Reading Aids Writing - Driverless Cars

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Reading for writing
Task 2 question for 24/06/2017: Scientists predict in the near future cars will be driven
by computers, not people. Why? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26:, which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.
Driverless Cars
A Autonomous vehicles that require no driver at the wheel have become the
hottest new thing in the car industry as technology companies and carmakers race to
build vehicles that will revolutionise the way we travel, commute, work and own cars.
The idea may sound futuristic but its proponents think the benefits are tangible and will
come soon.
B There are no limits. Were pushing cars beyond anything people thought
possible before, says Professor Alberto Broggi, a self-driving pioneer from Parma in
Italy. Hes been driving autonomous cars for more than fifteen years without mishap.
But for most of that time the technology has been on the sidelines. The first test we
did was back in 1998 when no one was talking about autonomous cars ... the media
was treating it as one of those things crazy professors do, says Broggi. When we made
it to the national news, our drive was broadcast after an item about the fattest cat in
the world. Although much of the technology exists in many cars today in devices such
as parking cameras and electronic steering, it was only Googles demonstration of self-
driving technology in 2010 that brought serious attention. That demonstration, says
Andy Palmer, Nissans head of product planning, put a rocket under the industry.
C The most obvious effect of letting cars control themselves is reclaiming time for
drivers. In the USA, people who commute by car spend about fifty minutes a day at the
wheel, says Ragunathan Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Saving
those dead hours enhances the productivity of the individual, he says. Carmakers
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dream of commuters spending the time replying to emails or school runs where parents
help their kids with their homework.
D A second effect could come with quicker travel. No longer under the control of
slow-reacting humans, cars can travel much closer together without the danger of
collisions. The majority of traffic jams are caused by the mismatch of speeds between
different vehicles, says Prof Rajkumar. Autonomous vehicles dont have to speed up or
slow down. Also, by driving close together in narrow lanes at a constant speed,
autonomous cars could pack themselves far more tightly into the same amount of road
space. This could also have a telling impact on urban planning and reduce the need for
new roads as the worlds population rises, particularly in cities in developing countries in
danger of being throttled by traffic. The average US citizen spends thirty-eight hours a
year stuck in traffic, whilst cars spend ninety per cent of their lives parked up. Such
inefficiency would be eliminated if cars ruled the road, and passengers could get on
with their lives.
E Another significant benefit could be a big reduction in accidents, most of which

are caused by human error. Our vision is very simply that cars shouldnt crash,
saysToscan Bennett, a product planner at Volvo, which builds cars programmed to spot
and avoid large animals such as moose. And one of the ways to prevent cars from
crashing is to actually take the human out of the equation. Despite a capacity to save
many lives, however, automated cars may still struggle for social acceptability. Even a
small number of mishaps would raise difficult questions about the technology. People
arent comfortable with robots killing them, says Bryant Walker Smith, of Stanford
University in the USA. Meanwhile, insurers have nightmares about court cases involving
crashes for which responsibility lies with a defective microchip rather than a person.
Carmakers say these difficult questions will not stop them. There are many things that
have to be solved, says Alan Mulally of Ford. But were absolutely committed to the
technology.
F Meanwhile, marketing experts are looking at the economics. In the early days,
high costs will mean few people can afford the vehicles. Fords self-driving prototypes
cost about $500,000. Although these costs would fall once a vehicle goes into
production, most buyers would be priced out of the market. To spread the cost,
autonomous cars will simply have to work harder, says Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley
commentator, touring the streets endlessly to justify their costs by ferrying more people
around operating more like taxis than private vehicles and making some forms of
public transport such as buses redundant.
G Indeed, the impact in social, economic and personal terms promises to be far-
reaching. If the industrys visionaries are to be believed, it will mean a complete rethink
of the car many peoples second most valuable possession after their home. The role
of the car as a status symbol would be under serious threat. Ultimately, with the
development of automated cars, there may be no reason to own a vehicle at all, no
matter how low prices fall. If it can be summoned with nothing more than the tap of a
smartphone app, then discarded after dropping a passenger off, why bother to own a
car outright? People wont buy robotic cars, theyll subscribe to them, says Mr Saffo.
H But it will be humans who determine whether driverless cars become the norm.
Habits and cultural norms do not change quickly particularly when they concern an
object that has become a conspicuous part of daily life. A study by the UKs Automobile
Association found that sixty-five per cent of people liked driving too much to want an
autonomous car. It may take a generational change to overcome such deeply ingrained
beliefs. Mr Saffo, who came of age in California in the second half of the 20 th century-
the golden age of the car says: For my age group, personal freedom was a car. But
of the students he teaches now at Stanford University, he says: For them, a
smartphone fulfils that function. The desire to be liberated rather than enslaved by
technology will be the decisive factor.
Questions 14-20
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information about driverless cars?
Write the correct letters in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
Some letters may be used more than once.
14. An example of a particular manufacturer already using some related

technology.
15. Evidence that confirms that the idea of the cars wasn't always taken
seriously.
16. Mention of an event that changed attitudes towards the idea of the cars.
17. The idea that the cars would need to be used more intensively.
18. An example of how an individual might gain access to a driverless car.
19. Mention of the determination of those in the industry to overcome legal
complications.
20. The suggestion that there is great competition between manufacturers to be the
first to produce them.
Questions 21-24
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 21-24 on your answer sheet.
How automated cars will make road travel more efficient.
Ragunathan Rajkumar predicts that people travelling to work or (21)
__________ by car will be able to make more efficient use of the time if they use
autonomous cars. The time spent travelling could also be reduced thanks to the
technology. Drivers tend to be rather (22) ________________,which means that cars
have to keep a safe distance from one another. Driverless cars can use the available
road space more efficiently because they do not need such wide (23)
__________________ and can travel at a (24) ________________ which doesn't vary.
Questions 25-26 Choose TWO letters, A-E.

The list below includes some predictions made about the impact of driverless cars.
Which TWO are mentioned by the writer?
Write the correct letters sin boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet.
A They may not be suitable for all the world's cities.
B They would be too expensive for most individuals to buy.

C The technology might not be totally reliable.
D Most people would find using them enjoyable.
E People will come to see them as a symbol of personal freedom.
Answer Key:
14. E
15. B
16. B
17. F
18. G
19. E
20. A
21. school
22. slow-reacting
23. lanes
24. speed
25. B/C
26. C/B

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Reading for writing

E Another significant benefit could be a big reduction in accidents, most of which

14. An example of a particular manufacturer already using some related

Questions 25-26 Choose TWO letters, A-E.

B They would be too expensive for most individuals to buy.

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