Questões de Inglês - UFPR | Gabarito e resoluções

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) More than 100 South African gold miners treated for smoke inhalation JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) Hundreds of South African gold mine workers were rescued and over 100 treated for smoke inhalation after an underground fire, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday. Safety is a huge issue in South Africas dangerous deep-level mines and a focus for investors. A spate of deaths at SibanyeStillwaters gold operations, including a seismic event that killed seven miners in early May, has highlighted the risks. In the latest incident, more than 600 miners were initially trapped after a fire broke out at a mine east of Johannesburg operated by unlisted Gold One, NUM said. This comes almost two weeks after five miners died in an underground fire at a South African copper mine operated by unlisted Palabora Mining Company in Limpopo. Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment. As the NUM, we vehemently condemn this kind of incident as it is becoming a trend, the union said in a statement. (Disponvel em: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-mining-fire/more-than-100-south-african-gold-miners-treated-for-smoke-inhalation-idUS) De acordo com o texto, correto afirmar:

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots The French philosopher Ren Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosophers death in 1650. This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five. According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard. The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits in Descartess case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself. (Disponvel em: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y) According to the text, it is correct to say that Ren Descartes:

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots The French philosopher Ren Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosophers death in 1650. This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five. According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard. The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits in Descartess case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself. (Disponvel em: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y) In the sentence This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever , the underlined word refers to the:

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots The French philosopher Ren Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosophers death in 1650. This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five. According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard. The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits in Descartess case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself. (Disponvel em: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y) A partir das informaes apresentadas no texto, considere as seguintes afirmativas: 1. Descartes viajou para a Sucia com um rob escondido. 2. Os marinheiros abriram fora um ba que continha o simulacro de uma criana. 3. A tripulao fez uma apresentao do rob para os passageiros do navio. 4. Chocados com o que viram, os marinheiros jogaram o humanoide ao mar. Assinale a alternativa correta

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots The French philosopher Ren Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosophers death in 1650. This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five. According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard. The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits in Descartess case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself. (Disponvel em: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y) In the sentence Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits , the underlined word refers to:

(UFPR - 2018 - 1 FASE) Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots The French philosopher Ren Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosophers death in 1650. This centred on Descartess daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five. According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard. The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits in Descartess case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself. (Disponvel em: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y) According to the text, it is correct to say:

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) The ways Mexicans tell time Understanding this takes not a fluency in the language but rather a fluency in Mexican culture. Mexicans are famous in the Spanish-speaking world for their extensive use of the diminutive. While in most Spanish-speaking countries the addition of the diminutive ita to an adverb like ahora (meaning now) would strengthen it to indicate immediacy (i.e. right now), this is not the case in Mexico. Dr Company explained that Mexicans instead use the diminutive form to break down the space between the speaker and the listener and lessen formality. In this case of ahorita, the addition of the diminutive reduces urgency rather than increasing it a difference that can be extremely confusing for foreigners. (Disponvel: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170725-the-confusing-way-mexicans-tell-time. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) Consider the following affirmatives: The use of the diminutive in Mexico does not follow the same rules for other Spanish speaking countries. Dr Company says that Mexicans use ahorita to indicate immediacy. The use of the diminutive in Mexico indicates more proximity between speaker and listener. The ahorita example indicates the particular way Mexicans have adapted language to their cultural patterns. Choose the correct alternative.

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) The ways Mexicans tell time Understanding this takes not a fluency in the language but rather a fluency in Mexican culture. Mexicans are famous in the Spanish-speaking world for their extensive use of the diminutive. While in most Spanish-speaking countries the addition of the diminutive ita to an adverb like ahora (meaning now) would strengthen it to indicate immediacy (i.e. right now), this is not the case in Mexico. Dr Company explained that Mexicans instead use the diminutive form to break down the space between the speaker and the listener and lessen formality. In this case of ahorita, the addition of the diminutive reduces urgency rather than increasing it a difference that can be extremely confusing for foreigners. (Disponvel: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170725-the-confusing-way-mexicans-tell-time. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) The text illustrates:

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Consider the following excerpt: Difficulty interpreting what I have come to call Ahorita Time is a reflection of different cultural understandings of time. Dr Company explained that if she is giving a talk in Mexico and goes over her allotted time, Mexicans feel like I am giving them a gift. In the UK or the US, however, The audience starts to leave, feeling like I am wasting their time. Choose the alternative that conveys the same meaning of the excerpt above.

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the countrys air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. We cant carry on with diesel and petrol cars, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. There is no alternative to embracing new technology. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany. Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory. The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once theyre cheaper to own than conventional vehicles. The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly 1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050. Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues. The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Unions annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to Kings College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year. The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech. We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines. Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities. (Disponvel: http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) Consider the following numbers: 2.7 million new clean energy cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016. 40,000 of British deaths yearly are said to be caused by pollution related diseases. Car industry in Britain is cautious about having specific dates for banning internal combustion energy cars because it supports over 800.000 jobs in the UK. Mark the correct alternative.

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the countrys air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. We cant carry on with diesel and petrol cars, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. There is no alternative to embracing new technology. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany. Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory. The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once theyre cheaper to own than conventional vehicles. The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly 1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050. Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues. The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Unions annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to Kings College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year. The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech. We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines. Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities. (Disponvel: http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) According to the text, choose the correct alternative.

