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. |
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病) . Believing my career (职业生涯)was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet ＆ Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological (心理的) tool.”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A．Difficulties influenced his career. |
| B．Specialists offered him medical advice. |
| C．Training helped him defeat his disease. |
| D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win. |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A．Her training schedule. |
| B．Her daily happenings. |
| C．Her achievements. |
| D．Her sports career. |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to?
| A．Ways that help one to focus. |
| B．Words that help one to feel less tense. |
| C．Activities that turn one’s attention away. |
| D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax. |
According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
| A．Courage. | B．Devotion. |
| C．Hard work. | D．Self-confidence. |
Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as thy could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.Why were the children hiding in the tree?
| A．They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely. |
| B．They were playing a hide-and-seek game |
| C．They wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true |
| D．They were pretending to be spies |
Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when____
| A．her front steps were clean |
| B．she noticed the children in the tree |
| C．she was ready to take a flight |
| D．she heard the hen cackling |
Ben did not rush in help Mrs. Tailor because_____
| A．he thought that she could be tricking them |
| B．he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
| C．he did not see the old lady fall down |
| D．he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
Which of these old sayings best suits the story’s lesson for us?
| A．Make hay while the sun shines. |
| B．Never judge a book by its cover. |
| C．People in glasshouses should not throw stones. |
| D．A bird in the hands worth two in the bush. |
Do you want to live a happier, less stressful (有压力的) life?
Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world – and many doctors now think that having a good laugh might be one of the best ways to stay healthy.
The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995 by Dr Madan Kataria. “Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day,” says Dr Kataria. “Everyone’s naturally good at laughing – it’s the universal language. We want people to feel happy with their lives.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.
Many doctors are also interested in the effects (效果) of laughter on our health. According to a 5 – year study in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%.
So, what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to my nearest club in South London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class, to be honest – I wasn’t interested in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid. Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say “ho ho ho, ha ha ha,” while looking at each other. However, our bodies can’t tell the difference between fake laughter and real laughter, so they still produce the same healthy effects.
Surprisingly, it works! After ten minutes everybody in the room was laughing for real – and some people just couldn’t stop! At the end of the class I was surprised by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you’re under stress, then start laughing. You might be very pleased with the results!In which country was the first Laughter Club started?
| A．Britain. | B．America. |
| C．Australia. | D．India. |
How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class?
| A．Surprised. | B．Pleased. |
| C．Nervous. | D．Stressful. |
When did the people in the club begin to laugh for real?
| A．After a few minutes. | B．After a few hours. |
| C．After a few seconds. | D．After a few days. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Fake laughter and real laughter are both good for health. |
| B．40% of the people in Laughter Clubs are good friends. |
| C．Adults laugh more often than children in a day. |
| D．Laughing is the best way to prevent illness. |
We had known for along time that flowers of different plants open and close at different time of day. Yet no one really understands why flowers open and close like this at special time. The question is not as simple as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one experiment, flowers were kept in constant (持续的）darkness. We might expect that the flowers ,without any information about the time of the day, did not open as they usually do. In fact, they continue to open at their usual time. This shows that they have some special ways of knowing the time. Their sense(感觉) time does not depend on information from the outside world. It is inside them: a kind of "inner (内部的）clock". This discovery may not seem to be very important. However, it is later found that not just plants but animals have this "inner clock" which control（控制）the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Human beings, then, are also influenced by it. Whether we wish or not, it affects such things in our life as our need for sleep or need for food.Before the experiment arrived at a conclusion ,people had thought that the flowers would____.
| A．never open in constant darkness |
| B．change their usual time to open |
| C．open ahead of the time as they usually did |
| D．continue to open at usual time |
The sense of time that flowers have is connected with_____________.
| A．its age and size |
| B．light and temperature |
| C．a kind of strange power(力量）inside them |
| D．some unknown information from the outside world |
What will happen if we make good use of the "inner clock"
| A．We'll need less sleep or food. |
| B．We'll be able to sleep as long as we wish to. |
| C．We'll be able to change our work time when necessary. |
| D．We'll have more energy to do our work better. |
What's the Chinese meaning of the underlined word" affects"
| A．产生 | B．影响 | C．给予 | D．依赖 |
Roger was a thief，but he wasn't very clever. When he was in school, he stole apples or oranges from other children. Sometimes he stole pencils or books from other children. But he always got caught.
The teacher spoke to Roger's parents and they tried to stop him from stealing things, but Roger wouldn't stop. He kept stealing.
When he was older, he began to steal from stores, but he was still stupid. Once, he went into a store wearing the clothes he had stolen the day before. The still had the price tags（标签） on them, and the store manager called the police. They warned him that he would go to jail if he didn't stop stealing.
Then Roger decided to rob a bank. He planned everything. He got some gloves so that he would not leave fingerprints, and a mask so that no one would recognize him.
" But what if they recognize my voice?" he thought.
He decided to write his message on a piece of paper so that he wouldn't need to speak. He found an old envelope and wrote "give me all the money" on the back of it. He got a toy gun and went to the bank. He put on his musk and his gloves（ and showed the note to the bank clerk. The clerk gave him all the money, and Roger ran out of the bank and went home.
Ten minutes later he heard a knock on the door. It was the police. They had come to arrest him for robbing the bank.
" How did you find me so quickly?" asked Roger
" It was easy," said the police." Your address was on the envelope!"How old was Roger when he started stealing things?
| A．10 | B．40 | C．70 | D．22 |
What is something Roger did not steal?
| A．money | B．food |
| C．a shirt | D．a bicycle |
In this story, the underline word "recognize" means __________.
| A．know | B．make |
| C．watch | D．understand |
How did the police catch Roger?
| A．His friend worked in the bank. |
| B．The clerk knew his voice. |
| C．They found his picture. |
| D．They knew his address. |