A recent study, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky(冒险的) it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a deadly accident as a teenager driving alone, while the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger.
The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased sharply after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue,” he says, “is that adults who are responsible for issuing licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled a task driving is.”
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使……缓解)the problem is to have states set up so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a multistage process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night or passenger limits, before graduating to full driving licenses.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies. About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have limits on passengers. California is the strictest, with a new driver under 20 forbidden to carry any passenger (without the presence of an adult over 25) for the first six months. Which of the following situations can we infer is most dangerous according to the passage?
A.A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car. |
B.Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m. |
C.Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night. |
D.A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight. |
According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly because of _______.
A.their frequent driving at night | B.their improper ways of driving |
C.their driving with passengers | D.their lack of driving experience |
According to Paragraph 3, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The licensing departments are partly responsible for teenagers' driving accidents. |
B.Driving is too complex a skill for teenagers to learn. |
C.Teenagers should be forbidden to apply to take driving lessons. |
D.Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive. |
A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers' driving accidents is that_______.
A.driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule |
B.the licensing system should be improved |
C.they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p.m. |
D.they should be forbidden to take on passengers |
The desire for a better life is sometimes so big that it makes people leave their countries and their families and work in other countries. They know that they will have to face difficult moments,that they won’t be able to communicate with the persons around them,and that maybe they will have to work in illegal conditions to get the money they need for their families,but they all take these chances and they hope they will succeed.
On the other hand,there are people who immigrate(移民)just for the sake of the people they love. They leave their families to make other families with the people they love. Women go to meet their men who have chosen other countries to start a new life,even if they miss their families and friends. Maybe they don’t have a place to work but they are able to wait to see what destiny(命运) has for them.
There are also the cases of the people who are forced to leave their countries because of a war which threatens their lives. They’d rather start from the very beginning again than risk putting their lives in danger.
When well-developed countries see that their homeland is being “invaded” by lots of immigrants,they set new laws that make immigration harder. As a result of this,many illegal immigrants cross the borders and are eager to work,although they are paid only half the amount of money native workers receive for the same kind of job.
The opinions of the local people are varied and they range from total refusal to complete acceptance. Immigrants in countries which have large communities of them are fighting for the recognition of their social rights and for equal treatment.
Many immigrants have managed to be fully accepted by the communities where they live and have managed to change the opinions of the local people about them. Which of the following reasons for immigration is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Escaping from a war. |
B.Being reunited with the beloved people. |
C.Seeking a better life. |
D.Studying a foreign language. |
What’s the usual response to immigrants in well developed countries?
A.To accept them. |
B.To put limitations on immigration. |
C.To refuse them. |
D.To encourage them. |
From the passage we learn that ________.
A.all immigrants believe everything will be good for them |
B.some immigrants cross the borders illegally |
C.few immigrants know about the difficulties they will face |
D.most immigrants enjoy equal rights with the local people |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Some immigrants are still fighting for their rights now |
B.Native people usually earn more money than illegal immigrants |
C.Immigrants are never accepted no matter how hard they try |
D.The local people have different attitudes toward immigrants |
Hi, I’m your tooth. I’ve been asked to represent the rest of your teeth. We need your help. We are feeling a bit neglected and we need your help.
First, let me tell you a little about us. You weren’t born with our predecessors(前辈),the baby teeth.They developed when you were about six or seven months old. Then they were all ready to chew.You went from milk to real food in no time thanks to your twenty primary teeth. Finally, they loosened and fell out, one at a time, probably about the time you were six or seven years old.
Then we came into your life. We are your permanent teeth, all twenty-eight of us. Some people may even have thirty-two depending on those wisdom teeth in the back. Sometimes they come in, and sometimes they cause trouble.You just never know about them. Many times wisdom teeth come in wrong directions and have to be pulled out. Some people don’t even have them at all!
