Believe it or not, optical illusion(错觉) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金会) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards (danger) are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.The passage mainly discusses ________.
| A．a new way of highway speed control |
| B．a new pattern for painting highways |
| C．a new way of training drivers |
| D．a new type of optical illusion |
On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________.
| A．they should avoid speed-related hazards |
| B．they are driving in the wrong lane |
| C．they should slow down their speed |
| D．they are coming near to the speed limit |
The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________.
| A．can keep drivers awake | B．can cut road accidents in half |
| C．will look more attractive | D．will have a longer effect on drivers |
The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.
| A．try out the Japanese method in certain areas |
| B．change the road signs across the country |
| C．replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons |
| D．repeat the Japanese road patterns |
What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?
| A．They are suitable only on broad roads. |
| B．They are falling out of use in the United States. |
| C．They are ignored in a long period of time. |
| D．They cannot be used successfully to traffic circles. |
Foulsham House is a fine, large house of the 1790s．It stands high above the River Byer, in twenty—five hectares(公顷)of the best farmland in the southwest．
The house was built by Smithson, and the story that George, the son of King of Whales, who fell in love with the beautiful Lady Kitty, at one of the first Foulsham’s wild woods(野外)parties．Many years ago many great men rode on the hills about Foulsham.
House, and many fine girls took tea in the Green Room．
The house has eight bedrooms, three bathrooms(浴室), two living—rooms, and a dining—room with a real Adam fireplace．Its library has a good view over the park and the river．All rooms are light and airy, with good, high windows, and wood floors．
At the back of the house there is room for four cars．The third Foulsham once kept there．In many other ways, this house of the 1790s meets the needs of the 1990s．
If you wish to know more about Foulsham House, write to： Harvey．Platt, Longford ＆Son 6, Castle Green, Gilham, Byreside．Foulsham House_____
| A．is an old farmhouse |
| B．stands 25 hectares high above the River Byer |
| C．is an old, stone house, standing in very fine farmland |
| D．is twenty-five years old, and is of fine stone |
People say that _____
| A．Smithson built the house for Lord Foulsham's wild parties |
| B．Prince George fell in love with KItty Wake at Foulsham House |
| C．Prince George and KItty Wake fell in love with the Green House |
| D．Lord Foulsham fell in love with a lady wales |
Foulsham House_____
| A．is an old house that meets many new needs |
| B．though seventy-nine years old, meets new needs |
| C．is a new house that meets many old needs |
| D．is a house of the 1970s as good as new |
The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years' development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers .People's food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe ,where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag. The best title for the passage would be______.
| A．Power of the National Flag | B．Uses of Flag |
| C．Types of Flags | D．Development of the National Flag |
The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means_____
| A．impossible to make sure of | B．difficult to find |
| C．likely to be protected | D．easy to damage |
The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because______
| A．they were believed to stand for natural forces |
| B．they could bring good luck to fighters |
| C．they were handed down by the ancestors |
| D．they could tell wind direction |
What does the author know of the first national flag?
| A．He thinks it came from | B．He believes it was made in Egypt |
| C．He doubts where it started. | D．He knows when it was sent to Europe |
What was the author most probably talk about next?
| A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag. |
| B．The second ancestor of the national flag. |
| C．The use of modern flags in Europe |
| D．The importance of modern flags |
When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.
Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock（家畜）.During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.
People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy saving.
House building becomes a great challenge（挑战）to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy saving houses. What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?
| A．The climate of their areas. |
| B．The energy for their houses. |
| C．The fashions for their houses. |
| D．The building materials for their houses. |
People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________.
| A．keeping their livestock downstairs |
| B．protecting their livestock from the cold |
| C．sharing their houses only with their cows |
| D．living on the second floor with their livestock |
The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.
| A．heat raises the temperature in the houses |
| B．heat goes in the upward direction |
| C．heat goes up if temperature is raised |
| D．heat increases the temperature of rocks |
From the passage, we can conclude that __________.
| A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future |
| B．energy saving buildings will become more popular in the future |
| C．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks |
| D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology. |
You feel happiest when you create a healthy balance between giving and receiving. If you give and give without making time to fill your own needs, then it’s likely you will burn out, or feel upset. When you take and take without giving anything back, you never feel fulfilled, so you are always searching for ways to fill the void in your life.
The way to create a healthy balance between giving and receiving is to know and then live by your values. I break values up into two groups which I call being and having values. Your being values are the character traits of the ideal person you would like to be. I suggest to my clients that they choose three being values that they are willing to make a commitment to live by. An example of some being values are: kind, loving, generous, inspirational, peaceful, wise and even powerful. By acting on these values you give to others through your actions and you inspire others by being a positive role model. Mastering being these character traits becomes your life purpose.
Your having values are feelings you need to create in order to be happy. These could be companionship, achievement, support, being valued or financial security. This is what you receive. You take responsibility for filling your own needs by taking steps to create these feelings and conditions in your life.
When you make a commitment to live by being values, it becomes easier to make conscious choices rather than reactionary ones. If your usual pattern is to talk about your problems, you could choose to think and act like a calm person. A clam person might go for a walk, meditate(沉思), or set a time limit before responding. If your usual pattern is to worry, you could choose to act like a responsible or wise person. In other words, you would act like the person you choose to be-this is the key to personal power.
When you choose to act on your values, you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce(加强)your chosen beliefs. Over time acting in this way changes how you see the world, and in turn the way other people think of you.The main purpose of this passage is to _____
A inform the readers how to be truly happy
B explain to the readers what personal values are
C persuade the readers to make a commitment
D instruct the readers how to make wise choicesAccording to the text, living by your being values, you would_____
A gain a lot of power B fill your own needs
C seek all human virtues D form positive personalityThe underline word “void” in Paragraph 1 means______
A a break of continuity B an absent of one’s mind
C a feeling of emptiness D a state of confusionWhat can be inferred from the text?
A Having values are better than being values
B A calm person does not choose to complain.
C The way other people think of you decides who you are.
D A responsible person does not care about financial security
Today, people all over the world are moving out of small villages in the country to go and live in big noisy cities . They are moving from the peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams of the countryside to the busy world of streets, buildings, traffic and crowds. This movement from rural areas to urban areas has been going on for over two hundred years.
In many countries, the main reason people come to live in towns and cities is work. After one or two large factories have been built in or near a town, people come to find a work, and soon an industrial area begins to grow. There is usually a residential area nearby, where the factory workers can live. The families of these workers need schools, hospitals and shops, so more people come to live in the area to provide these services—and a city grows.
In every major city in the world, there is a business district where the big companies have their main offices. In the United States, this area is usually in the city center downtown. It is here that you can see the huge skyscraper office blocks. The people who work here often travel a long way to work each day.
Many of them live in the suburbs of the city, far away from the industrial area and the city center. Some suburbs are very pleasant, with nice houses and big gardens. There are usually parks for children to play in and large department stores where you can buy all you need.
But what is the future of the big cities? Will they continue to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Some major cities have actually become smaller in the last ten years, and it is quite possible that one day we will see people moving out of the major cities and back into smaller towns and villages.We can easily know that the underlined phrase “urban areas” means._____
| A．areas of the countryside |
| B．areas of a town or city |
| C．areas near the countryside |
| D．areas near a town or a city |
Why do people move to live in cities or towns?
| A．Because they can live more comfortable there |
| B．Because they prefer noisy life to peaceful life |
| C．They do so mainly to find work |
| D．They don’t like small villages |
We can infer that this movement from rural areas to urban areas_______.
| A．has been going on for more than 2,000 years |
| B．will continue in the future |
| C．may not continue in the future |
| D．is sure to stop |