2023届高考英语外刊阅读模拟强化训练：阅读理解专题二十

高考英语外刊阅读模拟强化训练 阅读理解专题二十 ① If fresh evidence were needed of the importance of China to the global car industry, the Shanghai motor show, which opened on April 18th, provides it. The world’s other big jamborees have been permanently cancelled or downgraded, but China’s showcase has attracted 1,000 exhibitors from many countries with 100 new models on show. Only a few years ago Chinese cars were poorly designed and shoddily put together. Today they are mostly as good as foreign ones in both respects, and surpass them in the software-driven digital experience that will define car brands in the future. Yet for the world as a whole, the rise of Chinese cars will be more significant still. To curb global warming, it is essential to replace carbon-spewing petrol-powered vehicles with cleaner battery-powered ones. And China is both the world’s biggest market for, and maker of, electric vehicles (evs). Today the industry, with nearly $3trn in annual global revenues, is experiencing its most radical upheaval yet. Established carmakers are scrambling to electrify, improve their software and prepare for autonomous driving. The disruption is in part a result of Tesla’s success, both as a maker of evs and as a firm that puts technology at the heart of its business. But it is also caused by greater competition in China, where local firms, supported by state subsidies, are winning market share from Western rivals. BYD and Changan, the country’s two biggest homegrown firms, now have a domestic market share of 18%, and sell around 4m cars a year. China’s carmakers are especially innovative when it comes to infotainment and the seamless integration of smartphones. A healthy head start and huge scale, meanwhile, have helped BYD become a leader in evs at the cheap end of the market. All told, the competition is leaving Japanese firms, once leaders, in the dust. The world’s drivers stand to gain from cheaper and greener cars. But can the race for market dominance continue? China’s emerg