Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress,the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind.
Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York.The company is now being investigated.Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled.The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses.
Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits.A new hearing will be conducted. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting.
Despite back-to-back hearings this week,left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden,unintended accelerations will be fixed.
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock,but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems.
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车).Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda,the grandson of the company’s founder.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults.NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model.
Toyota has recalled 8.5 million cars,more than 6 million of them in the United States.
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars.
Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results.Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales,due out next week,to be down 30 percent to 40.Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that.
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this,he said.
68.The best title for this passage is_________.
A.Toyota is in trouble B.Toyota is under hearing
C.Toyota is finished D.Toyota is still running
69.What is the purpose of the hearing?
A.America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers.
B.America wants to get Toyota out of the US market.
C.America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty.
D.America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem.
70.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Toyota provides very good post sale service.
B.Toyota’s biggest market is in the United States.
C.Toyota will be closed soon.
D.Toyota’s dealership in the US will all be closed.
71.The last sentence of this passage indicates______
A.Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota
B.Toyota could meet a worse situation
C.Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later
D.Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers
“YOUR password has expired (过期),” a message said on my screen, with instructions for changing it. Coming up with a new code (密码) doesn’t seem like a big deal, unless you work at my company, where we have to change it monthly, using at least one uppercase (大写的) character, one lowercase character, one symbol, and one number. Oh, the whole password can’t be fewer than eight characters. And I can’t use any of the same passwords I’ve used in the past three months.
Suddenly I was furious (很生气的). What didn’t make it any better was that I was deeply depressed after my recent divorce. Disbelief about what she had done to me was all I thought about every day.
I remembered a tip I’d heard from my former boss. He’d said: “I’m going to use a password to change my life.”
I couldn’t focus on getting things done in my current mood. There were clear signs of what I needed to do to get control of my life again.
My password became the sign. My password reminded me that I shouldn’t let myself be a victim of my recent breakup and that I was strong enough to do something about it.
I made my password Forgive@h3r.
I had to type this several times a day. The simple action changed the way I looked at my ex-wife. That constant reminder led me to accept the way things had happened and find a new way of dealing with my depression. As the month wore on, I felt a slow healing begin to happen. By the time my server asked me to reset my password the following month, I felt free.
One month later, my dear Exchange server asked me yet again to reset my password. I thought about the next thing that I had to get done.
My password became Quit@smoking4ever.
I quit smoking overnight.
This password was a painful one to type during that month, but doing it helped me to yell at myself in my mind as I typed that statement. It motivated me to follow my monthly goal.
One month later, my password became Save4trip@thailand.
Guess where I went three months later: Thailand.
Seeing how these reminders helped to achieve my goals kept me motivated and excited. While it’s sometimes difficult to come up with your next goal, keeping at it brings great resultsWhich of the following passwords fits the company’s requirements?
A.Seeme@2 |
B.Dream4future |
C.Visit$me |
D.Stay@4ever |
Why couldn’t the author focus on doing things?
A.Because he couldn’t come up with a new password. |
B.Because he always forgot his password. |
C.Because he was in low spirits due to his divorce. |
D.Because his wife stole his password before their breakup. |
What happened to the author after he had used his password to change his life?
A.He finally overcame his depression and forgave his ex-wife. |
B.He started smoking to heal his broken heart. |
C.He quit his job and went traveling around the world. |
D.He became furious about his passwords getting longer and longer. |
What message does the author intend to convey through his story?
A.Never let yourself be a victim of others’ faults. |
B.Be patient with the healing process for any pain. |
C.Constant reminders can be positive as well as negative. |
D.Setting yourself a goal and keeping at it can bring great results. |
Food sometimes gets poisoned with harmful things. A person who eats such food can get an illness called food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually not serious, but some types are deadly. The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin within hours of eating the poisoned food. Fever is one of the most common symptoms.
Certain microorganisms(微生物)cause most types of food poisoning. Bacteria and other microorganisms can poison eggs, meat, vegetables, and many other foods. After entering the body, these tiny living things release(释放)poisons that make people sick.
Some chemicals can also cause food poisoning. They are often added to food while it is being grown, processed, or prepared. For example, many farmers spray chemicals on crops to kill weeds and insects. Some people may have a bad reaction to those chemicals when they eat the crops.
Some plants and animals contain natural poisons that are harmful to people. These include certain kinds of seafood, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and mushrooms.
When people handle food properly, the risk of food poisoning is very small. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in dirty places and in warm temperatures. This means that people should never touch food with dirty hands or put food on unwashed surfaces. Food should be kept in a refrigerator to stop microorganisms from growing. Meat needs to be cooked thoroughly to kill any dangerous microorganisms. People should also wash food covered with chemicals before eating it. Finally, people should not eat wild mushrooms or other foods that grow in the wild. Some of these foods may contain natural materials that are poisonous to humans. In addition, some types of fish can be poisonous.
