Motorists over the age of 75 face compulsory tests of their eyesight and ability to drive under proposals being considered by ministers.
The biggest overhaul of motoring law in a generation could also lead to all drivers having to give assurances（保证）of their fitness to get behind the wheel every 10 years.
Other changes under consideration include issuing（发放）daylight driving licenses for motorists with night blindness, together with stricter checks on all drivers whose medical condition brought a threat to other road users.
It is understood that the proposals will be part of a review of the law governing the medical fitness of drivers that will be announced publicly by the summer.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is dealing with a rising number of motorists who are concerned that they have conditions---from failing eyesight to epilepsy---that could affect their driving.
In 2006, the DVLA dealt with 600,000 motorists whose physical ability to drive needed to be recertified（重新认证）, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year. With an ageing population, the biggest challenge is dealing with the rising number of elderly motorists. By 2021, there will be an estimated three million drivers over the age of 70 on Britain’s roads.
Drivers must renew their licenses at the age of 70 and every three years thereafter. The applicant is legally required to tell the DVLA of any conditions that could weaken their ability behind the wheel.
Ministers have ruled out a compulsory maximum age for driving but will instead rely on tightening up the checks on motorists over the age of 75. The most likely option would be tests to ensure motorists were fit to drive. They would include an eyesight test and a cognitive（认知） test that would prove a driver's ability to react to road signs, driving conditions, pedestrians and vehicles.
However, checks are likely to be tightened at all ages. The strictest controls are expected to be imposed（强制） on motorists of any age who have had a heart attack or stroke. They could have to produce a doctor's approval to resume（重新得到）driving. Anyone making a false declaration would be guilty of a criminal offence.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The new motoring law will come into effect by the summer． |
| B．Drivers over the age of 75 must renew their licenses every three years． |
| C．Doctors will decide whether one can get their driving licenses． |
| D．Drivers at all ages will be expected to provide their medical condition． |
What is the biggest challenge to the traffic safety in Britain according to the writer?
| A．Ageing population． | B．Increasing number of cars． |
| C．Increasing number of elderly motorists． | D．Driving conditions． |
The underlined word “overhaul” in Paragraph 2 means _______．
| A．change | B．consideration | C．concern | D．challenge |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．There will be more and more aged drivers in Britain． |
| B．Anyone can get a driving license as long as he/she is in good health． |
| C．Health tends to decline as one gets old |
| D．It will be guilty to make a false declaration． |
Napoleon agreed to plans for a tunnel (隧道) under the English Channel in 1802. The British began digging one in 1880. Neither tunnel was completed. Europe has had to wait until the end of the 20th century for the Channel Tunnel. After nearly two centuries of dreaming, the island of Great Britain is connected to Continental Europe for the first time since the Ice Age, when the two land masses moved apart.
On May 6, 1994, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and France's President Mitterrand carried out the official opening. The Queen was accompanied (陪同) on her train journey through the historic tunnel by one of her Rolls-Royce cars which was placed on the train. The following day saw celebrations taking place in Folkestone and Calais. Regular public services did not start until the latter part of 1994.
59. Queen Elizabeth II________ at the opening.
A. took her car Rolls-Royce through the tunnel
B. took her car which was placed on her train through the tunnel
C. took her train through the tunnel
D. took Mitterrand's train through the tunnel
60. The island of Great Britain is ________.
A. connected to France all the time B. separated from France with a tunnel
C. separated from France all the time D. joined to France with the tunnel
61. Which of the following is right?
A. Napoleon made plans for the tunnel.
B. The public could pass through the tunnel by train after May 6, 1994.
C. The tunnel was built for two centuries.
D. The tunnel will do great good to Britain and France.
62. Before 1994, one could go to Britain from France ________.
A. only by ship B. by ship or plane C. by car or train D. by ship, car or train
第三部分:阅读理解 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it’s a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation
to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. If he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.
