From the health point of view we are living in an amazing age. We are free from many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern medicine. It is almost certain that one day medicines will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased greatly. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man vs the motor-car. It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel (方向盘), his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities.People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They say, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and completely selfish.All their hidden angers and disappointments seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so gently on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the deaths become nothing more than a number every year, to be easily forgotten.
It is high time a world rule was created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are unbelievably lax (不严格) and even the strictest are not strict enough. A rule which was universally accepted could only have an obviously beneficial effect on the accident rate.Here are a few examples of some of the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict tests for safety each year. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can damage a person's driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Speed limits should be required on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for car factories, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may not sound good enough. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the number of deaths. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars. What is the main idea of this passage?
A.The laws of some countries about driving are too lax. |
B.Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists. |
C.Thousands of people the world over are kille6 each year. |
D.Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents. |
What does the author think of society toward motorists?
A.Society forgives their rude driving. |
B.Society laughs at the motorists. |
C.Victims of accidents are nothing. |
D.Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns. |
What does the author mean by saying “his car becomes the extension of his personality” in Para. 2 ?
A.Driving can represent his manners. |
B.Driving can show his hidden qualities. |
C.Driving can bring out his character. |
D.Driving can show the other part of his personality. |
Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
A.Build more highways. |
B.Stricter driving tests. |
C.Test drivers every three years. |
D.Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications. |
The author’s attitude towards the present traffic situation is ________.
A.positive | B.unsatisfied | C.appealing | D.unclear |
第二部分:阅读理解
Shanghai—Shanghai officials are welcoming a new national-water law that they say will help them protect the upper reaches of the Huangpu River and other water ways in Shanghai.
The new law, which came into effect yesterday, updates a law enacted(颁布) in 1988 that focused on supplying water to needy areas, but didn’t pay a great deal of attention to environmental protection.
The previous law, for example, gave local authorities power over waterways in these areas, but didn’t pay attention to the sources of those rivers and lakes. So, Shanghai was responsible for cleaning and protecting the lower reaches of the Chang Jiang River but had no say in how the river’s upper reaches, which feed into Shanghai, are maintained.
The new law will make it easier to control the amount of waste that ends up in local rivers and reduce inefficient use of waterways, said Zhang Jia-yi, director of the Shanghai Water Affairs Bureau, on the bureau’s website commenting on law yesterday.
Zhang said the new law focuses on the efficient use of water sources and emphasizes the harmonious development of China’s population, its economy and environment.
Zhang also emphasizes the city will crack down on companies and individuals that pollute the city’s water sources. The bureau sets up a special force to investigate(调查) water pollution in March.
So far this year, the bureau has published more than 3 million in fines on various polluters, Zhang said.
36. The best title for the news report should be ______.
A. A new Law Is Born
B. A New Water Law to Protect Rivers
C. Is it Necessary to Protect the Rivers
D. Make Full Use of Water Sources
37. The underlined phrase “crack down on” means _____.
A. bring up carefullyB. speak highly of
C. deal with seriously D. destroy completely
38. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The law in 1988 is suitable for the new requirements.
B. The new law will stop waste being poured into the Chang Jiang River.
C. A lot of polluting units have been fined this year.
D. The new law and the old one are the same in protecting the environment.
39. We can infer from the passage that _____ .
A. the problem of protecting the water sources wasn’t paid much attention to
B. no laws were carried out to manage the water sources in Shanghai.
C. the new law mainly emphasizes how to make use of the water sources.
D. companies or individuals that polluted the water sources didn’t get fined.
第二部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
In today’s world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people’s health. However, not all the persons know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human health, too.
People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf. Today, however, scientists believe that 10 percent of workers in Britain are being deafened by the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and books, and who weave(织) cloth become deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old persons, for these young people like to listen to pop music and most of pop music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise produced by jet planes or machines will make people’s life difficult and unpleasant, or even make people ill or even drive them mad.
It is said that a continuous noise of over 85 decibels(分贝) can cause deafness. Now the governments in many countries have made laws to control noise and make it less than 85 decibels.
In China, the government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also noise pollution problems.
36. The passage is mainly about ______ .
A. air pollution B. water pollution C. noise pollutionD. world pollution
37. According to the passage, a continuous noise of _______decibels can make people deaf.
A. less than 85 B. less than 65 C. about 65 D. more than 85
38. 10 percent of the workers in Britain are being deafened because _______ .
A. they are working in noisy places
B. they often listen to pop music
C. they live near airports
D. they are too busy to listen to others’talk
39. The government of China is trying to reduce ______.
A. only the air pollution
B. only the air and water pollution
C. only the water pollution
D. the air, water and noise pollution
A San Francisco self-service laundry(自助洗衣店) may be one of the world’s most unusual places to surf the Internet but a fashionable club on Moscow’s Red Square is definitely the most fashionable, according to a Yahoo survey of the globe’s best cybercafés(网吧).
The winners of the first Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards were published on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary(纪念日) of the world’s first cybercafé in London’s West End.
Among the top picks were the unusual Brain Wash in San Francisco, named as “the height of Internet café with self-service laundry” and Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog, selected as Most Stylish with its “unique combination of comfort and hi-tech”. Taking the Best UK Internet Café award was Café Curve in Brighton, southern England—“a must for anyone who likes style, comfort, typing and keeping in touch”. And the title of the world’s Most Remote Internet Café went to an internationally funded centre in Timbuktu, Mali.
The winners were chosen by a team of judges who considered travelers’ more than 1,000 nominations(提名) of cybercafés in 111 countries. The results have been collected in a Rough Guides e-book.
In the decade since London’s Café Cyberia first opened its doors in 1994, approximately 20,000 Internet cafés have sprung up in 171 countries, according to Yahoo Mail.
