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 |
Most people want to be happy, but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting（永恒的、永久的） happiness. Aristotle (亚里士多德), a Greek thinker, said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” In other words, we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future —for example, getting into college or getting a good job —that we fail to enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have several close friends often live happier and hea
lthier lives.
Another secret to living a happy life is to be active, and have hobbies where you forget your problems and time. Many people experience this dancing, or playing a sport, such as swimming. You can forget about your problems, and only think about the activity. Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others. If you want to feel happier, do good things for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to buy food for an elderly person, or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes. The best title（标题）of the passage is ________.
| A．Money Makes You Happy |
| B．The Secrets of Happiness |
| C．Ideas for Helping Other People to Be Happy |
| D．Good Friends Make You Happy |
The second paragraph tells us that ________.
| A．the more friends you have, the happier you will be |
| B．we shouldn’t think about our future |
| C．happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. |
| D．some people fail to live a happy life |
The passage gives us ________ pieces of advice on happiness.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the p
assage?
| A．Reading a good book. |
| B．Traveling to a foreign country. |
| C．Playing a sport. |
| D．Spending time with close friends. |
Even a child knows that nodding(点头) the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.
The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.
If a person 
doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.
At one time a foreigner in India told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time. According to the habit of India, if someone agrees with you, he will _______.
| A．nod his head |
| B．shake his head |
| C．neither nods his head nor shakes his head |
| D．either nod his head or shake his head |
Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him t
o drive him to his office? Because _______.
| A．the Indian driver has something important to do |
| B．the foreigner promised to give him only a little money |
| C．The driver felt uncomfortable at that time |
| D．In India shaking the head means agreement |
Why did the foreigner become angry? Because _______.
| A．the Indian driver didn’t want to send him to his office |
| B．He misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India |
| C．he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the India driver didn’t say any words |
| D．the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money |
The phrase “on the contrary” means _______.
| A．just the opposite |
| B．clear difference between two things |
| C．doing what you want to do |
| D．on the other hand |
Are you intere
sted in country music? I like it very much! It will take me away for a while after I am tired .The guitars and songs will take me to mountains and fields.
Country music usually talks of everyday life and feelings. It’s the spirit of America, easy to understand, slow and simple.
Country music developed in the Southern United States. It was the folk music of American countryside. Many of songs tell about the lives of
famers .They talk about love, crops or death.
The life of the countryside can be hard, so the words in country music are often sad. At first, people played the music only at family parties. But it became more popular later. In the 1920s, people played country songs on the radio, and they made them into records.
When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for work, they took their music with them. Country music continued to change and became popular across America.
John Denver was one of America’s most f
amous country singers in the 1970s.His song “Take Me home, Country Roads” is well-known and people still play it today.Country music is usually about _______.
| A．everyday life and feelings |
| B．farmers’ feelings |
| C．the lives of workers |
| D．the lives of farmers |
People began to make country song records _______.
| A．in the 1920s | B．in 1920 |
| C．in the 1970s | D．in 1970 |
Why did Country music become popular in America?
| A．Because city people liked the music. | |
| B．Because farmers moved to cities with their music and it continued to change. | C．Because country music talked about city people’s lives. |
| D．Because country music developed in the Southern Africa |
Who is famous for the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads”?
| A．A farmer in the countryside. |
| B．A person who moved to towns |
| C．John Denver. |
| D．John Denver’s brother |
You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter.” I also surprised by how hard-working US students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a l
ot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports. What does the word “tan” in the sixth paragraph mean in Chinese?
| A．晒黑 | B．晒白 | C．能量 | D．保护 |
A good US student spends his/her time ________.
| A．only in doing homework |
| B．only on sports |
| C．only on music |
| D．on studies, sports or music and public work |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The writer is now in US. |
| B．American girls love to have white skin. |
| C．American girls love to have brown skin. |
| D．US students are talented and hard-working. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．My Own Travel in the US |
| B．My Studying in the US |
| C．My Opinion about the US |
| D．My Studying in China |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact，it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you．Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a girlfriend，a marketing company, a boss，a policeman or a criminal. Whoever it is，they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen — the 21st century equa
l to being caught naked (裸露的).
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, though it's important to reveal (透露) yourself to friends，family and lovers in stages, at 
appropriate times. Actually few boundaries remain. The digital breadcrumbs (面包屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are，where you are and what you like. In some cases，a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”.
When opinion polls (民意调查) ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a majority of people are pessimistic (悲观的) about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and d
o another. Only a small part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to protect their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费亭) to avoid using the EZ — Pass system that can track (跟踪) automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will submit personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter — at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you 
have it, you don’t n
otice it
. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it... What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| B．There should be fewer quarrels between friends. |
| C．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| D．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
.. Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
| A．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
B．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
| C．People leave traces around when using modem technology. |
| D．Modem society has finally developed into an open society. |
.. What do most Americans do to protect privacy?
| A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
| B．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it. |
| C．They rely more and more on electronic equipment. |
| D．They use various loyalty cards for business deals. |
.．We can infer from Paragraph 2 that _________.
| A．criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology |
| B．people tend to be more frank with each other in the information age |
| C．in the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets |
| D．people’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge |
.．According to the passage，privacy is like health in that _________.
| A．its importance is rarely understood | B．it is something that can easily be lost |
| C．people will make every effort to keep it | D．people don’t treasure it until they lose it |