Drunken driving –sometimes called America’s socially accepted form of murder—has become a national epidemic (流行病). Every hour of every day about three Americans on average are killed by drunken drivers，adding up to an incredible 250,000 over the past ten years. A drunken driver is usually referred to as one with 0.10-blood alcohol content or roughly three beer glasses of wine or shots of whisky drunk within two hours. Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American manly image and judges were lenient in most courts，but the drunken killing has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies，especially concerning young children，that public opinion is no longer so tolerant.
Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21，reversing a trend in the 1960s to reduce it to 18. After New Jersey lowered it to 18，the number of people killed by 18-20 years old drivers more than doubled，so the state recently upped it back to 21.
Reformers，however，fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop ‘responsible attitudes’ about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink.
Though new laws have led to increased arrests and tests in many areas already，to a marked drop in accidents，some states are also punishing bars for serving customers too many drinks. A bar in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who was ‘obviously drunk’ and later drove off the road，killing a 9-year-old boy.
As the accidents continue to occur daily in every state，some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years national prohibition of alcohol that began in 1919，which President Hoover called the ‘noble experiment’. They forgot that legal prohibition didn’t stop drinking，but encouraged political corruption and organized crime. As with the booming drug trade generally，there is no easy solution. Statistics issued in New Jersey suggested that ____________.
| A．many drivers were not of legal age. | B．young drivers were often bad drivers. |
| C．the level of drinking increased in the 1960s. | D．the legal drinking age should be raised. |
The underlined word ‘lenient’ in the first paragraph means ‘_________’.
| A．serious | B．cruel | C．merciful | D．determined |
In America, public opinion about drunken driving has changed because __________.
| A． judges are no longer tolerant |
| B． new laws are introduced in some states |
| C． the increasing number of traffic accidents has got the attention of the public |
| D． drivers do not appreciate their manly image any more |
Which of the following best shows the writer’s opinion of drunken driving?
| A．It may lead to organized crime. | B．It is difficult to solve this problem. |
| C．The new laws can stop heavy drinking. | D．There should be no bars to serve drinks. |
It was shortly before midnight, and Dr Patricia was getting ready for bed. The phone rang on the end of the line was a woman about to break a promise.
The woman was her mother’s neighbour. Flora Harris had made the neighbour swear she wouldn’t tell her daughter she’d a heart attack and was in the hospital, for fear her daughter would worry. The neighbour wisely decided to disobey orders.
Harris desperately wanted to get to the hospital immediately, but she couldn’t. She lives in Washington, D.C, and her mother lives in California.
For the past year a half, Harris has gone to Los Angeles every other month to take care of her mother. Flora Harris takes care of her husband, James, who’s 91 and has Alzheimer’s disease. They live in their own home, and a caregiver comes to help them a few hours a day.
Harris is one of many Americans facing the heartache of how to take care of aging parents from afar. She’s often worried, not to mention extremely busy with a demanding job, two teenage daughters and the frequent trips to California.
In some ways, Harris is lucky. She has the resources to make the trips to Los Angeles. Plus, Harris is a doctor who treats the elderly.
“ But it’s still tough,” she said. “ I can foresee what the next few years are going to look like, and it’s not a pretty picture. My father’s going to need diapers (尿布). There will come a time when he won’ t recognize me and he’s easily excited. I worry he’s going to be violent and hurt my mother.”
