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  3. Traffic statistics paint a gloomy picture. To help solve their traffic woes(苦恼), some rapidly growing U. S. cities have simply b

Traffic statistics paint a gloomy picture. To help solve their traffic woes(苦恼), some rapidly growing U. S. cities have simply b

admin2013-07-02  57
问题     Traffic statistics paint a gloomy picture. To help solve their traffic woes(苦恼), some rapidly growing U. S. cities have simply built more roads. But traffic experts say building more roads is a quick-fix solution that will not alleviate the traffic problem in the long run. Soaring land costs, increasing concern over social and environmental disruptions caused by road-building, and the likelihood that more roads can only lead to more cars and traffic are powerful factors bearing down on a 1950s-style constructions program.

    The goal of smart-highway technology is to make traffic systems work at optimum efficiency(最佳效率)by treating the road and the vehicles traveling on them as an integral transportation system. Proponents of this advanced technology say electronic detection systems, closed-circuit television radio communication, ramp(斜坡)metering, variable message signing, and other smart-highway technology can now be used at a reasonable cost to improve communication between drivers and the people who monitor traffic.
    Pathfinder, a Santa Monica, California-based smart-highway project in which a 14-mile stretch of the Santa Monica Freeway makes up what is called a "smart corridor", is being instrumented with buried loops in the pavement. Closed-circuit television cameras survey the flow of traffic, while communications linked to properly equipped automobiles advise motorists of the least congested routes or detours(便道).
    Not all traffic experts, however, look to smart-highway technology as the ultimate solution to serious traffic jam. Some say the high-tech approach is limited and can only offer temporary solutions to a serious problem.
    "Electronics on the highway addresses just one aspect of the problem: how to regulate traffic more efficiently," explains Michael Renner, senior researcher at the World-watch Institute. "It doesn’t deal with the central problem of too many cars for roads that can’t be built fast enough. It sends people the wrong message. They start thinking ’ Yes, there used to be a traffic congestion problem, but that’s been solved now because we have an advanced high-tech system in place. ’" Barson agrees and adds, "Smart highways is just one of the tools that we will use to deal with our traffic problems. It’s not the solution itself, just part of the package. There are different strategies. "
    Other traffic problem-solving options being studied and experimented with include car pooling, rapid mass transit systems, staggered or flexible work hours, and road pricing, a system whereby motorists pay a certain amount for the time they use a highway.     It seems that we need a new, major thrust to deal with the traffic problems of the next 20 years. There has to be a big change.
Which of the following is the advantage of Pathfinder according to the passage?
选项 A、It can reduce the commuters’ travel cost.
B、It can improve communication between drivers and other people.
C、The equipment on it can provide motorists with real- time traffic information.
D、It has efficiently controlled the traffic flow of California.
答案C
解析 事实细节题。第三段指出“探路者”是智能公路项目，装有隐蔽电路。闭路电视摄影机能够勘测到交通流量，同时，与装备得当的汽车相连接的通讯设施能够告知驾驶者最不拥挤的路线或便道。故可看出为驾驶员提供实时路况信息，故[C]项正确，equipment即指文中的closed—circuit television cameras等装置。
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