Nowadays the cost of a new car has fallen in real terms so that it is cheaper than ever to own one, and better road conditions have also attracted more drivers. The result is overcrowding on the road system, which is one of the problems the local governments are faced with.
When people travel to other towns, the problem might be relieved by getting them to park outside the town. Buses could be provided to take them into the centre. These Park and Ride projects are increasingly popular in the UK. At Southerton, for example, a council-funded project led to a 15% drop in city centre traffic over five months.
What the council found, though, was that the project proved somewhat unpopular with shop owners in the area outside the centre. Many of their shops relied on passing car drivers for some of their trade. As the number of people driving past dropped, so did their incomes.
Making car driving expensive is another way of encouraging people to use public transport more. Road taxes tend to mean that people use their cars less. Fining drivers who are in areas where cars have been banned can also tend to encourage them to leave their cars behind.
However, one thing has to be got right for any solution to succeed. If we expect people to give up the habit of driving, we must give them an alternative they can rely on. Constant delays, unannounced changes to the timetable and sudden cancellations all discourage people from using public transport. People will only see it as a real choice if the buses and trains are on time. What causes overcrowding on the road system according to Paragraph 1?
| A．The reduced/lowed cost of a new car and better road conditions |
| B．The reduced/lowed cost of a new car |
| C．better road conditions |
| D．People are wealthier than before. |
What should people do when traveling to other towns according to the Park and Ride projects?
| A．They should park in the park, and take a taxi to the centre. |
| B．They should take the bus to other towns instead of driving. |
| C．They should park outside the town, and take the bus to the centre. |
| D．If they don’t use public transport, they’ll be fined. |
What are some shop owners’attitude to the project?
| A．supportive | B．objective |
| C．opposed | D．subjective |
Why are people unwilling to use public transport according to Paragraph 5?
| A．Because buses constantly delay and even sudden cancellations. |
| B．Because the timetable changes without announcement. |
| C．Because they want to show off their cars and driving skills. |
| D．Because public transport can not satisfy the passengers. |
How many ways are mentioned to solve the overcrowding?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Michael Jordan told me not to mention this until the season was over and I promised him at that time. Now I think it’s time.
Early last season, I wrote a column about an act of kindness I had seen Jordan do to a disabled child outside the Stadium. After it ran ,I got a call from a man in the western suburbs. He said, “I read what you wrote about Jordan, but I thought I should tell you another thing I saw.” Here it comes, I thought. It always does. Write something nice about a person, and people call you up to say that the person is not so nice.
A few weeks later Jordan and I were talking about something else before a game, and I brought up what the man had said. Was the man right? Has Jordan really been talking to those two boys in that poor and dirty neighborhood?
“Not two boys,” Jordan said, “but four.”
And he named them. He said four names.
And what did they talk about?
“Everything,” Jordan said. “I’ve asked to see their grades so that I can check whether they’re paying attention to their schoolwork. If it turns out one or two of them may need teaching, I make sure they get it.”
It’s just one more part of Michael Jordan’s life, one more thing that no one knows about, one more thing Jordan does right. The NBA season is over now, and those boys have their memories. So do I! When the expert reviewers begin to turn against Jordan, as they surely will, I’ll think about those boys under the streetlight, waiting for the man they know to come, for someone they can depend on.That man called after reading about what Jordan did to a disabled child because he wanted to ____.
| A．become famous himself |
| B．know why Jordan appeared in a poor area |
| C．let the author know that Jordan was not that nice |
| D．offer another example to show that Jordan was a nice man |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Jordan is not such a great person. |
| B．Jordan deserves the admiration he had from others. |
| C．Jordan is always ready to make friends with young people. |
| D．Jordan is always misunderstood by expert reviewers. |
What does the underlined word “ran” probably mean?
| A．Published. | B．Finished. | C．Disappeared. | D．Drove |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why the author wrote this passage?
| A．He would like to keep the promise he had made. |
| B．He thought it was time to help the disabled children. |
| C．He hated to see Jordan become someone else’s target. |
| D．He was impressed by Jordan’s deeds for the ordinary poor. |
What’s the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
| A．to show us the life of Jordan |
| B．to tell us everybody will make mistakes including Jordan |
| C．to criticize Jordan |
| D．to defend Jordan against attack |
She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. Outside, it was pouring so heavily.
