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 of their fitness to get behind the wheel every 10 years.
Other changes under consideration include issuing 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 inferred 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． |
Perhaps you will visit New York one day. You might be a student there. Here is some advice.
Get a good map of the city. It will also have subway and bus maps. Remember the directions—uptown, downtown, east and west. Feel the excitement of New York .Have fun!
NEW YORK CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
Address:90 East 42nd Street,N.Y.100017
Telephone:6871300
TIMES SQUARE INFORMATION CENTER
Address:43rd Street between Seventh Avenue and Broadway
Telephone:5938983
TRAVELERS' AID SOCIETY
Address:204 ast 39th Street,N.Y.10016(central office)
Telephone:6790200
TRAVEL INFORMATION:NEW YORK SUBWAYS AND BUSES
Telephone:3301234
OTHER TELEPHONE NUMBERS
The weather:WE 61212.The time:ME 71212
Emergency (Police,Fire,or Ambulance):911 or “0” for operator
A doctor:8971000
USEFUL BOOK
Seeing New York; The official MTA Travel Guide,published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Introductions and directions |
| B．This is New York |
| C．Information and advice |
| D．Have fun here |
If you lose your passport in New York, you may probably get help from _______.
| A．CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU |
| B．TIMES SQUARE INFORMATION CENTER |
| C．USEFUL BOOK |
| D．TRAVEL INFORMATION |
If a visitor wanted to take a train, he could get some help by dialing the number “_______”.
| A．8971000 | B．3301234 | C．WE 61212 | D．911 or “0” |
It will be hot—hot enough that most locals will have cleared town for cooler places. But because athletes competing at the 2004 Olympics have no choice but to stay in the hot weather, many plan to turn to science to stay cool.
Some will put their hands in ice water just before competing and nearly all will be wearing fabrics(织物) designed with hot weather in mind.
“Normally we warm up before exercise,”said Gordon Sleivert, director of sports science and medicine at the Canadian Sport Center in Victoria, British Columbia.“But in this case we're taking the warm out of warm up. It's like pre-cooling.”
Experts are predicting(预测) the average high this August in Athens will be 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures often reaching above 100(the average temperature in Sydney for the 2000 summer games was 64).
Although some events, such as the marathon, will start early(1 a.m.) to avoid hot weather, other competitors will be pushing their limits during high temperatures. Drinking lots of water will help athletes keep cool, but humidity(湿度) remains a problem. The body's ability to cool down is weakened by damp air since sweat drips off the skin rather than evaporates(蒸发),resulting in dehydration(脱水) without the cooling.
“Getting hot is a real problem because when our brains heats up, the brain waves are more like when you're really sleepy. Everything feels harder,” said Sleivert. The passage mainly tells us that _______.
| A．why it is very hot in Athens |
| B．the hot weather is a big problem for Olympic athletes |
| C．how important science is to every athlete |
| D．the Olympics will be put off because of the hot weather |
The underlined sentence “other competitors will be pushing their limits during high temperatures”in the fifth paragraph means _______.
| A．Olympic athletes will put off their competition time |
| B．some events in the Olympics will have to be put forward |
| C．competitors can't reach their limits in the hot weather |
| D．competitors will have to try their best to compete under any condition |
The following things will be likely to happen in the hot weather EXCEPT _______.
| A．dehydration |
| B．being sleepy |
| C．that the blood in the body can become less and less |
| D．that the body's ability to cool down is weakened |
British men are couch potatoes. They spend nearly half their freetime watching TV. They watch more TV than women, do less housework, less charity work and less childcare—but spend more time shopping, a poll(民意测验) suggests. Analysts(分析家) from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, interviewed working men and women in 10 countries.
Britain, where men devoted 49% of their freetime to the box, came a narrow second to the Hungarians with 51%.German and Norwegian men watched the least TV—just over one third of their spare time.