On a more personal note, I am an tooth in the front of your mouth, and you have seven more just like me here. We do the biting on those chocolate chip cookies you like so much. Next to us are four sharp teeth, two on either side. Their job is to tear food; pizza is a good one for them. Behind them are eight premolars(小臼齿) and eight to twelve molars, depending on those wisdom teeth. The molars do the majority of the work chewing and breaking or crushing the food that you eat. They do a great job on those carrots you like so much!
To keep us healthy,we need to be brushed twice a day.Instead of a quick brushing,brush us for at least two to three minutes.If we don’t get cleaned,you could lose some of us.That’s definitely not what you want,is it?From the passage we can infer that ___.
A.the teeth’s main job is to digest the food we eat |
B.we should take good care of our teeth |
C.some children are born with several baby teeth |
D.primary teech fall out when we are six or seven months old |
How many teeth does a four-year-old boy usually have?
A.Twenty |
B.Twenty-four |
C.Twenty-eight |
D.Thirty-two |
Wisdom teeth are sometimes pulled out mainly because ___.
A.they are useless |
B.there are too many of them |
C.they come in wrong places |
D.they grow in wrong direction |
The speaker “I” in this passage is ___.
A.a wisdom tooth |
B.a baby tooth |
C.a sharp tooth |
D.a permanent tooth |
I remember my math teacher Mr. Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger.
I was not very good at English and math. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I
did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the "big person for kids". I tried really hard for weeks. I just couldn't understand how to make different parts of members into whole things.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr. Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage (孤儿院) was going to send me to the big person if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.
I smiled at him and said, "Mr. Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you're missing your finger?"
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing.
"They shouldn't do that to you because you can't help having a finger, Mr. Young. Just like I can't help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that." I said.
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened it: Geography, B + ; Mechanical Drawing, C - ; English, D - ; History, C - ; Gym, B + ; Art, C ; Math, D -.
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received. Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head. From the second paragraph we can infer that the boy is _____ in some subjects.
A.mind- blowing |
B.slow-witted |
C.fun-loving |
D.badly-behaved |
Where may the boy live according to the passage?
A.In an orphanage. |
B.In a big prison. |
C.In the school dormitory. |
D.In his home. |
What grade should the boy have got in the math test this time?
A. D-.
B. C.
C. B+.
D. E. The underlined word" tucked" in the passage most probably means "_____".
A.stuck |
B.listed |
C.hid |
D.copied |
The reason why the boy remembers Mr Young is that___.
A.he missed one of his fingers |
B.he treated his students very well |
C.he understood the boy |
D.he taught his students in a special way |
Before she appeared on the reality show(真人秀) Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman. Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn’t have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April 10th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags. The audience laughed at her.
But then she opened her mouth. A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.
Susan’s story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn’t have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan’s fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice. She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone’s respect. According to the passage, Susan Boyle _______.
A.is a famous young actress |
B.became famous after a show |
C.used to be a good student |
D.is good at dancing and has millions of admirers |
The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A.far from | B.close to | C.different from | D.the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because__________.
A.her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags |
B.she looked very funny |
C.she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
D.she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of _______.
A.her beautiful face |
B.her knowing how to dress |
C.her good education |
D.her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about___________,
A.how to win fans |
B.how to sing well |
C.a woman’s sudden success |
D.a woman’s simple life |
Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America"home", but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become "American" is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of "side-by-side" living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits.
They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives-such as in schools, business, and sports-but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living "side-by-side" has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups,or newspapers. More than 215 million people call America "home" because_______.
A.they have their houses |
B.they settle there now |
C.they want to make their home there |
D.they like that land very much |
"Side-by-side" living style means _______.
A.to make friends with native people |
B.to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas |
C.the groups of people who live nearby |
D.that they get closer to American society |
According to the passage, people in the USA______.
A.share American customs and cultures |
B.live in a kind of”side by side”society |
C.keep their own customs and habits firmly |
D.make no choice to accept American customs |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.They always stick to their own customs and habits. |
B."Side-by-side" living style is not suitable. |
C.They face the society they are not familiar with. |
D.The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful. |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A.Advantages and Disadvantages. |
B.Different Customs and Habits. |
C.Home for the People. |
D."Side-by-side" Living Style in America. |