2020年浙江卷
B
The traffic signals along Factoria Boulevard in Bellevue, Washington, generally don’ t flash the same length of green twice in a row, especially at rush hour. At 9：30 am, the full red/yellow/green signal cycle might be 140 seconds. By 9：33 am, a burst of additional traffic might push it to 145 seconds. Less traffic at 9：37 am could push it down to 135. Just like the traffic itself, the timing of the signals changes.
That is by design. Bellevue, a fast-growing city, just east of Seattle, uses a system that is gaining popularity around the US：intersection(十字路口) signals that can adjust in real time to traffic conditions. These lights, known as adaptive signals, have led to significant declines in both the trouble and cost of travels between work and home.
“Adaptive signals can make sure that the traffic demand that is there is being addressed,” says Alex Stevanovic, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University.
For all of Bellevue’ s success, adaptive signals are not a cure-all for jammed roadways. Kevin Balke, a research engineer at the Texas A&M university transportation Institute, says that while smart lights can be particularly beneficial for some cities, others are so jammed that only a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the road will make a meaningful difference. “It’s not going to fix everything, but adaptive signals have some benefits for smaller cities,” he says.
In Bellevue, the switch to adaptive signals has been a lesson in the value of welcoming new approaches. In the past, there was often an automatic reaction to increased traffic: just widen the roads, says Mark Poch, the Bellevue Transportation Department’s traffic engineering manager. Now he hopes that other cities will consider making their streets run smarter instead of just making them bigger.
25. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Increased length of green lights. B. Shortened traffic signal cycle.
C. Flexible timing of traffic signals. D. Smooth traffic flow on the road.
26. What does Kevin Balke say about adaptive signals?
A. They work better on broad roads.
B. They should be used in other cities.
C. They have greatly reduced traffic on the road.
D. They are less helpful in cities seriously jammed.
27. What can we learn from Bellevue’ s success?
A. It is rewarding to try new things. B. The old methods still work today.
C. It pays to put theory into practice. D. The simplest way is the best way.
答案解析：
25. C解析：第二段中划线单词"that"指的是第一段中提到的交通信号灯的时间变化，即交通信号灯的时间是灵活变化的，不会连续两次闪现相同长度的绿灯。因此，选项C "Flexible timing of traffic signals."与原文内容相符。
26. D解析：根据第四段中Kevin Balke的话：“while smart lights can be particularly beneficial for some cities, others are so jammed that only a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the road will make a meaningful difference.”可知，虽然智能信号灯对一些城市特别有益，但其他城市交通拥堵严重，只有大幅减少路上的汽车数量，才会带来有意义的变化。因此，选项D "They are less helpful in cities seriously jammed."与原文内容相符。
27. A解析：根据最后一段中的“In Bellevue, the switch to adaptive signals has been a lesson in the value of welcoming new approaches.”可知，贝尔维尤转而使用自适应信号灯是一个欢迎新方法的教训。这表明尝试新事物是有益的。因此，选项A "It is rewarding to try new things."与原文内容相符。
