An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they’re speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver’s PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car’s speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they’re now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”
The product will soon go on sale in Sydney. What’s the purpose of the new product?
| A．To inform us of the new car system. | B．To introduce some improvement in cars. |
| C．To limit certain drivers to safe driving. | D．To popularize the built-in car system. |
The second paragraph mainly talks about .
| A．the project of the built-in product | B．why the system becomes popular |
| C．the functions of GPS in cars | D．how the product is programmed |
Which of the following is true of Speed Alert according to Michael Paine?
| A．Most of the traffic deaths can be avoided. | B．Speeding violations can be easily found out. |
| C．The system will excite some teenage drivers. | D．The product will not be available for adults. |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Speed Alert and Its Future Use. | B．Progress in Car-making Science. |
| C．Warning for Adventurous Drivers. | D．New In-Car Device against Speeding. |
Machu Picchu is considered to be a truly extraordinary archaeological(考古学的) discovery and is one of South America’s largest tourist sites. As many as one thousand visitors visit the ancient Incan（印加文化的） ruins daily. What draws vacationers and adventurers to this remote location high in the Andes Mountains of Peru（秘鲁）? A large part of the attraction is the mysteries that surround Machu Picchu. For example, Machu Picchu is considered “the lost city” of the Incas because it was never found by Spanish invaders and was known to only a few local peasants for almost four hundred years.
The “city in the clouds”, Machu Picchu’s lasting beauty comes from the careful blending of its striking architecture with its mountaintop environment. Its greatest skill shows are in the stone structures, which equals that of the ancient Egyptians. The stone blocks were so appropriately cut that they fit together without the need for mud. The largest stones at Machu Picchu weigh as much as fifteen tons! It has been difficult to explain how the huge blocks were transported. The buildings, including many that have survived lots of earthquakes, contain stones which interlock so perfectly that a knife cannot be forced between them. When compared to other ancient civilizations, it is difficult to understand how Machu Picchu could have been missed by the Spanish and lost from history for four hundred years.
For many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu being unsolved, it is clear why Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins in all of South America”. Which of the followings is NOT a mystery of Machu Picchu?
| A．Machu Picchu is called the “city in the clouds”. |
| B．Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins of South America”. |
| C．Machu Picchu is “the lost city” of the Incas. |
| D．Machu Picchu is the largest stone city of the world. |
The underlined word “interlock” probably means _________
| A．put |
| B．fit |
| C．meet |
| D．lie |
From the passage we can learn that __________.
| A．Machu Picchu has gone through lots of earthquakes |
| B．all of the mysteries of Machu Picchu have been solved |
| C．the city has never been discovered by people outside |
| D．Machu Picchu is the most valuable ruins in history. |
The purpose of writing the passage is to __________.
| A．ask us to pay a visit to Machu Picchu |
| B．show us the beauty of Machu Picchu |
| C．introduce Machu Picchu’s mysteries |
| D．make the ancient Incan ruins known |
All young people dream of travelling the world. They are restless and very eager to see new sights. However, they have little idea how they would really do it if given the chance. Because their knowledge of geography is quite limited, they seldom know much about the places they wish to visit or how they would get there.
Already hundreds of thousands of Chinese student tourists are visiting these places-Wuyi, Lhasa, Lijiang, Dali, Vientiane and Phnom Penh. Indeed, these students will soon be the most travelled generation in China’s long history. The World Tourist Organization predicts that a quarter of a century from now the number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today. The largest percentage of these tourists will visit Southeast Asia. Not all Chinese who travel abroad will be tourists, however. More and more youths are deciding to volunteer their skills in this region; much like their peers in the Peace Corps and VSO.
Critical thinking skills required include planning for a trip and solving problems after the trip has begun. The focus is on how to read an atlas (地图集) to make travel plans and how to find ways of travelling. An atlas offers a wealth of information about geography and is one way to increase students’ awareness of their global environment. Use of an atlas especially addresses the needs of students with different visual and spatial learning styles.The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.
| A．all young people wish to travel around the world |
| B．all young people like to learn the knowledge of geography |
| C．all young people like travelling but their knowledge of geography is quite limited |
| D．all young people are aware of the places they are going |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today in about 25 years. |
| B．The number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today in about 10 years. |
| C．Southeast Asia will become the most popular visiting place in the world. |
| D．Young people will be addicted to Internet travelling. |
One way to increase students’ awareness of their global environment is for them to _______ .