So what do you do when you live a continent away for your aging, sick parents? There are no magic answers. You can hire someone to help, but you can’t outsource it completely.Why was the woman thought to have broken a promise?
| A．She failed to take care of Flora. |
| B．She was not supposed to call Harris at midnight. |
| C．She couldn’t go to hospital on time. |
| D．She told Harris about her mother’s illness. |
What can we learn about Patricia Harris from the passage?
| A．She thinks it harder to look after her parents the next few years. |
| B．He parents cannot take themselves at all. |
| C．She cannot do a demanding job. |
| D．She cannot afford to go to California often. |
What does the underlined word “ outsource” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Arrange somebody outside to do a job. |
| B．Work something out by oneself. |
| C．Speak something out for help. |
| D．Understand something. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Aging people in the USA are increasing. |
| B．The rate of heart disease is high in America. |
| C．It is difficult to tend aging parents from afar. |
| D．Harris advises on tending aging parents from afar. |
China’s Jade Rabbit moon rover (月球车）has “ woken up” since it entered the lunar night two weeks ago. The moon rover, known as Yutu in Mandarin Chinese, and the Chang’e-3 lander were restarted by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), China’s Xinhua news agency said.
It had been set to sleep for two weeks to ride out extreme climatic conditions and will finally undertake its scientific mission. The Jade Rabbit was “ put to sleep” on 26 December at the onset of the first lunar night of the mission. One night on the moon lasts for around two weeks on Earth and during this time, temperatures fall to -180℃ ---conditions too cold for the equipment to function in. There is also no sunlight to power the Jade Rabbit’s solar panels.
Zhou Jianliang, chief engineer with the BACC, explained: “ During the lunar night, the lander and the rover were in a power-off condition and the communication with Earth was cut off.
“ When the night ends, they will be started up with the power provided by sunlight and resume operation and communication according to preset programmes. He added that the Jade Rabbit surviving the lunar night showed Chinese technology had proved successful.
The Jade Rabbit and the lander compose Chang’e-3 landed on the moon on 14 December. With the landing, China became one of only three nations to soft-land on the moon, and the first to do so in more than three decades.
Scientists said the mission was designed to test new technologies and build the country’s expertise of space exploration. The Jade Rabbit will gather scientific data and capture images from the Moon. China was planning further missions planned to collect lunar soil samples and it is thought officials are looking to conduct manned lunar landings if they prove successful.Jade Rabbit fell into sleep because ________.
| A．there was something wrong in the machine |
| B．the Chang’e-3 lander struck it by accident |
| C．it was designed to avoid the bad weather |
| D．it had completed the scientific mission |
According to Zhou Jianliang we can know that ________.
| A．on the moon the rover can’t communicate with the lander |
| B．sunlight is the necessary power for the rover and the lander |
| C．Chinese technology has been regarded the most successful |
| D．the lunar night can destroy the equipment on the moon |
It can inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．China had made great achievements in 10 years |
| B．no country can be equal to China in exploring space |
| C．scientists can get more proof to research the moon |
| D．the soil from the moon has been taken to China |
What does the author intend to tell in the passage?
| A．Jade Rabbit wakes up to begin moon mission. |
| B．Jade Rabbit was put to sleep on the moon. |
| C．Jade Rabbit lost contact with the earth. |
| D．Jade Rabbit is to undertake new mission. |
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs’ is the museum’s main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands---on exhibits! Watch out for monsters lurking (潜伏）around every ember! The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August.
Call 01733 864663 for details.
Saxon Youth Club
School holiday fun: Young people aged 13-19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in spots activities, or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club, Saxon Community Center, Norman Road, Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday, 12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm.
Houghton Mill
Alice through the Looking Class---a new production of the family favorite on Monday, 30th August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30 performance 6:30 pm---8:30 pm. Tea room will be open until end of the interval. Adult £10. Child £ 7. Family £ 20.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Games: From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches, come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette （玫瑰形饰物）that is fit for a winner! No need to book, just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday, 19th August. Suitbale for children aged four and above, each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost £ 7 per child.
For further information, call 01223 810080.If you are interested in cooking, you can go to ________.
| A．Peterborough Museum | B．Houghton Mill |
| C．Saxon Youth Club | D．Farmland Museum |
You want to watch the new play with your parents, so it will cost you ________.
| A．£ 21. | B．£ 17. | C．£ 27. | D．£ 20. |
Which of the following activities needs parents’ company?
| A．Playing farmland games. |
| B．Watching a new play. |
| C．Competing in spots activities. |
| D．Visiting the dinosaur exhibition. |
Many of the world’s countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG) ．Nearly all such lands are economically well developed．They include much of Europe(including Russia)，the United States，Canada，Japan．and Australia．As the rate of natural increase(RNI)declines，two things happen．First，the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration．Second，a country’s population ages because there are fewer births．
Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country’s population begins to drop? Many people，after all，believe that population decline is a good thing．But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?