56. A call at midnight would mean_________.
A. the matter is less important B. the matter is too difficult to handle
C. the matter requires immediate attention D. it is a matter of life and death
57. According to the passage, time plays a very important part in_______.
A. everyday life B. private life C. getting along with others D. business
58. In the passage, the author suggests that invitation cards should be sent________.
A. three or four days before the party date in all cultures
B. three or four days before the party date in some cultures
C. three or four days before the party date in the USA
D. at your chosen time
Car companies are developing vehicles that will plug into electric sockets，just like many laptops，digital cameras，cell phones and Mp4 do．Called“plug-in vehicles”，these cars will get most of their power from electricity. Their drivers won't have to stop at gas stations as often as usual．
The technology is more than just cool. In our car-filled world，plug-in vehicles could reduce the amount of gas we use，which keeps rising in cost now and then. Besides，driving around in these vehicles may even help the environment．Gas-burning cars produce a lot of greenhouse gas，which causes globe warming.
The first company-produced plug-in vehicles could hit the roads by 2010. But engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the technology practical and inexpensive．
Ba
tteries(电池) are the biggest challenge. In the plug-in-vehicle world，Li-ion(锂离子)batteries are getting the most attention．These batteries can store a large amount of energy in a small package，and they last a longer time between charges．Li-ion batteries can fit laptops，cell pho
nes，heart instruments and other similar pocket ones.
But because cars are so big and heavy, it would still require a suitcase-sized Li-ion batteries to power about 12km of driving．What's more，the batteries are much expensive．
“A car filled with batteries could go a long distance，”says Ted Bohn, an electrical engineer in Chicago．“But it couldn't pull any people．and it would cost $100,000．”
So researchers need to work out how to make batteries smaller and cheaper，among other questions.
“The answers don't exist yet，”Bohn says，“As a kid，I thought someone someplace knows the answer to everything．All of these questions haven't been decided．That's what engineering is about-making a guess，running tests and getting fine results．”
72．The passage mainly talks about of a new car
A．the developing B．the speed C．the appearance D．the batteries
72．Which is true according to the passage?
A．The“plug-in vehicles”will use electricity completely as driving power．
B．The new technology will help protect our environment．
C．The technology of using electricity as driving is quite practical now．
D．The biggest challenge of the new technology is that it will cost us more energy．
74．How does Bohn feel about the future of the technology according to the last paragraph?
A．Confident B．Puzzled． C．Worried． D．Disappointed．
75．According to the passage，the new technology is facing the following problems except that．
A．the new technology cannot come into use at present
B．the cost of the new technology is quite high
C．the government won't support the technology
D． the size of the batteries is too big at present
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls, within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a dese
rt may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that :have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day' a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.
68. Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
A. the rain is spread out in a year B. the rain falls only in a few weeks
C. there is little rain in a year D. it is dry all the year round
69. Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
A. sand piles up gradually B. there is plenty of rain in a year
C. the s
ea has dried up over the years D. pieces of rock get smaller
70. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
A. too much sand B. more sand than before
C. nothing except sand D. something else besides sand
71. It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.
A. there is no rainfall throughout the year B. life exists in rough conditions
C. all sand dunes are a few feet high D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That's the finding of an extensive study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed(消费) at least an ounce of salt water fish per day than those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific backing to the long-held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States , with more than 550, 000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year . But researchers previously have noticed that the incidence (发生率)of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age , high blood pressure , or blood cholesterol (胆固醇) levels .
64. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Dutch research has proved that eating fish can help to prevent heart disease.
B. There is a low incidence of heart disease in countries like Japan and Greenland.
C. Among all the diseases heart disease is the most dangerous in America.
D. Heart doctors won’t call your house so long as 
you keep eating fish each day.
65. The underlined phrase “this relationship” refers to the connection between _______ and the incidence of heart disease.
A. the amount of fish eaten B. regular fish-eating
C. the kind of fish eaten D. people of different regions
66. The passage is mainly about __________________.
A. the high incidence of heart disease in some countries
B. the changes in people’s diet in the United States
C. the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures
D. the effect of fish eating regularly on people’s health
67. How many lives could probably be saved each year in the United States by eating fish according to the Dutch study?
A. 550, 000. B. 110,000. C. 275,000. D. 852.