“Despite the fact that home and work Internet access is now commonplace, Internet cafés fulfill the same role as they did 10 years ago,” Eva Pascoe, a co-founder of Café Cyberia, said in a statement. “They are the post offices of the wired generation.”
48. The purpose of Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards is ______ .
A. to honor the 10th anniversary of Yahoo
B. to celebrate the rapid development of Internet cafés
C. to mark the 10th anniversary of London’s Café Cyberia
D. to promote the most fashionable club
49. Which is NOT the correct match of the following cybercafés?
A. Café Curve in Brighton—the Best UK Internet Café award
B. The internationally funded centre in Timbuktu — the world’s Most Remote Internet Café
C. Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog—the most fashionable
D. Brain Wash in San Francisco—combination of comfort and hi-tech
50. What does the last sentence “They are the post offices of the wired generation.” imply?
A. Internet surfers communicate with each other on Internet rather than by posting letters.
B. Internet cafes start the same service as post offices.
C. Post offices and Internet cafes are of the same importance to surfers.
D. Post offices turn to be Internet cafes in e-mail times.
Municipal(市政府) regulations normally ban anything from smoking in public places to parking in certain zones. But officials in the Brazilian town of Biritiba Mirim, 70km (45 miles) east of Sao Paulo, have gone far beyond that. They plan to prohibit residents from dying early because the local cemetery(墓地) has reached full capacity.
There’s no more room to bury the dead, they can’t be cremated(火化) and laws forbid a new cemetery. So the mayor has proposed a strange solution: outlaw death. Mayor Roberto Pereira says the bill is meant as a protest against federal regulations that prohibit new or expanded cemeteries in preservation areas. “They have not taken local demands into consideration”, he claims.
A 2003 decree(法令) by Brazil’s National Environment Council forbids burial grounds in protected areas. Mr. Pereira wants to build a new cemetery, but the project has been stopped because 98% of Biritiba Mirim is considered a preservation area.
Biritiba Mirim, a town of 28,000 inhabitants(居民), not only wants to prohibit residents from passing away. The bill also calls on people to take care of their health in order to avoid death. “I haven’t got a job, nor am I healthy. And now they say I can’t die. That’s ridiculous,” Amarildo do Prado, an unemployed resident said.
The city council is expected to vote on the regulation next week. “Of course the bill is laughable, illegal, and will never be approved,” said Gilson Soares de Campos, an assistant to the mayor. “But can you think of a better resolution to persuade the government to change the environmental decree that is prohibiting us from building a new cemetery?” The bill states that “offenders will be held responsible for their acts”. However, it does not say what the punishment will be.
44. What is the bill to be proposed by the officials in Biritiba Mirim?
A. Ban on smoking in public places.
B. Ban on parking in certain zones.
C. Prohibiting residents from dying early.
D. Forbidding buried grounds in preservation.
45. What can we infer from the phrase “have gone far beyond that”?
A. Officials in Biritiba Mirim have nothing of these regulations.
B. The bill to be proposed by officials in Biritiba Mirim is much too unexpected.
C. Officials in Biritiba Mirim have been to many places around the world.
D. The officials in Biritiba Mirim have built too many cemeteries in their town.
46. What’s the attitude of the mayor of Biritiba Mirim towards the federal regulations?
A. He objects to them.
B. He gives strong backing to them.
C. He asks the residents for advice on them.
D. He remains silent about them.
47. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. The mayor of the town wants to build a new cemetery against federal regulation.
B. The residents of the town sing the praises of the bill.
C. The government is going to change the environmental decree.
D. No better resolution of the problem has been thought out.
Cloning is suggested as a means of bringing back a relative, usually a child, killed tragically. Some parents can understand that wish, but it must first be recognized that the copy would be a new baby and not the lost child. Here lies the difficulty, for the sad parents are seeking not a new baby but a return of the dead one. Since the original would be fondly remembered as having particular talents and interests, would not the parents expect the copy to be the same? It is possible, however, that the copy would develop quite differently. Is it fair to the new child to be placed in a family with such unnatural expectations?
Copying is also suggested as a means by which parents can have the child of their dreams. Couples might choose to have a copy of a film star, baseball player or scientist, depending on their interest. But because personality is only partly the result of genetic inheritance(遗传), conflicts would be sure to arise if the cloned child failed to develop the same interests as the original. What if the copy of Einstein shows no interest in science? Or the baseball player turns to acting? Success also depends upon fortune. What if the child does not live up to the hopes and dreams of the parents simply because of bad luck?
Every child should be wanted for itself, as an individual. In making a copy of oneself or some famous person, a parent is deliberately(深思熟虑地) specifying(详细说明) the way he or she wishes that child to develop. In recent years, particularly in the U.S., much importance has been placed on the right of individuals to reproduce in ways that they wish. So I suggest there is a greater need to consider the interests of the child and to reject these proposed uses of cloning.
40. What happens to parents in cloning a lost child?
A. Parents expect too much from the copy.
B. Parents may get a quite different copy.
C. Parents are sure to have an identical copy.
D. Parents lose the talents of the lost child.
41. What, in the author’s opinion, affects the success of parents’ dreams?
A. The cloned child’s interest in Einstein.
B. The cloned child’s natural talent.
C. The cloned child’s personality.
D. The efforts of the parents.
42. In the third paragraph, the author implies that ______.
A. the cloned child is viewed as independent
B. the right of growing in his own way is taken away from the cloned child
C. parents carefully protect the rights of the cloned child
D. parents are eager to wish the cloned child to be somebody.
43. In this passage, the author is mainly concerned about ______.
A. the future of a cloned child
B. the possibility of cloning people
C. the importance of cloning a lost child
D. the problems of cloning life