3、 

Swiss national Louis Palmer realized a childhood dream when he set off from his home country on July 3, 2007 traveling over desert, city and sea in 17 countries by a “solar taxi” to reach UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

    “In 1986, I was a 14-year-old boy. I was dreaming that when I would be an adult, I wanted 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 gate 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 metres of solar panel which soaks up the sun. The electricity is fed into the battery which powers the car, and the car can run for up to 100 kilometres a day.

    “It’s the first time in history that a car is driving around the world without a single drop of petrol,” boasted Palmer, a teacher by training.

    His epic solar journey is not his first adventure--- he went across 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 supports for the commercial possibilities of solar cars.

 

41. Louis Palmer went all the way to Bali to ________.

   A. donate a car to a UN conference

   B. test his new car in various road conditions

   C. draw attention to his petrol-free vehicle

   D. make a fortune by being a taxi driver there

42. As a teenager, Louis Palmer ________.

  A. was determined to travel around the world

    B. showed special talent in making vehicles

    C. cycled to 17 countries all by himself

 D. flew a small aircraft to North America

43. From the fourth paragraph we know that ________.

   A. nobody there was interested in his car

   B. many people came to see his car at the gate

   C. he was not the owner of the solar taxi

   D. the vehicle had cost him a lot money

44. Compared with ordinary cars, Palmer’s car ________.

   A. runs much faster                                        B. is less expensive

   C. is more environment friendly                       D. consumes less petrol

45. The phrase “soaks up the sun” in the 5^th paragraph most probably means ________.

   A. taking in energy from the sun                      B. protecting the car from the sun

   C. using water to cool down the car                  D. keeping the heat out of the car