2023届高考英语三轮复习·冲刺押题·外刊阅读理解训练 (60)

2023届高考英语三轮复习·冲刺押题 外刊阅读理解训练60 ——改编自Possibility or pipe dream: How close are we to seeing flying cars? 【文章】 The auto industry, aviation giants, and startups are competing to produce consumer-ready flying cars and air taxis, many of which are fully electric. However, several hurdles remain before commuters can zip through the air in a multirotor flying vehicle that can be parked in their driveway. "What we see today is a whole pile of concepts that aren't necessarily solutions," said Mark Jennings-Bates, vice president at the startup PAL-V. "They are short on technology, and they are short on regulation." Uber and Boeing have announced ambitious plans for revolutionary air taxis. Still, the vehicles they have in mind require batteries that don't exist yet. "The best the industry has seen so far with an electric drone vehicle is a projection that it can fly for 20 minutes," said Jennings-Bates. "That makes it an unusable aircraft because it must have a half-hour spare capacity." There are mixed opinions on whether flying cars are necessary. Aviation experts say that air vehicles help solve congestion problems in big cities. Others argue that putting traffic in the skies doesn't solve much. "We aren't going to change the world in terms of traffic with flying cars," said Jennings-Bates. "At best, it may displace traffic in the area, which is arguably less pleasant." Since there are no certified flying cars yet, regulations surrounding operating them don't exist. It's also unclear whether consumers feel comfortable taking mosquito-like machines from point A to point B. Some experts say it's not a question of if flying cars will take off but how soon the concepts would be safe enough for humans to occupy. "Everyone is very excited and they're coming up with very different designs," said Laurie Garrow, associate director for the Center for Urban and Regional Air Mobility at Georgia Tech. "But you have a lengthy certification process that will need to go through to make su