You are riding down the freeway with your family. Suddenly, you notice that the car next to you has no driver! This situation sounds like a scene from a scary movie. In fact, though, robotic vehicles are no longer just an element of science fiction.
In 2004, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a part of the U.S. government, announced a competition called the Grand Challenge. This was the first long-distance competition in the world for driverless cars. In order to encourage robotic development, Congress authorized DARPA to offer a $1 million prize to the winner of the race.
During the 2004 Grand Challenge, 15 teams made it to the finals. This was a
142-mile road race across the desert. Each team had developed a car designed to operate without a driver or without remote controls. Vehicles had to drive themselves around obstacles and through rough terrain. Few people were surprised when there was no winner.
The next year, the prize money was increased to $2 million. Teams applied lessons they learned during the first race. Twenty-three teams made it to the finals. Five of those teams finished the 130-mile race through the Mojave Desert. The winner was a 2004 Volkswagen sport utility vehicle nicknamed Stanley. Stanley's developers won the $2 million prize. In 2007, DARPA held the third competition, an Urban Challenge. Robotic cars had to complete a 60-mile city course, obeying all traffic rules and merging with other cars in traffic. The winner of this race was a Chevy Tahoe nicknamed Boss. So, why is the government interested in developing robotic vehicles? The military would like to have ways to transport goods during wartime without endangering soldiers. In the meantime, if you see a car on the road without a driver, don't be shocked. It might be competing in the next Grand Challenge race!
1. What is this passage mostly about?
A. a Chevy Tahoe nicknamed Boss
B. a competition to design robotic cars * my answer
C. the stages of development of robotic cars
D. desert obstacle races
2. What happened when DARPA increased the prize money from $1 million to $2 million?
A. More teams made it to the finals.
B. Teams from the previous year became jealous.
C. The popularity of the race exceeded the organizer's expectations. * my answer
D. The length of the course also doubled.
3. What can the reader guess based on the low number of teams that actually finished each race?
A. The teams were overly confident in their ability to finish the race.
B. The obstacles set up along the course were unfairly constructed.
C. Cars cannot drive through the Mojave
Desert.
D. It is very difficult to make a robotic car that functions properly. * my answer
4. What can the reader conclude
based on the information in the
passage?
A. Robotic cars have been used by the government for many years.
B. Robotic cars are important to the government because they may help save lives. * my answer
C. As oil grows more scarce, it will become increasingly difficult to build robotic cars.
D. The chances of seeing a robotic car on the highway are decreasing
Are my answers correct?
1 answer