The driverless
future
What if traffic flowed
through our streets as smoothly and efficiently as blood flows through our
veins? Transportation geek Wanis Kabbaj thinks we can find inspiration
in the genius of our biology to design the transit systems of the
future. In this forward-thinking talk, preview exciting concepts like
modular, detachable buses, flying taxis and networks of suspended
magnetic pods that could help make the dream of a dynamic,
driverless world into a reality.
Some words
Remedy (n)
Patina (n)
Congestion (n)
Network (n)
vascular
system (n)
urban (adj)
vein (n)
expansion (n)
laboratory (n)
Before
watching: Imagine the world with completely autonomous transport. What does it
look like? Draw a picture!
 |
1. What is
Wanis's strange pleasure?
A) Drinking wine
B) Looking down on cities from above
C) Driving through cities
2. Which
cities have a patina of history? _____________ and ____________
3. What was
the remedy for congestion in Paris? ______________________
4. Why are
network expansions impossible for many cities (3 reasons)
1.______________
2.______________
3.______________
5. What is “the world's most sophisticated
transportation laboratory”? - The ____________ system.
6. What is the difference between our urban
systems and our vascular system?
7. Why do we not have traffic jams in our veins?
8. What is the problem with urban trains?
9. What is the solution?
10. What are self-driving cars trying to learn at the moment?
1.How to__________________________
2.How to_________________________
11. “The more _____________ our traffic grid will be, the more
___________ and _______ its movement will feel.”
· arteries
· admirably
· industrious
· devouring
· dense
· commuters
· absurd
· clogged
· boulevards
· habitat
· monumental
Some people are obsessed with French wines. Others love
playing golf or (1) __________ literature.
One of my greatest pleasures in life is, I have to admit, a
bit special. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy watching cities from the sky,
from an airplane window.
Some cities are calmly (2) __________, like Dusseldorf or
Louisville. Others project an energy they can hardly contain, like New York or
Hong Kong. And then you have Paris or Istanbul, with their patina full of
history.
I see cities as living beings. When I discover them from far
above, I like to find those main streets and highways that structure their
space—especially at night, when (4) __________ make these (3) __________ glow
dramatically red and gold: the city’s vascular system performing its vital
function right before your eyes.
But when I’m sitting in my car after an hour and a half of
commuting every day, that reality looks very different. Nothing—not public
radio, no podcast, not even mindfulness meditation—makes this time worth
living.
Isn’t it (5) __________ that we created cars that can reach
130 miles per hour and now drive them at the same speed as 19th-century horse
carriages?
In the US alone, we spent 29.6 billion hours commuting in
2014. With that amount of time, ancient Egyptians could have built 26 Pyramids
of Giza. We do that in one year. A (6) __________ waste of time, energy and
human potential.
For decades, our remedy for congestion was simple: build new
roads or enlarge existing ones. And it worked. It worked (7) __________ for
Paris, when the city tore down hundreds of historical buildings to create 85
miles of transportation-friendly (8) __________. It still works today in
fast-growing emerging cities.
But in more established urban centers, significant network
expansions are almost impossible: (9) __________ is just too (10) __________,
real estate too expensive and public finances too fragile.
Our city’s vascular system is getting (11) __________. It’s
getting sick. And we should pay attention. Our current way of thinking is not
working. For transportation to flow, we need a new source of inspiration.
Synonym-Matching List
A. blocked
B. thickly populated
C. ridiculous
D. steadily hard-working
E. passionately reading
F. channels
G. impressive
H. daily travellers
I. avenues
J. remarkably well
K. surroundings
The driverless future
detachable
flowed
dynamic
geek
forward-thinking
biology
suspended magnetic pods
genius
What if traffic 1___________ through our streets as
smoothly and efficiently as blood flows through our veins? Transportation 2__________
Wanis Kabbaj thinks we can find inspiration in the 3_________ of our 4_________
to design the transit systems of the future. In this 5___________ talk,
preview exciting concepts like modular, 6____________ buses, flying taxis
and networks of 7__________ that could help make the dream of a 8__________,
driverless world into a reality.
Part 1: Beginnings
- While
our vascular system uses three dimensions inside us,
- If
our surface grid is saturated,
- Because
our network is so extensive,
- When
I’m sitting in my car after an hour and a half of commuting,
- To
create 3-D transportation networks,
- Wagons
can detach dynamically while you’re moving
- Building
a 3-D transportation network
- Vehicles
could drive much faster when all the cars are driverless and
connected,
Part 2: Endings
A. we now have the dreams, the concepts and the technology.
B. urban transportation is mostly two-dimensional.
C. and become express, driverless buses that move on a secondary road network.
D. is one of the ways we can mitigate and solve traffic jams.
E. let’s elevate our traffic.
F. that reality looks very different.
G. each one of our 37 trillion cells gets oxygen precisely when it needs it.
H. because everything becomes predictable and reaction time is minimal.
Part 3: Clause Types (Match each sentence to one type)
I. Clause of contrast
II. Conditional clause
III. Clause of reason
IV. Time clause
V. Clause of purpose
VI. Participle (-ing) clause
VII. Adverbial clause of time
VIII. Cause-and-effect clause