An aging population can create many problems．Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention．Rather than paying into retirement programs，they begin to draw from their pensions．In the US，the Social Security program，according to many experts，will be used up by 2018．It will pay out more money than it takes in．Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or entry。level positions that pay low wages．With an able to do them．Many of these jobs are aging population，who will fill them? At the other extreme，some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills．Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?
The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple：increased migration．Today many people，particularly those from less developed countries，are migrating in search of employment．Many are willing to take jobs that cannot(or will not) be filled by the domestic population．Others are well educated and highly skilled．Both groups contribute to a country’s economy progress in many ways．Further, they add to the richness of a country’s culture．Of greatest importance，perhaps，is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands．As you can see，for many countries and for most immigrants，migration is a win—win situation．In the writer’s view，which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good． |
| B．Achieving ZPG is every country’s aim in spite of its side effects． |
| C．Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens． |
| D．Achieving ZPG is good for employment． |
According to the passage，the best way to solve the problem of declining and aging population is．
| A．to improve the health care system | B．to increase RNI |
| C．to increase employment | D．to increase migration |
The underlined words “the domestic population’’ can be replaced by．
| A．people within the country | B．people from developing countries |
| C．people without a college education | D．people living abroad |
The main idea of the last paragraph is
| A．the advantages of increased migration |
| B．the problem of declining and aging population |
| C．how to increase migration |
| D．some ways to enrich a country’s culture |
Tang Zhou and his wife are planning to have their second child，a test—tube baby．His wife had a natural delivery when she was 34 and their first child，a boy, is now 7．The couple are now hoping to have a daughter through a surrogate mother(代孕)in the US．“My wife couldn’t bear another delivery because of her heart condition and her age．Surrogacy helps avoid the risks to older mothers，”Tang said，“Moreover, our second child will be born in the US and become a citizen there．That is not a bad choice．”
The couple spent weeks researching their move，looking for a reliable agency that provides surrogacy services overseas．Surrogacy is still illegal in many countries，including China．“We will be taking much higher risks by relying on a surrogate mother in China because we are not protected by any regulation or law．You pay a lot of money but may meet with many problems，”Tang said．“You might not even get your baby back．’’
Tang and his wife are part of an increasing number of Chinese couples who are turning to surrogacy services．Tang also considered surrogacy in Thailand but dropped the idea after recent reports about a baby with Down Syndrome(唐氏综合症)who was delivered through surrogacy and said to have been deserted in Thailand by the biological parents from Australia．Instead，Tang chose the California Surrogacy Center agency as his first option after reading the detailed introduction on its website．Compared with many other agencies that he could contact only via e．mail．the center has a consulting office in Beijing，Tang said．
The center is in San Diego，California，and has satellite offices in Los Angeles and Beijing．According to Liu，the center has been operating for more than eight years，and about 100 surrogate mothers live in California．Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．Chinese couples prefer t0 have a test—tube baby． |
| B．Couples face no risks in surrogacy services． |
| C．Unhealthy test—tube babies can be legally abandoned． |
| D．A sick test—tube baby was deserted in Thailand． |
Tang and his wife turned to overseas surrogacy services because．
| A．it is more convenient to contact them by email |
| B．they call for less money |
| C．surrogacy remains illegal in China |
| D．most of them are experienced |
The passage mainly tells US that．
| A．Chinese couples are turning to surrogacy |
| B．an old woman can take a risk of delivering a baby more |
| C．it’s not a bad choice to have a baby born overseas |
| D．biological couples may fail to get their babies back |