Swiss national Louis Palmer fulfilled a childhood dream when he set off from his mother country on July 3, travelling over deserts, cities and seas in 17 countries in a solar taxi to reach UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
"In 1986, 1 was a 14-year-old boy. I was dreaming that when I will be an adult. I want to drive around the world, " he told reporters.
"Then it came to my mind, how can I travel around the world and enjoy the beauty of this world with a car that is polluting the world? Then I thought the perfect car would be a solar car. "
His car, which has become a major attraction at the gates of the summit of some 188 nations, was built in three years with scientific help from four universities and 15 Swiss companies. The car pulls a trailer with six square meters of solar panels which absorb the sun. The electricity is fed into the battery which powers the car, and can run for up to 100 kilometers a day.
"It's the first time in history that a car is driving around the world without a single drop of petrol, " said Palmer.
His epic solar journey is not his first adventure—he crossed Africa on a bicycle and North America in a light aircraft.
So far, Palmer has gone by land through Europe and the Middle East, then by sea to India and on to Indonesia. After covering much of Asia, Australia, North America and Africa, he will return to Switzerland to try and drum up support for the commercial possibilities of solar cars.
For the moment, he has his hands full, with more curious customers waiting to take a ride in his unique automobile which, he said, "works like a Swiss clock. "
The sentence in the third paragraph "how can I travel around the world and enjoy the beauty of this world with a car that is polluting the world?" means" __________ ".
A.Louis Palmer found it hard to choose how to travel |
B.Louis Palmer would feel guilty about his travelling in a polluting car |
C.Louis Palmer couldn't make up his mind whether to travel by car |
D.Louis Palmer was trying to enjoy the scenery in spite of polluting the world |
Why did Louis Palmer take so long a journey in a "solar taxi"?
A.To attend the conference. |
B.To advertise the solar car. |
C.To realize his dream. |
D.To turn to the summit for help. |
So many visitors came to the car mainly because __________.
A.it uses electricity as power |
B.it works as well as a Swiss clock |
C.it is the first solar car in the world |
D.they were eager to have a look at it |
The underlined phrase "has his hands full" in the last paragraph probably means __________.
A.becomes very popular | B.looks so proud |
C.is extremely busy | D.shakes hands |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Palmer will attempt to put solar cars on the market. |
B.Palmer dreamed of a solar car when he was a boy. |
C.Palmer will return home from Indonesia. |
D.Palmer has never made a journey before. |