A
Nowadays six Amazon Scout delivery robots are rolled out in a pilot program in Snohomish County, Wash. The robots carry meals, groceries and packages to homes and offices in this region just north of Seattle. They have appeared on the sidewalks of London, Beijing and other cities and communities worldwide. These machines must overcome pedestrian legs, naughty dogs and broken pavement, which raises some questions.
These services are gaining attraction as a growing number of city residents expect immediate or scheduled delivery for just about everything. Between 2016 and 2017 online retail sales in the US increased by 16 percent. On the final step of all these deliveries, called the last mile, humans on bicycles, motorized scooters (电动车) or large delivery trucks typically deliver packages. All the vehicles compete for space on busy urban streets. “Deliveries are trending upwards in all crowded city centers, and if city and state leaders don't start thinking about creative solutions like robot deliveries, we can expect even worse traffic jams，” says Paul Mackie, director of a transportation policy research center in Arlington.
A study by this center found 73 percent of delivery vehicles in Arlington were parked outside of authorized areas, often blocking bike lanes and crosswalks. By moving the last step of deliveries from the road to the sidewalk, cities could reduce traffic jams and solve the parking problem entirely, Mackie says.
Companies such as Amazon are not developing this delivery technology simply to clear up urban traffic. Selfdriving vehicles and sidewalk robots could cut down lastmile delivery costs in cities by as much as 40 percent, according to a 2018 report by a consultancy firm. A delivery robot can cost thousands of dollars to manufacture, and most currently require human management and conservation. But in the long run companies that use autonomous delivery vehicles in the next several years could end up saving billions of dollars, the report stated.
本文是一篇说明文，旨在说明目前城市中送货所带来的问题以及送货机器人的出现对城市所造成的影响。
1．Why does Amazon introduce delivery robots?
A．To amuse its customers.
B．To avoid pedestrians, dogs and broken pavement.
C．To meet the increasing demand of delivering packages.
D．To confirm the company's innovation spirit.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。根据第二段中的“These services are gaining attraction as a growing number of city residents expect immediate or scheduled delivery for just about everything”可知，人们因为对包裹投递的需求一直在增加，所以对送货机器人很感兴趣，故选C。
2．What does Paul Mackie mean by his words in paragraph 2?
A．Retail sales in the US increased fast.
B．Deliveries stay steady in all crowded city centers.
C．Regardless of robot deliveries, traffic jams will remain the same.
D．Robots can help ease the traffic pressure.
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。第二段中Paul Mackie说的话意为“包裹投递在所有拥挤的城市中心(逐渐)增多，如果城市和州的领导者不开始思考创造性的解决方案，比如机器人派送，我们可能会面临更糟糕的交通堵塞”，由此可见，机器人可以帮助缓解交通压力，故选D。
3．What can the robot delivery bring to the city?
A．Blocking bike lanes and crosswalks.
B．Relieving urban traffic as well as saving delivery costs.
C．Increasing danger to pedestrians.
D．Leading to traffic jams.
答案：B
解析：推理判断题。根据文章最后一段前两句可知：机器人送货不仅可以减少交通堵塞，而且可以节约成本。故选B。
4．Which word can best describe the future of the robot delivery?
A．Uncertain. B．Hopeless.
C．Promising. D．Unacceptable.
答案：C
解析：推理判断题。根据文章最后一句话可知从长期看来，在接下来几年使用自动送货机器人的公司最终会节省数十亿美元，因此送货机器人有广泛的前景。
