With a growing number of people in San Francisco choosing not to own a car, German car making company BMW has decided to branch out into carsharing services with 70 cars spread around the city, first in 14 locations, with a further 100 being added gradually.
“This is not an AtoA service—it is AtoB,” says Richard Steinberg, chief executive of the Drive Now scheme(方案), pointing out that members can pick up a car downtown for the halfhour drive to the airport for only $12, compared with about $40-50 for a taxi.
Whether that is possible in real life depends on traffic, of course. A midmorning drive from Union Square down Highway 101 to the airport takes just 22 minutes; however, driving back during the rush hour takes twice as long.
Most of the cars that are stuck in San Francisco’s traffic jams are giving off all sorts of harmful gas. But not Drive Now’s BMW Active E cars.
“All the cars in San Francisco are electric,” Mr Steinberg says.
In San Francisco, handing back the car to Drive Now is easy—just pick one of its dropoff points, park and walk away. There are no forms to fill in, no timeconsuming(耗时的) rules.
Several other carmakers and other players within the motor industry are experimenting with similar schemes, for example Daimler’s Car2go scheme, which is operated in many cities around the world.
“We picture a future where carsharing members outnumber car owners in big cities around the world,”says Car2go spokesman Andreas Leo.
28. What does the underlined part “branch out into” probably mean?
A. To start offering. B. To try improving.
C. To make use of. D. To take control of.
29. The Drive Now scheme________.
A. works better in rushhour traffic
B. makes city driving less dangerous
C. encourages people to buy a cheap car
D. allows drivers to pay money to use a car
30. What’s special about BMW Active E cars?
A. They are time-saving. B. They don’t get stuck in heavy traffic.
C. They are environmentally friendly. D. They are money-saving.
31. Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?
A. Some people in San Francisco feel it inconvenient to have a car.
B. Car2go spokesman Andreas Leo is confident of car-sharing services.
C. The Drive Now scheme is a quite success.
D. The competition in car-sharing is fierce.
ADCC
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025