Though the initial tests are being conducted with a human for company, the robot will be autonomous in the future. Its location, however, will be tracked at all times—if someone attempts to steal Scout, Amazon employees will be instantly sensed.

However, the eco-friendly robots are unable to climb stairs or open gates, which means that they can only reach consumers who live on the ground level. Additionally, the robots are unable to leave packages at the front door if the customers are not home. Whether these problems get resolved remains to be seen. For now, it appears that humans will still be needed to achieve the ever-growing demand for home and office deliveries.

【1】Which of the following descriptions about Scout is right?

A.They can be powered themselves.B.They are strong enough to carry big things.

C.They can run with their six wheels.D.They can avoid obstacles ahead.

【2】What about Scout is still confusing to common people?

A.How many deliveries it can do on a full charge.B.Whether it can climb stairs or open gates.

C.How it recognizes the right owner of the things.D.How long it will take to get it fully charged.

【3】What does the underlined phrase “prior to” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.due toB.afterC.in front ofD.before

【4】What is the author’s opinion about delivery robots according to the last paragraph?

A.They are not easily available.B.They have some limitations.

C.They will replace humans soon.D.They won’t be well accepted.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】A

【3】D

【4】B

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道。文章主要介绍了为了解决送货的最后一公里问题，机器人应运而生，许多商业巨头正在这一领域加紧努力。同时介绍了机器人外观，工作原理，以及还需要解决的问题。

【1】

细节理解题。根据第二段中The battery-powered vehicle, which moves at a regular walking pace, has been programmed to avoid pedestrians, animals, and unexpected obstacles, such as garbage cans.可知这款由电池驱动的汽车以正常的步行速度行驶，经过编程可以避开行人、动物和垃圾桶等意外障碍物。由此可知，D选项“它们可以避开前面的障碍”正确。故选D。

【2】

细节理解题。根据第四段中Also unclear is the number of deliveries Scout can complete before its battery needs to be recharged.可知同样不清楚的是，在需要充电之前，Scout能完成多少次投递。由此可知，普通人对Scout困惑的是Scout充满电可以送多少次货。故选A。

【3】

词义猜测题。根据上文it most likely requires the customers to apply a unique code, texted to them以及划线短语后文to unlock the store box可知Scout很可能要求顾客在送货前，使用发送给他们的唯一代码来解锁商店的盒子。由此可知，划线短语意思“在……之前”。A. due to因为；B. after 在……之后；C. in front of在……前面；D. before在……之前。故选D。

【4】

推理判断题。根据最后一段中However, the eco-friendly robots are unable to climb stairs or open gates, which means that they can only reach consumers who live on the ground level. Additionally, the robots are unable to leave packages at the front door if the customers are not home. Whether these problems get resolved remains to be seen.可知然而，这些环保机器人不能爬楼梯或打开大门，这意味着它们只能接触住在地面的消费者。此外，如果顾客不在家，机器人不能把包裹放在门前。这些问题能否得到解决还有待观察。由此可推知，作者对送货机器人的看法是它们有一些局限性。故选B。