If you happen to be in Hollywood and see a car go by with no driver at the wheel, don't be alarmed. After more than a year of testing, around 50 driverless robotaxis are debuting(首次亮相) to the public across Los Angeles on Thursday.
The autonomous vehicles are run by Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company Alphabet. Waymo started giving driverless rides to passengers in San Francisco last year and also operates them in Phoenix. In the coming weeks, Waymo will change to a paid service.
The Southern California debut comes as controversy and mistakes have troubled self-driving cars in San Francisco. Both Waymo and its competitor Cruise, which is owned by GM, have been blamed for running red lights, blocking public buses and getting in the way of emergency responders.
Cruise was involved in an incident that left a pedestrian(行人) severely injured in October—causing the company to stop operations and lose its operating permit in the state. It hasn't necessarily been a smooth ride for Waymo in Los Angeles. In the run-up to its debut in the city, there have been complaints by Los Angeles's mayor Karen Bass and protests by local residents. "Autonomous vehicles like the ones that Waymo wants to launch in our communities, have been causing chaos wherever they go," Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor said. "It's clear that this technology is not ready to be introduced into our roads and our cities."
However, both Cruise and Waymo say their vehicles are safer than human drivers and that they've had relatively few incidents. "Once an unimaginable future, autonomous driving is now a real-world way of getting around for tens of thousands of people each week," said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo. He also mentioned that Waymo is already setting its sights on its next robotaxi debut. It says it plans to start offering rides in Austin, Texas, later this year.
()12. What is the function of paragraph 1?
A. To introduce a topic.
B. To explain a phenomenon.
C. To share an experience.
D. To state an opinion.
()13. What does the underlined word "controversy" in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Praise.
B. Alternative.
C. Priority.
D. Argument.
()14. What's Yvonne Wheeler's attitude towards autonomous vehicles run by Waymo?
A. Negative.
B. Favorable.
C. Unconcerned.
D. Uncertain.
()15. What is the best title of this text?
A. Waymo's Robotaxi Service Set to Expand into Los Angeles
B. Cruise and Waymo Made the Hollywood Imagination Come True
C. Waymo's Robotaxi Service Removed Public Concern across Los Angeles
D. Cruise and Waymo Ensured the Safety of Robotaxi Despite Controversy

12.A 13.D 14.A 15.A
【语篇解读】本文是一篇新闻报道。文章主要报道了关于 Waymo无人驾驶出租车服务在洛杉矶首次亮相及其未来扩展计划的最新消息。
12. A 解析:推理判断题。根据第一段的内容"如果你碰巧在好莱坞看到一辆没有司机的车开过,不要惊慌。经过一年多的测试,大约 50 辆无人驾驶出租车将于周四在洛杉矶向公众首次亮相。"可知,本段的功能是引出主题,介绍无人驾驶汽车的首次亮相。故选 A。
13. D 解析:词义猜测题。根据画线词后文"Both Waymo and its competitor Cruise, which is owned by GM, have been blamed for running red lights, blocking public buses and getting in the way of emergency responders.(Waymo 和它的竞争对手——通用汽车旗下的 Cruise 都因闯红灯、阻塞公交车和妨碍紧急救援人员而受到指责。)"可知,无人驾驶出租车引起了各种问题,造成了争议和错误。由此推知 controversy 意为"争议",和 D 选项意思相近。故选 D。
14. A 解析:推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的"'Autonomous vehicles like the ones that Waymo wants to launch in our communities, have been causing chaos wherever they go.' ... 'It's clear that this technology is not ready to be introduced into our roads and our cities.'('像 Waymo 想要在我们社区推出的自动驾驶汽车,无论走到哪里,都会造成混乱,'洛杉矶劳工联合会主席伊冯·惠勒说。'很明显,这项技术还没有准备好应用到我们的道路和城市中。')"可知,Yvonne Wheeler 表示这项技术还没有准备好应用到我们的道路和城市中,由此可知其持消极的态度。故选 A。
15. A 解析:标题归纳题。根据第一段的内容"如果你碰巧在好莱坞看到一辆没有司机的车开过,不要惊慌。经过一年多的测试,大约 50 辆无人驾驶出租车将于周四在洛杉矶向公众首次亮相。"以及纵观全文可知,本文主要介绍了关于 Waymo 无人驾驶出租车服务在洛杉矶的首次亮相,A 选项"Waymo's Robotaxi Service Set to Expand into Los Angeles(Waymo 的自动驾驶出租车服务将扩展到洛杉矶)"适合作为文章标题。故选 A。