A new, upgraded version of an electric car from Tesla Motors is capable of going from 0 to 100kph in just 2.8 seconds. The original 691 horsepower Tesla Model S P85D was already incredibly fast. It even had a function called Insane Mode, which meant the car could get from 0-100kph in 3.2 seconds. The upgrade is called Ludicrous Mode and will take the horsepower up to 762, thus providing the extra power to get to 100kph in less than three seconds. This is close to the acceleration of a Porsche 911 Turbo S supercar. That kind of horsepower means the car can accelerate at a force of 1.1G. This means the acceleration will make the driver feel that he or she is going faster than the speed of falling out of an airplane.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained that the new improvement in acceleration came from research into an advanced battery. Engineers were working on a new power train for its cars. A power train is the system that delivers the power from the engine to the wheels. The engineers managed to increase the battery power by ten per cent, resulting in the extra acceleration. Tesla said: "Unlike a gasoline internal combustion engine with hundreds of moving parts, Tesla electric motors have only one moving piece: the rotor. As a result, Model S acceleration is instantaneous, silent and smooth." The Tesla S P85D car is priced at $87,500 as a basic model; the "ludicrous" upgrade will be an extra $13,000.

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.The Tesla car is a brand new prototype of an electric car.T / F

b.The latest upgrade to the Tesla is called "Insane Mode".T / F

c.The acceleration of the Tesla is almost that of a Porsche 911 supercar.T / F

d.The Tesla's acceleration is faster than that of falling from an airplane.T / F

e.The increased speed is as a result of research into a new battery.T / F

f.A power train delivers power from the wheels to the engine.T / F

g.A gasoline internal combustion engine has hundreds of moving parts.T / F

h.The car with the upgrade costs less than $100,000.T / F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.What is the name of the company that made the car?

2.What was the horsepower of the original model?

3.What is the name of the new upgrade?

4.What kind of force does the car accelerate at?

5.What did the article say the speed was faster than?

6.What were the engineers working on to get the improved acceleration?

7.How many moving parts are there in an internal combustion engine?

8.What is the moving part in a Tesla electric car engine?

9.What did the article say the car was besides instantaneous and smooth?

10.How much does the upgrade cost?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

aFbFcTdTeTfFgThF

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.upgradeda.improved

2incrediblyb.amazingly

3.providingc.supplying

4.extrad.additional

5.feele.sense

6.improvementf.advance

7.resulting ing.leading to

8.as a resulth.because of this

9.instantaneousi.immediate

10.ludicrousj.ridiculous

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.Tesla Motors

2.691

3.Ludicrous Mode

4.A force of 1.1G

5.Falling from an airplane

6.A(n advanced) battery

7.Hundreds

8.A rotor

9.Silent

10.$13,000