The analysts took the average of the figures for the whole year including holidays and weekends. They broke down the “average day” into five categories(类)—free-time, sleep, meals and personal care, travel, domestic chores(家务事) and work or study. It shows that British men have four hours and 41 minutes free time each day—20 minutes more than women. But women spend nearly double the amount of time on domestic chores than men. Almost three-and-a-half hours of a woman's day is taken up with domestic work, compared to less than two hours for men.
Food preparation makes up the bulk(量) of the chores, with leaning and shopping the next most time-consuming. They further broke down the free-time and domestic categories to show that men spend 137 minutes each day in front of the TV, compared to women's 114 minutes.
Women spend slightly more time socializing resting and reading than men, but slightly less time on hobbies, sport and exercise. Universally unpopular with both sexes is culture—accounting for just 2% of both men and women's leisure time.According to the passage, couch potatoes refer to _______.
| A．a kind of potatoes produced in Britain |
| B．people spending much time sitting and watching television |
| C．a kind of food offered by the English people |
| D．people who like doing housework instead of watching TV |
According to the passage, which of the following may NOT be included in the ten countries?
| A．Germany. | B．Norway. | C．Hungary. | D．Russia. |
What both men and women don't like in their spare time is _______.
| A．taking part in cultural activities | B．shopping |
| C．enjoying their hobbies | D．doing domestic chores |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Domestic Chores—Only Women's Right |
| B．British Men—Couch Potatoes |
| C．What the Research Means |
| D．Men and Women in Different Situations |
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son, suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up(蜷伏) with me on the soft and talk,” said Mark.“Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what's on their minds.“In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers.“This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained.“They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what's going on in their teenagers' lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young.Another thing parents should remember is that to be friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.“The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son_______.
| A．is always busy with his studies |
| B．doesn't want to be disturbed |
| C．keeps himself away from his parents |
| D．begins to dislike his parents |
What troubles Tina and Mark most is that _______.
| A．their daughter isn't as lovely as before |
| B．they can't read their daughter's mind exactly |
| C．they don't know what to say to their daughter |
| D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help |
Which of the following best explains “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
| A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends. |
| B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents. |
| C．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents. |
| D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives. |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children. |
| B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers. |
| C．Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers. |
| D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers. |
Common indoor plants may prove to be a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only pretty, but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing possible harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings.
NASA have announced the finds of a 2-year study that suggested the common indoor plants may provide a natural way of helping fight against “Sick Building Syndrome(综合症)”.
Research into the use of biological processes as a means of solving environmental problems, both on Earth and in space habitats, has been carried out for many years by Dr. Bill Wloverton, a senior research scientist at NASA.
Based on preliminary evaluations(初步评估) of the use of common indoor plants for indoor air purification(净化),NASA funded a study using about a dozen popular varieties of attractive plants to determine their effectiveness in removing several key pollutants linked with indoor air pollution. NASA research on indoor has found that living plants are so efficient at absorbing pollutants in the air that some will be launched into space as part of the biological life support system aboard future orbiting space stations.
While more research is needed, Wolverton says the study has shown that common indoor plants can remove certain pollutants from the indoor environment. “We feel that future results will provide an even stronger argument that common indoor plants can be a very effective part of a system used to provide pollution free homes and work places,” he concludes.
“Combining nature with technology can increase the effectiveness of plants in removing air pollutants,” he said.
NASA research has always shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several poisonous chemicals from the air inside buildings. You can use plant in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work—where people feel better, perform better, and enjoy life more.The main idea of the passage is _______.
| A．plants are very useful to human beings |
| B．indoor plants can help remove indoor air pollution |
| C．indoor plants should be raised in both homes and offices |
| D．NASA have studied indoor plants for many years |
Why do you think NASA are very interested in indoor plants?
| A．Some indoor plants would be used in space stations. |
| B．They want to find a way to cure Sick Building Syndrome. |
| C．They need indoor plants to carry out their experiments. |
| D．Indoor plants are pretty and attractive. |
The underlined word “pollutants” refers to _______.
| A．some kinds of indoor plants | B．ways to solve air pollution |
| C．research on indoor plants | D．poisonous chemicals in the air |