| A．watch TV |
| B．listen to radio news |
| C．read an atlas |
| D．plan a trip |
The underlined phrase “a wealth of” can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．a number of |
| B．a great many |
| C．a great many of |
| D．a great deal of |
Bali is an Indonesia island that is rich in indigenous （本土的） culture．A lot of people say that Balinese culture is unique and that the people of Bali have always been contented with the "now"．If you ask a Balinese person what heaven is like, the probable answer will be "just like Bali"．This only goes to show that most Balinese people are happy to be where they are and never worry．
One factor that contributes to this laidback lifestyle is the culture of close family ties in Bali．In the Balinese culture, support is always available．Balinese extended families are so tightly knit that all members usually reside in the same complex．
Balinese culture is based on a form of this religion, which is called "Hindu Darma"．This religion reached the island during the eleventh century．Most of the family customs and traditions as well as community lifestyles of the Balinese people are influenced by this．The religious influence even expands widely into the arts, which makes Bali distinct from the rest of Indonesia．
In spite of the fact that tourists flood to the island every year, Balinese people have managed to conserve their culture．Almost every native of Bali is an artist in some form or another．Parents and villagers have passed on their skills to their children, who all seem to have inclinations （爱好） either to music, dance, painting, and decor．
Another remarkable mark of the Balinese culture is the series of ceremonies and rituals known as the Manusa Yadnya．This marks the different stages of Balinese life．Cremation （火葬） is very popular on this island—and unlike in the West, death is a joyous and colorful event for the Balinese．What do we know about Balinese according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．They lead a very relaxing but unwealthy life． |
| B．They live in large families and are close to each other． |
| C．Their family members are distributed in different places． |
| D．Their extended families live too close together to get along well． |
Bali is distinguished from the rest of Indonesia by _____．
| A．people's tight family relationship |
| B．the family customs and traditions |
| C．people's great affection for religion |
| D．the influence of Hinduism on their culture |
The underlined word "conserve" in Para．4 can be best replaced by "_____"．
| A．preserve |
| B．spread |
| C．form |
| D．expand |
When a person dies in Bali, it is a common practice to _____．
| A．express deep sorrow at his death |
| B．celebrate the death like a great event |
| C．sing and dance joyfully in his honor |
| D．remember what he did in his lifetime |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Balinese religion． |
| B．The lifestyle of Balinese． |
| C．Balinese culture． |
| D．The tourism in Bali． |
Some inventions are so useful, but seem so simple, that we wonder why no one thought of them long ago.
Post-it Notes were invented about twenty years ago by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M Company. The idea for the product came from an awful experience he often had while singing in his church choir. Fry used pieces of paper as bookmarks to mark the places in his book of songs, but these bookmarks were always falling out. Around that time, Fry heard about a new adhesive (粘合剂) that a colleague, Dr. Spence Silver, had created. This adhesive was special because it was strong enough to hold papers together, but not strong enough to tear the paper when it was removed.
A short time later, Fry realized that his new invention had even more uses than being a great bookmark. He came to this realization when he wrote a note on one of his new “bookmarks”and attached it to a report he was going to give to a colleague. Soon, co-workers were asking Fry for more of his invention so that they could use the new type of notes themselves.
Fry and some other people at 3M believed so much in the new product that they asked the company to give away thousands of the “sticky pieces of paper”for trial use. When some salespeople at 3M went to offices and showed workers just how helpful the new type of notes could be, they immediately received many orders. As more and more people discovered how useful Post-it Notes could be, the product took off.How did Dr. Spence help Art Fry?
| A．His adhesive made Arts invention possible. |
| B．He offered the new adhesive to Art. |
| C．He created the Post-it Notes. |
| D．He often worked and discussed science with Art. |
Which of the following is a possible use of Post-it Notes?
| A．A postcard from abroad. |
| B．An ad in a newspaper. |
| C．A note on a friends door. |
| D．An e-mail to a friend. |
Which of the following shows the proper order of the events?
a. The company gave away many sticky pieces of paper for people to try.
b. Dr. Spence created a new adhesive.
c. Many orders were received and the Post-it Notes became successful.
d. Fry invented Post-it Notes.
e. His colleagues began to use the new types of notes themselves.
| A．d b a e c | B．b a e d c |
| C．b d e a c | D．d e a b c |
In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?
| A．Economy | B．Recreation | C．Culture | D．Science |
Tea production in Sri Lanka has thrived for decades. The tea gardens in Hatton, Sri Lanka are actually large tea estates. The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one meter apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimeters high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.
Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates prefer to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilograms of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.
Processing tea shoots into our familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its color and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment（发酵）under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot-air blower until they become rolled-up black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.The underlined word pruning means .
| A．reasonable use of chemicals |
| B．regular cutting of the plants |
| C．frequent watering |
| D．loosening the soil |
How many processing steps are mentioned in the last paragraph?
| A．Six | B．Five | C． Four | D．Three |
What does the author imply in the passage?
| A．Fermentation is a must to enrich the flavour of black tea. |
| B．Women pickers are welcomed because they can easily find the twin leaves. |
| C．Tea production has long been prosperous in Sri Lanka. |
| D．Tea pickings can be done biweekly. |