Advanced English Reading and Comprehension

Electric cars: Greener, cleaner driving 77

6 · 7

EXERCISE

Reading for interpretation and inferenceChoose the correct interpretation

for each of the following statements from the reading text. Pay special attention to the

boldface words and phrases.

1. “... it looks like the love afair with the automobile has turned into an addiction.”
   a. People can live without their cars.
   b. People can’t live without their cars.


2. “... there is some speculation that GM caved in to pressure from the automobile and oil
   industries... .”
   a. GM lost the most money in the automobile and oil industry.
   b. GM stopped its EV1 program, because the automobile and oil industry didn’t support
   electric cars.


3. “... the electric car was doomed from the get-go.”
   a. There was no hope of success for the electric car from the beginning.
   b. The electric car project got of to a bad start.


4. “Statistics on car ownership are staggering.”
   a. Statistics luctuate.
   b. Statistics are shocking.


5. “... cities like Los Angeles were choking on automobile exhaust and smog... .”
   a. Los Angeles had a serious air pollution problem.
   b. Los Angeles couldn’t solve its air pollution problem.


6. “While the automobile industry waged an all-out war against the CARB mandate, GM
   announced in 1990 that it would build an electric car.”
   a. The automobile industry did everything in its power to ight the CARB mandate.
   b. The automobile industry protested the CARB mandate.


7. “In North America, electric cars just could not make it on the market despite the clear
   beneits of zero emissions, cheaper operating costs, 90 percent eiciency, and an overall
   reduced dependency on oil.”
   a. Electric cars were not produced in North America.
   b. Electric cars did not sell well in North America.


8. “As a result, the electric car died a premature death.”
   a. The electric car was an immediate failure.
   b. The electric car was stopped before it had a chance to develop.


9. “When Toyota launched the Prius in 1997 in Japan, the breakthrough hybrid gas-electric
   car looked like a best-of-both-worlds solution.”
   a. The hybrid car was an ideal compromise.
   b. The hybrid car was popular in both North America and Japan.


10. “... car buyers are more tuned in to the hybrid’s beneits than its drawbacks.”
    a. Car buyers prefer hybrids to other cars.
    b. Car buyers are more aware of the advantages.