A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband (腕套). The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel (方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between
the sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
| A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents |
| B．has gone through testing at laboratories |
| C．aims to prevent drivers form sleeping |
| D．has been on sale for 12 months |
How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
| A．By sounding a warning. |
| B．By touching the wristband. |
| C．By checking the driving time. |
| D．By pressing the steering wheel. |
We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ____.
| A．about 400 milliseconds | B．below 500 milliseconds |
| C．over 500 milliseconds | D．about 4 minutes |
When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
| A．moves more regularly |
| B．stops working properly |
| C．opens the window for the driver |
| D．sounds more frequently and loudly |
Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotels often provide guests with things like disposable (一次性的) toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But, if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables. They want to ask people to use less disposable things.
Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources and is very bad for the environment. Do you know, one Chinese person makes as much as 400kg of waste a year! Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to break down. So the less plastic we throw out, the better. So, wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.
Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life: Use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen（食堂）, use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones. Some Beijing hotels will no longer provide guests with ____.
| A．cheap food and drink | B．disposable things |
| C．good service | D．free TV programmes |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many disposable things are made of plastic. |
| B．Throwing disposable things away is a waste of natural resources. |
| C．Plastic is very bad for the environment. |
| D．Plastic breaks down easily. |
What can we do to make our world a better place at home and school?
| A．Use shopping bags made of plastic. | B．Do not throw away paper cups. |
| C．Use disposable plates, bowls and chopsticks. | |
| D．Do not forget to reuse daily necessities. |
We can tell from the story that ____.
| A．people don't like disposable things at all |
| B．we can't use paper or plastic bowls at school |
| C．we should use less plastic things and protect our environment |
| D．hotels won't provide disposable things because they want to save money |
Many Americans have been leaving their cars at home and riding to work on bicycles. Andy Clark is the leader of the League of American Bicyclists. His group supports bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.
Clark says this is good news for the environment. He says riding a bicycle to work does not burn fossil fuel or creates dangerous pollutions. Experts say the effects are the most important on short trips. The Department of Transportation says fifty percent of Americans drive eight kilometers or fewer to work. Shorter car trips set out more pollution into the air for each kilometer drive. This is because the car engine will set out the harmful air when it warms up before it can work well.
James, a members of Congress (国会), is a strong supporter of bicycle use. He says cities, counties, state governments and state highway transportation agencies are planning the roadways of the future. They are creating roads and paths for bicycles in cities and between communities.
Last year, Portland, the Pacific Northwest city in the state of Oregon, had the highest percentage of bicycle users in the United States. Portland has been doing progressive city planning for many years to create special paths for bike riders. What happened in America now according to the news?
| A．Many Americans lost jobs now. |
| B．Many Americans prefer short trips. |
| C．There are more and more bicyclists now in America. |
| D．The pollution is getting worse and worse in America. |
Where is Portland?
A. One of the cities in the USA. B. One of the counties in the USA.
C. One of the states in the USA. D. A country in the northwest of the USA.What does the underlined word “harmful” mean in the second paragraph? The closest meaning is “_______”.
| A．polluted | B．dangerous | C．clean | D．foolish |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Many Americans like bike-riding for fun. |
| B．Short car trips can reduce pollution. |
| C．American government suggests people riding bicycles. |
| D．Many Americans ride bicycles to support environment protection. |
I once experienced an unforgettable trip to Gloucester to see some of the world's most beautiful and exciting animals in their own habitat(栖息地), the North Atlantic Ocean.
After a long trip by bus, we got on the ship. After a while, we stopped and everyone on the ship started to shout because we saw a humpback whale(座头鲸). It was wonderful. Sometimes, whales came so close to the ship that you thought you could easily touch them.
While we were watching the whales, a guide was giving us some information about them. She told us that we saw only two kinds of whales -- 50-foot humpback whales (singing whales) and 70-foot fin back whales (the second largest whales on earth). She also said we could easily recognize a whale by its tail because every whale has a different kind of tail just like people have different fingerprints.
They all have names, and on this trip, we saw "Salt" and "Pepper", two whales named by a biologist and a fisherman. They were swimming together all the time.
I took twenty-seven photos, but it was very hard to take them because the whales were quick and stayed on the surface(表面) of the ocean just for a short time. It was really something. It was one of the chances that a person hardly ever experiences in life, but I had that chance.This passage is mainly about ____.
| A．an unforgettable experience in the forest |
| B．an unforgettable trip to see some strange animals in the mountains |
| C．a long trip on the ship |
| D．an unforgettable trip to watch whales |
Everyone on the ship began to shout because ______.
| A．a whale came so close to the ship | B．they saw a singing whale |
| C．they saw a fin back whale | D．they could touch the whale |
When they were watching the whales, ____.
| A．some of them fed the whales |
| B．they found several kinds of whales |
| C．a guide told them something about the whales |
| D．some of them took many photos and touched the whales |
How can we recognize a whale?
| A．By its tail(认识). | B．By its head. |
| C．By its neck. | D．By its eyes. |
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything -- tutors, cards, special learning centers -- in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic(天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and paper were spread(铺开)out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mother looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity(好奇心). She went to his room and asked, "son, what was it? Was it the nuns(修女)?"
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head(摇动), "No."
"Well then," she asked again. "What was it?"
Little Tommy looked at her and said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed(钉) to the plus sign(加号), I knew they weren't joking." Why did Tommy's parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could learn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn't want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy's mother felt surprised that his son _____.
| A．was still the same |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked so hard but said too little |
The phrase "hit the books" means “_____” in Chinese.
| A．用功 | B．捶书 | C．发泄 | D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that ______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the man |
| B．Tommy didn't like the plus sign |
| C．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond(连结物) of love and commitment（承诺） between two people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long.
The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字） a circle represented eternity. Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his.” The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay （which would have been changed often）, ivory, bone, or leather. Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude（未加工的） and rough. However, the sentiment（情感） remained the same-eternal commitment and love.
The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein（静脉） in the left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes （most people are right handed.）It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.
It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them. However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day.
Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you. There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription（刻字） put on the inside of the band（镶边） if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo（刺花） band. The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant（优雅的） band to an elaborate（精致的） ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set you will want to be sure the styles are compatible（一致的）. Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity.What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．History of rings | B．Interesting facts about rings |
| C．Different beliefs about rings | D．The meaning of the rings. |
What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Elegance | B．Marriage | C．Wedding | D．Foreverness |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The meaning of the rings remained unchanged. |
| B．One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds. |
| C．Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger. |
| D．Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Men were looked upon by women for thousands years. |
| B．Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful. |
| C．women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men. |
| D．You can have an inscription put on the inside the band. |