Passage Five
Californian Michael Schwabe said goodbye to the gas pump two years ago. He leased an electric car. Schwabe says he gets more out of driving an electric car than just a charge.
"With the price of gasoline and with the problems with clean air, it’s important we get electric vehicles out on the road."
On California roads there are about two thousand electric cars. By 2003, ten percent of all new cars may be required to have zero emissions. This is a mandate automakers say it is way ahead of its time.
Gloria Bergquist of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers says, "The technology (for zero emissions) isn’t here yet; it still needs advancement in driving range to make it more appealing to a wider consumer audience".
Automakers blame it on the batteries. Power runs out on most cars after about 70 miles. However, some cars can now go more than 100 miles on a charge. Batteries are expensive. Carmaker
A. 200
B. 2,000
C. 20,000
D. 200,000
Passage Five
From the beginning rivers have played an important part in the life of man. Man of the earliest times used the rivers as a means of travel. Today rivers still serve as a great waterway for the transport and people.
In ancient times, man settled near rivers or on river banks and built up large empires.
Water is Nature’s most precious gift to man. Man needs water to irrigate his crops, to cook and to wash. In nations all over the world rivers mean life and wealth. They feed and clothe the nations around them.
Water is also a source of energy and power. Man constructs huge dams across the river to control the water for irrigation and get the energy needed to drive generators. The electrical power is then directed to homes, cities, factories and television stations.
Man uses water each day. His main source of water comes from reservoirs, which in turn get their water from the rivers.
Rivers also bring down soil
A. people and crops
B. life and wealth
C. poverty and death
D. agriculture and bridge
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