Most people recover from food poisoning after a few days of resting and drinking extra water. If people eat natural poisons, they must go to the hospital right away to have their stomachs emptied.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Food when poisoned can make people sick. |
B.Food poisoning means death. |
C.Food poisoning comes in varieties. |
D.Food poisoning can be serious. |
We know from the passage that the symptoms of food poisoning.
A.are always accompanied by a fever |
B.are too common to be noted |
C.can be noticed within hours |
D.can be ignored |
Food poisoning can be caused by all the following EXCEPT.
A.some chemicals |
B.low temperatures |
C.some tiny living things |
D.certain natural materials |
From Paragraph 5, we can learn that.
A.mushrooms should not be eaten |
B.vegetables are safer than meat and seafood |
C.natural poisons are more dangerous than chemicals |
D.different types of food should be handled differently |
It can be inferred from the passage that.
A.natural materials are safe in food processing |
B.chemicals are needed in food processing |
C.food poisoning can be kept under control |
D.food poisoning is out of control |
Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs
A second study, looking at nearly 1,000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year–olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don't rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters (年轻人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. Those with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedrooms.According to the California study, the low-scoring group might _________.
A.have watched a lot of TV |
B.not be intersected in math |
C.be unable to go to college |
D.have had computers in their bedrooms |
What is the researchers' understanding of the New Zealand study results?
A.Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. |
B.Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest. |
C.TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
D.The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A.More time should be spent on computers. |
B.Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
C.'IV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms. |
D.Further studies on high-achieving students should be done |
What would be the best title for this text?
A.Computers or Television |
B.Effects of Television on Children |
C.Studies on TV and College Education |
D.Television and Children's Learning Habits |
What does the word “accumulating” in the last paragraphy mean?
A.withdraw | B.underline |
C.increase | D.tolerate |
We know the westerners like to plan for their time carefully in order to do all the things that are important to them. So if your American or English friend asks you to dinner, he usually invites you a week ahead. But if you really have no time and can’t go to the dinner, you can ring him to say sorry. The dinner is usually served at home, sometimes at a restaurant. You should get there on time, and don’t forget to put on your fine clothes. It is also a good idea to take some little presents to your friend, such as flowers, chocolates and so on. When you are at dinner, you should also observe some other customs. Here I’ll give you some dos and don’ts about them in the following:
1) Don’t leave bones on the table or the floor. (You should put them on your plate with fingers.)
2) Don’t use your bowl to drink soup, but use your spoon to help you instead,
3) Don’t talk with much food in your mouth.
4) Don’t ask others to have more wine. (This is quite different from that in China.)
5) After dinner, use your napkin to clean your mouth and hands.
6) Make sure small pieces of food are not left on your face.
Then after dinner, you can stay there a little time. And your friend will be pleased if you leave in half an hour or so. Next day, you had better ring him up to thank him for the good dinner. If your American or English friend wants to invite you to dinner, he will invite you _____.
A.on the night before the dinner |
B.on the day before the dinner |
C.a week before the dinner |
D.at the last moment |
When you come to the dinner, you’d better_____.
A.get there a bit earlier |
B.put on your usual clothes |
C.take some presents like flowers, chocolates and so on |
D.take your best friends with you |
It would be impolite to______.
A.put bones on your plates with fingers |
B.persuade others to drink more |
C.drink soup with your spoon |
D.make sure that there is nothing left on your face after dinner |
Which of the following is not true?
A.After dinner, you’d better stay and talk with your friends for a long time to show your thanks. |
B.You’d better ring your friend the next day to show your thanks. |
C.After dinner, you’d better leave in half an hour. |
D.After dinner, use napkin to clean you r mouth. |
The best title for this passage would be_____.
A.Customs in England and America |
B.Customs in the West |
C.Living Customs in the West |
D.Customs at Dinner Table in the West |
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a feast(宴会),have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods. Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.
Choose lean meat(瘦肉 ).Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess(过多的) calories. Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may ______
A.bring weight problems |
B.bring you much trouble in your life |
C.make you worried about your foods |
D.make you hate delicious foods |
In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight, you'd better__
A.drink much water and have vegetables only |
B.not eat the food in high fat |
C.not accept invitations to feasts |
D.turn away from delicious foods |
According to the passage, ___ is a necessary part to stop you from putting on weight.
A.vegetables | B.water |
C.calories of energy | D.physical exercise |
Many people can't help putting on weight after the holidays because they _______ .
A.can't control themselves |
B.go to too many feasts |
C.enjoy delicious foods |
D.can't help turning away from the foods |