Some experts feel that the automobile is to "die". They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all automobiles will be abandoned. They think that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the near future.
It should become smaller, safer, and cheaper, and should not be powered by the petrol engine. The car in the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.
Regardless of its power source, the automobile in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic jams.
When the automobile enters the freeway system，a retractable (可缩进的) arm, which can be moved forwards or backwards, will drop from the automobile and make contact with a rail, which is similar to the electrically powered subway trains. Once attached to the rail，the car will become electrically powered from the system, and the control of the vehicle will be passed to a central computer.
The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the freeway. It is estimated that an automated freeway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day freeway.
A. Other authorities, however, think the automobile is here to stay.
B. The computer will then monitor all of the car's movements.
C. One proposed solution to this problem is the automated freeway system.
D. Experts have different views on what role the automobile will play in the near future.
E. The motor car will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years.
F. Drivers in the freeway svstem can sit back and do nothing but control the direction.
G. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer (蜂鸣器) that will warn him of his coming exit.
