英语听力精选进阶版 13223

Germany to invest in more electric cars

Report

Germany plans to double financial aid, particularly to develop better, lighter¹ batteries, which remain the brake on the technology's mass appeal. Cars which emit virtually no carbon dioxide will be exempt² from tax.

Despite its green reputation, Germany has been slower than other countries, like Japan, to develop electric cars.

It now aims to change this, but attitudes may be hard to change. It is a country where 'no speed limits on the motorway³' is seen as sacrosanct⁴.

And it is the country of the BMW (car), though the luxury car-maker is now trying to develop lighter materials to make its vehicles greener.

Stephen Evans, BBC News, Berlin

1 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

2 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

3 motorway   

n.高速公路，快车道

参考例句：

• Our car had a breakdown on the motorway.我们的汽车在高速公路上抛锚了。
• A maniac driver sped 35 miles along the wrong side of a motorway at 110 mph.一个疯狂的司机以每小时110英里的速度在高速公路上逆行飙车35英里。

4 sacrosanct   

adj.神圣不可侵犯的

参考例句：

• In India,the cow is a sacrosanct animal.牛在印度是神圣的动物。
• Philip Glass is ignorant of establishing an immutable, sacrosanct urtext.菲利普·格拉斯不屑于创立不变的、神圣的原始文本。