Environmentally friendly cars.
Many of the world’s cities lie under a permanent blanket of smog. People worry about global warming, and fuel prices just keep going up and up.
In recent years car manufacturers have been put under pressure to invent a vehicle that is both cheaper to run and better for the environment. One of the first ideas which car manufacturers tried, was to replace engines which run on fossil fuels with electric motors. Unfortunately, these vehicles had several drawbacks and they didn’t sell very well. The problems were that the batteries of these electric cars ran out very quickly and took a long time to recharge. Car manufacturers have improved the concept so that environmentally friendly cars can now be efficient and economical as well.
The hybrid car, which has both an electric motor and a traditional petrol engine, comes in. The electric motor never needs to be recharged and it is much better for the planet than a traditional car. In a hybrid car, the engine is controlled by a computer which determines whether the car runs on petrol, electricity, or both. When the car needs maximum power, for example, if it is accelerating or climbing a steep hill, it uses all of its resources, but at steady speeds it runs only on petrol. When slowing down or braking, the electric motor recharges its batteries. Hybrid cars are made using materials such as aluminium and carbon fibre (углеродное волокно), which makes them extremely light. Hybrid cars are better for the environment because they use far less petrol than normal cars, so they produce less pollution. Of course, hybrid cars aren’t perfect; they still run on fossil fuel and so pollute the environment to some extent. However, they may be the first step along the road to cleaner, 'greener' cars.
Car manufacturers are working on vehicles which run on hydrogen (водород). The only emission from these cars is harmless water vapour. These are still some way in the future, as designers need to think of cheap and safe ways of producing, transporting and storing hydrogen, but at last, it looks like we might be heading in the right direction.
Ex. 1 Give the English equivalents to the following word combinations.
Работать на ископаемом топливе, длительное время для перезарядки, традиционный автомобиль, при замедлении движения или торможении, невероятно легкий, гораздо меньше бензина, до определенной степени, первый шаг на пути к.
Ex. 2 Complete the sentences with the correct variant.
1. Car manufacturers are trying to invent a new vehicle because
a) today’s cars produce too much poisonous gas;
b) today's cars produce too much power;
c) today's cars move too fast.
2. Vehicles which ran on electric motors
a) moved too slowly;
b) were not very popular;
c) had to have their engines replaced.
3. The electric motor in hybrid cars
a) doesn’t need to recharge its batteries;
b) has its own petrol engine;
c) takes a long time to be recharged.
4. The computer in a hybrid car
a) helps the car to go up hills;
b) keeps the car running at a steady speed;
c) decides how the car should be powered in any given time.
5. Hybrid cars are better for the planet because
a) they use different fuels;
b) the electric motor is smaller than a normal engine;
c) they produce less harmful gases.
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