Hybrid cars （混合动力车） are cars that run on petrol and electricity. They have a small standard petrol engine and a battery (电池) electric motor to provide electric power.
There are some differences between different models of hybrid cars, but the general principle is that the car runs on petrol, and the electric motor kicks in when additional power is required, for example, when going uphill or accelerating. In some hybrid cars the petrol engine turns itself off when not needed, for example when the car has stopped at traffic light, keeping only the electric engine running.
Conventional cars have large engines to deal with driving uphill and accelerating. Hybrid cars have much smaller petrol engines, improved by electric motors when needed, so they use less petrol. Another way that fuel consumption is cut is by a system of "regenerative (再生的) braking". The electric motor is used to slow down the car, rather than conventional brakes. The energy produced by slowing the car is changed into electrical power, which is automatically stored in the battery. In effect, the battery recharges when you brake. In conventional cars the energy produced when braking is wasted.
In 1928 Ferdinand Porsche built an experimental hybrid car. The first mass-produced                        hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, came out in Japan at the end of 1997. However, hybrid cars became available in the USA only in 1999. As they use less fuel, hybrid cars are cheaper to run. There are also many voices in place to encourage people to buy them. In some countries, hybrid car owners pay a lower rate of tax, and don't have to pay on certain roads. In some cities, hybrid cars are allowed to park for free.
Hybrid cars consume less energy than conventional cars because hybrid cars _____.

A．have large engines to deal with accelerating

B．have conventional brakes to slow down the car

C．have electric power to assist when needed

D．have no energy consumption when stopping

In regenerative braking, _____.

A．energy wasted in conventional cars is stored in the battery

B．the conventional brakes are used to slow down the car

C．the battery charges itself when the car is accelerating

D．the petrol engine is usually turned off automatically

From the last paragraph we can learn that Hybrid cars ____.

A．were first available in the USA

B．will gain more popularity

C．free their owners from tax

D．are free to park anywhere in the city

The main purpose of this text is to_____.

A．show haw hybrid cars slow down

B．encourage people to buy hybrid cars

C．inform people a kind of energy-saving cars

D．explain why hybrid cars use less energy