B
Frankfurt: Renault SA Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said the future of electric cars depends on a rebound (反弹) in oil prices that may boost sales of the battery –powered vehicles he’s spending 4 billion euros ($ 5.9 billion) to develop.
“If oil is less than $ 70, we are going to have a problem,” Ghosn said in an interview at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Renault pledged to sell 100,000 electric cars by 2016 in Israel and Denmark, the first two countries to hire the Paris-based company’s US partner Better Place to roll out nationwide networks of battery-charging swapping stations.
Ghosn is pitting (绞尽脑汁)electric cars from Renault and Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co against a new generation of smaller, cheaper gasoline electric hybrids from rivals including Toyota Motor Corp. The French company’s Fluence sedan, on show for the first time in Frankfurt, will become the world’s first mass-market electric car if the agreement with Better Place pays off.
“The outlook for investors in electric cars is extremely dangerous, but if oil prices take off again, there may be a significant commercial opportunity and big rewards,” said Peter Schmidt, managing director of Warwick, England-based consulting firm Automotive Industry Data.
The price of oil, which stood at $70.75 a barrel（桶） by this morning in Europe, will rise to $75 tomorrow, based on the median（中间数）of 35 estimates ranging from $40 to $110. It’s likely to fluctuate （波动）between $80 and $92 through 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
59. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The higher oil prices are, the better it will be for electric cars.
B. Sales of electric cars depend on the new design.
C. The agreement with Better Place pays off.
D. The quality of battery-powered autos can not be guaranteed.
60. The sentence “But if it’s at $ 200, the economic equation’s very easy, and if it’s more than $ 200, even easier.” can be put at the end of _________.
A. paragraph one B. paragraph two
C. paragraph three D. paragraph four
61. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Fluctuation of oil prices B. Bad future for electric cars
C. Oil price holds key for electric autos D. A promising CEO
62. The estimated oil price in 2013 might be between________________.
A.$35—$75 B.$40—$110 C. $70.75—$75 D.$80—$92