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the countrys air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. We cant carry on with diesel and petrol cars, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. There is no alternative to embracing new technology. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, makingitthe second biggest market in Europe after Germany. Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, buttheyonly accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory. The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point oncetheyre cheaper to own than conventional vehicles. The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly 1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050. Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues. The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Unions annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to Kings College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year. The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech. Weare quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines. Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities. (Disponvel: http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) The main idea of the text is related to:

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the countrys air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. We cant carry on with diesel and petrol cars, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. There is no alternative to embracing new technology. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany. Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory. The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once theyre cheaper to own than conventional vehicles. The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly 1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050. Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues. The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Unions annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to Kings College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year. The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech. We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines. Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities. (Disponvel: http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) Com base no texto, considere as seguintes afirmativas: No primeiro pargrafo, a palavra em negrito e sublinhada (it) refere-se ao Reino Unido. No segundo pargrafo, a palavra em negrito e sublinhada (they) refere-se a electric, fuel cell and pug-in hybrid cars. No terceiro pargrafo, a palavra em negrito e sublinhada (they) refere-se a conventional vehicles. No oitavo pargrafo, a palavra we em negrito e sublinhada refere-se ao governo da Frana. Assinale a alternativa correta.

(UFPR - 2017 - 1 FASE) Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the countrys air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. We cant carry on with diesel and petrol cars, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. There is no alternative to embracing new technology. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany. Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory. The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once theyre cheaper to own than conventional vehicles. The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly 1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050. Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues. The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Unions annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to Kings College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year. The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech. We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines. Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities. (Disponvel: http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.) Consider the following excerpt taken from the text: British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Choose the alternative that conveys the same meaning of the excerpt above.

(UFPR - 2016 - 1aFASE) Six things I learned from riding in a Google self-driving car 1 - Human beings are terrible drivers. We drink. We doze. We text. In the US, 30,000people die from automobile accidents every year. Traffic crashes are the primary cause of death worldwide for people aged 15-24, and during a crash, 40%of drivers never even hit the brakes. Were flawed organisms, barreling around at high speeds in vessels covered in glass, metal, distraction, and death. This is one of Googles moonshots to remove human error from a job which, for the past hundred years, has been entirely human. 2 - Google self-driving cars are timid. The car we rode in did not strike me as dangerous. It drove slowly and deliberately, and I got the impression that its more likely to annoy other drivers than to harm them. In the early versions they tested on closed courses, the vehicles were programmed to be highly aggressive. Apparently during these tests, which involved obstacle courses full of traffic cones and inflatable crash-test objects, there were a lot of screeching brakes, roaring engines and terrified interns. 3 - Theyre cute. Googles new fleet was intentionally designed to look adorable. Our brains are hardwired to treat inanimate (or animate) objects with greater care, caution, and reverence when they resemble a living thing. By turning self-driving cars into an adorable Skynet Marshmallow Bumper Bots, Google hopes to spiritually disarm other drivers. I also suspect the cuteness is used to quell some of the road rage that might emerge from being stuck behind one of these things. Theyre intended as moderate-distance couriers, not open-road warriors, so their max speed is 25miles per hour. 4 - Its not done and its not perfect. Some of the scenarios autonomous vehicles have the most trouble with are the same human beings have the most trouble with, such as traversing four-way stops or handling a yellow light. The cars use a mixture of 3D laser-mapping, GPS, and radar to analyze and interpret their surroundings, and the latest versions are fully electric with a range of about 100 miles. Despite the advantages over a human being in certain scenarios, however, these cars still arent ready for the real world. They cant drive in the snow or heavy rain, and theres a variety of complex situations they do not process well, such as passing through a construction zone. Google is hoping that, eventually, the cars will be able to handle all of this as well (or better) than a human could. 5 - I want this technology to succeed, like yesterday. Im biased. Earlier this year my mom had a stroke. It damaged the visual cortex of her brain, and her vision was impaired to the point that shell probably never drive again. This reduced her from a fully-functional, independent human being with a career and a buzzing social life into someone who is homebound, disabled, and powerless. When discussing self-driving cars, people tend to ask many superficial questions. They ignore that 45% of disabled people in the US still work. They ignore that 95%of a cars lifetime is spent parked. They ignore how this technology could transform the lives of the elderly, or eradicate the need for parking lots or garages or gas stations. They dismiss the entire concept because they dont think a computer could ever be as good at merging on the freeway as they are. They ignore the great, big, beautiful picture: that this technology could make our lives so much better. 6 - It wasnt an exhilarating ride, and thats a good thing. Riding in a self-driving car is not the cybernetic thrill ride one might expect. The car drives like a person, and after a few minutes you forget that youre being driven autonomously. You forget that a robot is differentiating cars from pedestrians from mopeds from raccoons. You forget that millions of photons are being fired from a laser and interpreting, processing, and reacting to the hand signals of a cyclist. You forget that instead of an organic brain, which has had millions of years to evolve the cognitive ability to fumble its way through a four-way stop, youre being piloted by an artificial one, which was birthed in less than a decade. The unfortunate part of something this transformative is the inevitable, ardent stupidity which is going to erupt from the general public. Even if in a few years self-driving cars are proven to be ten times safer than human-operated cars, all its going to take is one tragic accident and the public is going to lose their minds. There will be outrage. There will be politicizing. There will be hashtags. I say look at the bigger picture. All the self-driving cars currently on the road learn from one another, and possess 40 years of driving experience. And this technology is still in its infancy. (Adapted from: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/google_self_driving_car. 21/08/2016.) Consider the following: 1. Drinking before driving. 2. Sending a written message while driving. 3. Sleeping for a short period of time. 4. Hitting the brakes. 5. Speeding up. According to the text, some human mistakes that happen before or during a car accident are: