BÀI TEST IELTS 15 READING PASSAGE

by: Admin 27-08-2022 12:08:00

DRIVERLESS CARS

The automotive industry is very used to adapting to automating manufacturing. From the 1970s the implementation of robotic car manufacture brought significant cost savings and improvements in the reliability and flexibility of mass production of vehicles. There is a new challenge to vehicle production on the horizon again and it comes from automation. But, this time it has nothing to do with the process of manufacturing, but with the vehicles themselves.

Vehicle automation research is not new. For more than 50 years, vehicles with limited self-driving capabilities have been around, which contributed significantly towards driver assistance systems. Progress in this field has quickly gathered pace since Google announced that it had been trialling self-driving cars on the streets of California in 2010.

Technology is advancing so fast due to many reasons. The biggest reason is safety. UK’s Transport Research Laboratory’s Research has shown that more than 90% of road collisions occur due to human error, and it is the biggest cause of road accidents. Automating driving may help to reduce the occurrence of this.

Another reason is to reduce the time people use for driving and make use of it for other purposes. It may be possible to socialise, be productive or relax if the vehicle can do some or all of the driving, while automation systems have all the responsibility for your safety. Those who are old or disabled may be able to travel alone if the vehicle can do the driving.

We can look at the wider implications for transport and society apart from these direct benefits, and how manufacturing processes might need to change as a result. At present, the average car spends its life parked for more than 90% of its life. Initiatives for car-sharing become more possible through automation, especially in cities with more demand for vehicles. Mobility demand can be met by far fewer vehicles if a significant proportion of the population chooses to use shared automated vehicles.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigated automated mobility in Singapore, and found that less than 30% of the vehicles used presently would be needed if automated car-sharing could be fully implemented. In that case, it can mean that we may need to produce far lesser vehicles to meet the demand. The number of trips being taken may increase, because empty vehicles would have to be moved from one customer to the next.

Modelling work at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute indicates that automated vehicles might reduce ownership of vehicles by 43%, but as a result the average annual mileage of vehicles doubles. As a result, the vehicles would be used more frequently and will require replacement sooner. Due to this fast turnover the vehicle production may not necessarily decrease.

Automation may bring some other modifications in the manufacture of vehicles. If we move to a model where consumers don't own any vehicles but will get access to different vehicles through a mobility provider, drivers will choose to select the vehicle that best suits their needs for a particular journey, rather than compromising on all their requirements.

Since, most of the seats in most cars are unoccupied most of the time, it can increase the development of smaller and efficient vehicles that match the needs of individuals. For going on exceptional journeys like a family trip or to help children move to a university specialised vehicles may be made available.

We should overcome many obstacles before delivering automated vehicles to our roads. These include the technical difficulties in making sure that the vehicle are reliable in traffic, different climate, and multiple road situations it might experience; the regulatory challenges in understanding how liability and enforcement might need to change when drivers are not needed; and the societal changes that is to be brought in communities to accept and trust automated vehicles as being a valuable part of the mobility landscape.

There is no doubt that many challenges need to be taken care of but, through targeted and robust research, these problems can be solved in the next 10 years. In the coming years mobility will change in many ways and will be associated with so many other technological developments, such as telepresence and virtual reality, which is difficult to make proper predictions. However, one thing is clear: change is for sure, and the flexibility to respond to this will be essential for those involved in manufacturing the vehicles that will implement future mobility.

Questions 14-18
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

14.   reference to the amount of time when a car is not in use
15.   mention of several advantages of driverless vehicles for individual road-users
16.   reference to the opportunity of choosing the most appropriate vehicle for each trip
17.   an estimate of how long it will take to overcome a number of problems
18.   a suggestion that the use of driverless cars may have no effect on the number of vehicles manufactured

Questions 19-22
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

The impact of driverless cars

Figures from the Transport Research Laboratory indicate that most motor accidents are partly due to 19……………………., so the introduction of driverless vehicles will result in greater safety. In addition to the direct benefits of automation, it may bring other advantages. For example, schemes for 20………………………. will be more workable, especially in towns and cities, resulting in fewer cars on the road.
According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, there could be a 43 percent drop in 21…………………….. of cars. However, this would mean that the yearly 22…………………….. of each car would, on average, be twice as high as it currently is. this would lead to a higher turnover of vehicles, and therefore no reduction in automotive manufacturing.

Questions 23 and 24
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 23 and 24 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO benefits of automated vehicles does the writer mention?

A)   Car travellers could enjoy considerable cost savings.
B)   It would be easier to find parking spaces in urban areas.
C)   Travellers could spend journeys doing something other than driving.
D)   People who find driving physically difficult could travel independently.
E) A reduction in the number of cars would mean a reduction in pollution.

Questions 25 and 26
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO challenges to automated vehicle development does the writer mention?

A)   making sure the general public has confidence in automated vehicles
B)   managing the pace of transition from conventional to automated vehicles
C)   deciding how to compensate professional drivers who become redundant
D)   setting up the infrastructure to make roads suitable for automated vehicles
E)   getting automated vehicles to adapt to various different driving conditions

LỜI GIẢI CHI TIẾT

14.
Key words: time, not in use
Paragraph C states that: “At present, the average car spends more than 90 percent of its life parked”. In this context, “parked” means that the car is turned off stationary and not in use, which means that the amount of time referenced referred to is 90% of the car’s life. Therefore, the answer is C.
→ Answer: C

15.
Key words: advantages, individual road-users
While several paragraphs mention the advantages of driverless vehicles, most are about the effects on the large society as a whole, and only paragraph B mentions the pros for individual road-users. Specifically, the author shows how the technology could reduce road collisions involving human error and free the time people spend on driving. Therefore, the answer is B.
→ Answer: B

16.
Key words: opportunity, appropriate vehicle, each trip
Paragraph E states that: “If […], drivers will have the freedom to select one that best suits their needs for a particular journey, […]”

best suit = appropriate
each trip = particular journey

The author then explains that consumers could see this happen by purchasing access to a range of vehicles, to suit their particular individual needs for exceptional journeys such as a family camping trip. through a mobility provider, which is an opportunity through changes in vehicle manufacture. Therefore, the answer is E.
→ Answer: E

17.
Key words: how long, overcome, problems
The hurdles are mentioned in the last two paragraphs, where paragraph F brings up specific difficulties, and paragraph G shows the potentiality to overcome those problems. Paragraph G states that “It’s clear that there are many challenges that need to be addressed, but … these can most probably be conquered within the next 10 years.”

problems = challenges
overcome = conquer

It could then be inferred that 10 years is the estimate of how long it will take to overcome a number of problems. Therefore, the answer is G.
→ Answer: G

18.
Key words: no effect, number, vehicles manufactured
Paragraph D first begins with “… it might mean that we need to manufacture far fewer vehicles to meet demand.” However, in However, the author states that although fewer cars might be used, they would be “…used more intensively, and might need replacing sooner. At the end, it states is stated that: “This faster rate of turnover may mean that vehicle production will not necessarily decrease”. Therefore, it is suggested from this paragraph that the number of vehicles manufactured might not decrease as calculated in the beginning, meaning that the use of driverless cars may have no effect on this. Hence, the answer is D.
→ Answer: D

QUESTIONS 19 – 22: COMPLETE THE SUMMARY BELOW. CHOOSE NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS FROM THE PASSAGE FOR EACH ANSWER.
19.
Key words: Transport Research Laboratory, motor accidents, due to
Paragraph B states that: “…, research at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory has demonstrated that more than 90 percent of road collisions involve human error as a contributory factor, and it is the primary cause in the vast majority”.

motor accidents = road collisions

It can then be inferred that most motor accidents are partly due to human error. Therefore, “human error” is the answer for question 19.
→ Answer: human error

20.
Key words: schemes, workable
Benefits that are beyond direct ones, such as greater safety, are mentioned in paragraph C. It states that: “Automation means that initiatives for car-sharing become much more viable, …”

schemes = initiatives
workable = viable

It can therefore be understood that automation would make car-sharing more workable, suggesting “car-sharing” as the answer for this question.
→ Answer: car (-) sharing

21.
Key words: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 43 percent drop, cars
This piece of information is specifically mentioned in paragraph D: “Modelling work by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute suggests automated vehicles might reduce vehicle ownership by 43 percent, …”

drop = reduce
cars = vehicles

Thus, the answer here is “vehicle ownership”.

→ Answer: ownership

22.
Key words: yearly, twice as high
In the same sentence mentioned above in paragraph D, it is described that “… vehicles’ average annual mileage would double as a result.” As “annual” is the same as “yearly”, the answer to question 22 is “mileage”.

yearly = annual
twice as high = double

→ Answer: mileage

QUESTIONS 23 – 24: CHOOSE TWO LETTERS, A – E. WRITE THE CORRECT LETTERS IN BOXES 23 AND 24 ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.
Questions 23-24: C Travelers could spend journeys doing something other than driving., D People who find driving physically difficult could travel independently.
Key words: benefits

Cost savings and pollution are not mentioned anywhere in the passage, so A and E is are incorrect. Moreover, parking is only brought up in paragraph C, where the main idea is that the average car spends most of its life parked, so B is also incorrect.
In paragraph B, one of the advantages is described as “Another aim is to free the time people spend driving for other purposes”, meaning that instead of driving, travellers could spend the time on something else. Thus, C is correct.

In the same paragraph, people who find driving physically difficult, who are mentioned to be referred to as “those who are challenged by existing mobility models”, are said to “be able to enjoy significantly greater travel autonomy”. As autonomy can be understood as independence, D is correct.
travel independently = travel autonomy
→ Answers: C & D

QUESTIONS 25 – 26: CHOOSE TWO LETTERS, A – E. WRITE THE CORRECT LETTERS IN BOXES 25 AND 26 ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.
Questions 25-26: A making sure the general public has confidence in automated vehicles , E getting automated vehicles to adapt to various different driving conditions
Key words: challenges

The hurdles are easily found in paragraph F.
As the pace of transition, professional drivers compensation and infrastructure are not mentioned anywhere, B, C and D are incorrect.
It is stated that In paragraph F, the text refers to “… the societal changes that may be required for communities to trust and accept automated vehicles …” In this context, “communities” can be understood as the “general public”, and “trust and accept” is the same as “have confidence”. Therefore, making sure that the general public has confidence in automated vehicles is one of the challenges that automated vehicle development meets, so A is correct.

Paragraph F also tells that there are: “… technical difficulties in ensuring that the vehicle works reliably in the infinite range of traffic, weather and road situations it might encounter.” As “infinite” can also be expressed as “various”, and “range of traffic, weather and road situations” is also “different driving conditions”, this sentence expresses the same idea as E. Thus, E is correct.