Danish company Autofuel has developed a robotic arm capable of refueling a variety of vehicles at gas stations without any kind of human assistance. The Neste fuel station in Finland is currently the only place in the world where you can have your car refueled by a robot. It’s the pilot site chosen by Autofuel to test its futuristic refueling system — a robotic arm that can locate a car’s fuel tank door, select the right type of fuel, and operate the pump without any kind of human assistance.

Autofuel’s solution consists of a modular (组合式的) robotic arm housed within the fuel pump, and a series of sensors and cameras designed to keep things running smoothly. Cameras detect the vehicle’s registration number so the system is able to detect what kind of fuel it requires. Another camera directs the car to stop in a certain area so that the arm can easily reach the fuel tank door. The arm itself then starts to move, opening the door, selecting the right fuel nozzle (喷嘴) and finally refueling the car.

The whole thing looks great in promotional videos, but after one of them recently went viral on the Internet, people brought up quite a few valid concerns. In order for the entire process to work, one needs to have their vehicle registered with Autofuel. This is basically the only way for the system to recognize the type of car, the right fuel, and the payment options. That’s information a lot of people aren’t likely to share for something as trivial as refueling. Then there is the matter of the fuel tank cap. How does it deal with the various fuel caps still in use by many car manufacturers? We couldn’t find an answer to that question, but we assume that Autofuel is relying on the fact that the cars of the future will no longer need fuel tank caps.

Although it may be a while before refueling robots become mainstream, Autofuel believes they will become extremely useful when truly autonomous vehicles finally hit the roads. With robots and AI becoming such a big part of our lives lately, it’s easy to imagine solutions like Autofuel becoming typical in the near future.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：18980471698）

1.What features Autofuel’s refueling robot?

A It can locate a car’s fuel tank door.

B It provides fuels for all kinds of vehicles.

C It requires no human involvement.

D It refuels vehicles with the right type of fuel.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第一段中两次出现的“without any kind of human assistance”可知，这个自动加油系统的特点是无需人工协助。故选C。

2.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A Why the system was developed.

B How the system works.

C Why the system will be popular.

D How Autofuel got its new idea.

解析：选B。B 段落大意题。结合本段第一句的“Autofuel’s solution consists of a modular robotic arm housed within the fuel pump, and a series of sensors and cameras”以及后文大意：一个摄像头会检测车辆的注册号，另一个摄像头引导汽车停在一个特定的区域，然后机械臂自己开始移动，打开油箱门，选择正确的燃油喷嘴，最后给汽车加油。即本段主要是描述了该自动加油系统的工作原理。故选B。

3.What must a driver do before using the refueling system?

A Share his personal information.

B Get rid of the fuel cap of his car.

C Contact the car manufacturer.

D Register his car with Autofuel.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第三段第二、三句的“one needs to have their vehicle registered with Autofuel. This is basically the only way for the system to recognize...”可知，要使用这个自动加油系统，必须先注册车辆信息，因为这是让系统识别车辆的唯一方法。故选D。

4.What’s the author’s attitude toward Autofuel’s refueling robot?

A Optimistic.

B Uncertain.

C Objective.

D Negative.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中的描述，作者认为随着机器人和人工智能成为我们生活中重要的一部分，很容易想象像Autofuel的这种自动加油系统会在不久的将来成为典型，即作者对之持乐观的态度。故选A。