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), which are 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 highwa
y crashes.
Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all serious traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related danger are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can cut the average speed of drivers in half at the beginning. 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.
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Powling’s wizard. The past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The lard of the Rings.
Yet despite that , reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading in all. In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation either this year reported that children on the school made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are been on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films. |
| B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published. [ |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that .
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers |
| B．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading |
| C．a minority of primacy school children read properly |
| D．a huge percentage of children read regularly |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
| D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _______.
| A．take greater advantage of the project |
| B．show the potential to enjoy a long life |
| C．are likely to succeed in their education. |
| D．would make excellent future researchers |
The aim of this text would probably be _______.
| A．to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty. |
| B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun |
| D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading |
The literal meaning of philosophy is “love of wisdom”. But this meaning does not tell us very much. Unlike the other disciplines, philosophy cannot be defined by what you study, because it is actually unlimited. Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: history, law, language, literature, mathematics, and in fact, the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy. For this reason you get a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph. D.) in biochemistry, or computer science, or psychology.
Two broad sub-fields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy. Logic is the science of argument and critical thinking. It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasoning. The history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and periods in the development of philosophy.
Of what use is philosophy? First it is useful in educational advancement. It is necessary for understanding other disciplines. Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline, and its relation to other disciplines. And through the study of philosophy, one develops sound methods of research and analysis that can be applied to any field.
There are a number of general uses of philosophy. It strengthens one’s ability to solve problems, to communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to persuade, and to take what is the most important from a large quantity of data. These general uses are of great benefit in the career field, not necessarily for obtaining one’s first job after graduation, but for preparing for positions of responsibility, management and leadership later on. It is very short-sighted after all, to take a course of studies only for the purpose of getting one’s first job. The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant long-term benefits in career advancement. No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom, leadership, and capacity to resolve human conflict.According to paragraph 1, philosophy can best be described as the study of .
| A．social sciences | B．natural sciences |
| C．both social and natural sciences | D．the subject matter of politics |
What does “discipline” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．subject | B．science | C．literature | D．occupation |
With the study of philosophy, you can .
| A．become a great leader | B．succeed in everything |
| C．find a good job soon after graduation | |
| D．make progress in your career development |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Philosophy is an independent discipline. |
| B．Logic helps you to become a better thinker. |
| C．The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits. |
| D．The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define. |
From the passage, we can conclude .
A. not all the subjects have to do with philosophy
B. a person will get a Ph. D. if he/she studies philosophy
C. philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects
D. philosophy is the only solution to all the problems in the world
Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag (标签). The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting-whatever. Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source-batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device, that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back: 10 or 12 years ago, you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly,” predicts Dr. J. Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers. Accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication. Not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk. The article is intended to .
| A．warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology |
| B．explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology |
| C．convince people of the uses of RFID technology |
| D．predict the applications of RFID technology |
We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people .
| A．will have no trouble getting data about others |
| B．will have more energy for conversation |
| C．will have more time to make friends |
| D．won’t feel shy at parties any longer |
Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of .
| A．scanning devices | B．radio waves | C．batteries | D．chips |
Why are some people worried about RFID technology?
| A．Because children will be tracked by strangers. |
| B．Because market competition will become more fierce. |
| C．Because their private lives will be greatly affected. |
| D．Because customers will be forced to buy more products. |
The last paragraph implies that RFID technology .
| A．will not be used for such matters as buying milk |
| B．will be widely used, including for buying milk |
| C．will be limited to communication uses |
| D．will probably be used for pop music |
When I met him, I had a lot of anger inside of me. I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem, but in my neighborhood, there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way, too, but Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact, the scores of our whole class rose. One day, he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera, and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show, he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angeles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names, Mr. Clark said, “You’re all going.”
On graduation day, there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta, but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education, and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules, The Essential 55. In 2003,
Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit the orphanages (孤儿院). It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to one day start a group of women’s clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.Without Mr. Clark, the writer .
| A．might have been put into prison | B．might not have won the prize |
| C．might have joined a women’s club | D．might not have moved to Atlanta |
The Essential 55 is .
| A．a show | B．a speech | C．a classroom rule | D．a book |
How many students’ names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark?
| A．None | B．Three | C．Fifty-five. | D．All. |
What can we learn in the short reading?
| A．It was in Harlem that we saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time. |
| B．Mr. Clark taught us not to talk with our mouths full, and we did. |
| C．Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year in Los Angeles. |
| D．In 2003, Mr. Clark moved to Atlanta, and he always kept in touch with us. |
In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that .
| A．Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked traveling |
| B．Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women’s clubs |
| C．a good teacher can help raise his or her students’ scores |
| D．a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students |
Human needs seem endless. When a hungry man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat, when a manager gets a new sports car, a big house and pleasure boats dance into view.
The many needs of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of needs, another level appears.
The first and most basic level of needs involves food. Once this level is satisfied, the second level of needs, clothing and some sort of shelter, appears. By the end of World War Ⅱ, these needs were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as automobiles and new houses.
By 1957 or 1958 this third level of needs was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s, a fourth level of needs appeared; the “life-enriching” level. While the other levels involve physical satisfaction, that is, the need in comfort, safety, and transportation, this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement, and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called “luxury” items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical and dental care, and recreation. Also included here are fancy goods and the latest styles in clothing.
On the fourth level, a lot of money is spent on services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of needs as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?
A fifth level would probably involve needs that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crime, and prejudice. After filling our stomachs, our clothes closets, our garages, our teeth, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health, safety, and leisure to enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels. According to the passage, man will begin to think about such needs as housing and clothing only when .
| A．he has saved up enough money |
| B．he has grown dissatisfied with his simple shelter |
| C．he has satisfied his hunger |
| D．he has learned to build houses |
It can be inferred from the passage that by the end of World War Ⅱ, most Americans .
| A．were very rich |
| B．lived in poverty |
| C．had the good things on the first three levels |
| D．did not own automobiles |
Which of the following is NOT related to “physical satisfaction” ?
| A．A successful career. | B．A comfortable home. |
| C．A good meal. | D．A family car. |
What is the main concern of man on the fourth level?
| A．The more goods the better. |
| B．The more mental satisfaction the better. |
| C．The more “luxury” items the better. |
| D．The more earnings the better. |