Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions（排放）vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators（发电机）. Generators are fueled by something--usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal（地热） plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. Because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not true. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—“If I can't see it, it's not happening.”  Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas（or another fuel）and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may drive your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far -- so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal, or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.
　　In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though，all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passages?

Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.

People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions（排放）vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators（发电机）. Generators are fueled by something--usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal（地热） plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.

In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. Because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not true. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—“If I can't see it, it's not happening.”  Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas（or another fuel）and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.

A gallon of gas may drive your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far -- so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal, or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.

　　In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though，all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.

1.What’s the main idea of the passages?

2.Which of the following words can replace “be clueless about” in Paragraph 2?

3.The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _________.

4.In the author’s opinion, compared with cars using gas, electric cars are more __________.

5.It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions（排放）vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators（发电机）. Generators are fueled by something--usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal（地热） plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. Because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not true. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—“If I can't see it, it's not happening.”  Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas（or another fuel）and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may drive your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far -- so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal, or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.
　　In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though，all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot

1. 1.

   What’s the main idea of the passages?

   1. A.
      Electric cars aren’t actually clean
   2. B.
      Electric cars are zero-emissions vehicles
   3. C.
      Zero-emissions vehicles are popular
   4. D.
      Gasoline-powered cars are more efficient
2. 2.

   Which of the following words can replace “be clueless about” in Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      Be familiar with．
   2. B.
      Be curious about．
   3. C.
      Fail to understand．
   4. D.
      Show their interest in．
3. 3.

   The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _________

   1. A.
      at least 25 miles
   2. B.
      more than 25 miles
   3. C.
      as far as 25 miles
   4. D.
      less than 25 miles
4. 4.

   In the author’s opinion, compared with cars using gas, electric cars are more __________

   1. A.
      environmentally-friendly
   2. B.
      expensive
   3. C.
      efficient
   4. D.
      harmful
5. 5.

   It can be inferred from the passage that __________

   1. A.
      electric cars' batteries are poisonous for a long time
   2. B.
      now electric cars are used more than their gasoline-powered cousins
   3. C.
      zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment
   4. D.
      electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning something

First of all, in terms of polluting the environment, driving a car is the worst act an average person can commit. Beijing now finds itself at the top of the list of the most polluted capital cities in the world with Mexico City in the second place. Research also shows that by 2010 around 90% of total pollutants in Shanghai have come from cars. These pollutions are extremely dangerous to our health. They can damage the lungs, cause cancer, and damage the brain.
Apart from environmental problems, relying too much on cars also creates social problems such as traffic jams, road accidents, and noise pollution. The jeeps that proudly drive through the Hutongs in Beijing as if they are in a race often annoy me, and to make it worse, these drivers seldom respect cyclists.
Of course, we cannot forget the convenience that cars bring us when we need to travel far, but I often find it faster to cycle from one place to another within the city of Beijing, especially with the growing traffic jams.
Since people travel further and more frequently than before, cars will certainly be important in the future. At the same time, however, let us work hard to make sure that this invention brings us a more convenient lifestyle rather than trouble and disease. Let us make good use of cars.

1. 1.

   What is this passage mainly about?

   1. A.
      Environmental problems.
   2. B.
      Traffic jams in Beijing.
   3. C.
      Problems brought about by cars.
   4. D.
      Benefits of using cars.
2. 2.

   The underlined word commit in Paragraph 2 has the close meaning as ____ .

   1. A.
      do something right or legal
   2. B.
      do something wrong or illegal
   3. C.
      do something good and meaningful
   4. D.
      do something bad and meaningless
3. 3.

   What do we know about the author?

   1. A.
      The author doesn’t want a car.
   2. B.
      The author agrees that a car offers freedom to travel.
   3. C.
      The author suggests that we should rely on bicycles.
   4. D.
      The author thinks that the invention of cars leads to many problems.
4. 4.

   In Paragraph 3, what does the author mean by saying “The jeeps… often annoy me”?

   1. A.
      The author is troubled by the way jeeps are driven in the Hutongs of Beijing.
   2. B.
      The author thinks that Hutongs are too narrow for jeeps to drive through.
   3. C.
      The author thinks that the jeeps are too noisy.
   4. D.
      The author is worried that more accidents are caused by jeeps than any other cars.
5. 5.

   What is the author’s idea in Paragraphs 4 and 5 ?

   1. A.
      Cars are only convenient for people traveling far.
   2. B.
      We should all give up cars and ride bicycles.
   3. C.
      Cars have brought us more convenience than troubles.
   4. D.
      We should choose between the car and the bicycle according to the situation.