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I was amused this week to see the video of a Tesla driving down a perfectly straight motorway in Taiwan. The weather was good and everything was normal except for the truck on its side in the outside lane. We the viewers could see it. All the other drivers on the motorway could see it too. But the Tesla, bombing along at around 60 mph, with its self-drive autopilot system used, did NOT see it.

It even went straight past the driver of the overturned truck who was at the side of the road, a good distance from the crash site, frantically warning oncoming drivers to slow down. And then came the impact.

Luckily, no one was hurt. But the accident does serve as a useful reminder about technology. It can make life fun and it can make life convenient. But we’ve not yet reached a point where we can rely on it to behave itself.

The owner of that Tesla in Taiwan used the car’s self-drive system and sat back, assuming it would be able to see a crashed truck directly ahead. Had he not researched the car at all? I know Tesla says its autopilot system is nine times safer than a human. But a quick Google search would suggest that sometimes, like all technology, it isn’t safe at all.

I actually quite like Tesla’s current range of cars. I think they are interesting and fun and I can see why the Model 3 was the best-selling car in Britain. But I have a word of warning for anyone who wants to buy one and use its autopilot: Don’t. Think of it as the tool you get on a Swiss Army knife that can be used for getting stones out of a horse’s hoof. It’s a talking point but you’d never actually use it.

1.What caused the Tesla traffic accident in Taiwan?

A The bad weather.

B The condition of the motorway.

C The driver’s wrong operation.

D The self-drive autopilot system.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句But the Tesla, bombing along at around 60 mph, with its self-drive autopilot system used, did NOT see it.可知，特斯拉以每小时60英里的速度疾驰，使用了自动驾驶系统，却没有看到它，故引发了事故，故选D。

2.What’s the result of this crash?

A The driver in the truck was badly hurt.

B It turned out to be right in Tesla’s self-drive system.

C It became a tragedy for the new technology in use.

D It seriously affected the sales of Tesla in the world.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据文章第三段可知，幸运的是，没有人受伤。但这起事故确实是对科技的有益提醒。它可以使生活变得有趣，也可以使生活变得方便，但我们还没有到可以依靠它来表现自己的地步，由此看出本次交通事故成了正在使用的新技术的悲剧，故选C。

3.What’s the author’s attitude toward the autopilot technology?

A Active.

B Neutral.

C Negative.

D Objective.

解析：选C。观点态度题。根据文章第四段I know Tesla says its autopilot system is nine times safer than a human. But a quick Google search would suggest that sometimes, like all technology, it isn’t safe at all.可知，作者知道特斯拉曾宣传说它的自动驾驶系统比人类安全九倍。但是快速的谷歌搜索会表明，有时候，就像所有的技术一样，它根本不安全；作者也不建议人们购买特斯拉。由此推断作者对于自动驾驶系统持否定态度，故选C。

4.What does the author want to tell us?

A Tesla is strong enough to protect drivers from being hurt.

B Too much technology in the car can only bring trouble to people.

C You can buy a Tesla for the autopilot function but don’t actually use it.

D New technology sometimes will reduce profits in the car-making industry.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段But I have a word of warning for anyone who wants to buy one and use its autopilot: Don’t. Think of it as the tool you get on a Swiss Army knife that can be used for getting stones out of a horse’s hoof. It’s a talking point but you’d never actually use it.可知，作者警告想买特斯拉的任何人不要使用该车的自动驾驶功能，故选C。