We all stood there just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others annoyed because nature messed up their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance (昏昏欲睡) we were all caught in. “Mom, let’s run through the rain,” she said.
“ No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit.” Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated, “Mom, let’s run through the rain. ”
“We’ll get soaked if we do,” Mom said.
“ No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tore at her Mom’s arm.
“This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”
“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!”
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I dare say you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s lifetime when innocent trust can be developed so that it will bloom into faith. “Honey , you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just need washing.” Mom said. Then off they ran.
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they rushed past the cars and they held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, l did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
You may lose your material possessions, your money and even your health, but no one can ever take away your precious memories. So don’t forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “affirmation”?
| A．happiness | B．love | C．disagreement | D．approval |
What do we know about the mother in the story?
| A．Her husband was cured of his cancer. |
| B．She was strong-willed and considerate. |
| C．She was in despair and pretended to forget what she said. |
| D．Her daughter completely understood the situation her family was in. |
Which of the following may the author agree with?
| A．The mother should not tell her child about the family misfortune. |
| B．Parents should act more bravely than their children. |
| C．Parents should grasp every opportunity to influence their children to grow well. |
| D．Children should learn to show gratitude and understanding to their parents. |
The best title for the passage might be _______.
| A．Be a Determined Mother | B．Wait in the Rain |
| C．Have a wonderful experience | D．Run Through the Rain |
Your smartphone can do a lot of things. It can call people. It connects to the Internet. It enables you to play fun games. But there is a dark side to this smart little equipment of yours----- it might also spread disease.
“People are just likely to get sick from their phones as from handles of the bathroom, ” Jeffrey Cain, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians , told The Wall Street Journal.
This may be hard to believe, but scientists reached this conclusion after they tested eight cell phones from an office in Chicago. All the tested phones showed high numbers of coliforms (大肠菌), a kind of bacteria found in human waste , with about 2700 to 4200 units of the bacteria on each phone. The bacteria can cause flu, pinkeye and other diseases . That is right --- your phone is covered in our human waste.
Although computers, keys and pens carry germs (细菌) , our phones get far dirtier. They touch a lot of things, including our hands and the inside of our pocket or purse. We take them almost everywhere: the bus, the subway and who hasn’t played Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja while sitting on the toilet?
“Some things that we think are personal are actually more public than we imagine,” Cain said. What is even worse is that after the phone returns from its dirty trip, it then spends most of its time cozying up to our faces. You don’t think about how often you touch your phone to your face, do you? Our noses, mouths and ears are all warm and rich in grease (油脂) , an environment that germs really like.
So how do you keep your phone clean? Alcohol is effective when used to kill germs from the back and side of your phone. But it might harm the screen. There is one simple and reliable way you can reduce the germs on your phone’s surface: wash your hands regularly.The underlined word “dark” in the first paragraph means _______
| A．black | B．hopeless | C．unpleasant | D．unclear |
Which of the following best describe the tone of the third paragraph?
| A．Terrified | B．concerned | C．Satisfying | D．Threatening |
By saying “Some things we think are personal are actually more public than we imagine,” Cain means that ________.
| A．people love to share their phones more than they realize |
| B．our personal items could be as risky to our health as public items |
| C．phones are used in public places more than people realize |
| D．Most people don’t know how dirty their cell phones are |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．Tips on the use of phones |
| B．Health problems caused by the use of phones |
| C．The danger of coliforms infection |
| D．The influence that phone have on our life |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’ s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.
| A．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us |
| B．inspiring words give us confidence |
| C．negative words may let us down |
| D．words have a lasting effect on us |
There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______
| A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| B．we can benefit from talking to ourselves |
| C．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
| D．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone |
The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______
| A．praise ourselves | B．remind ourselves |
| C．make ourselves relaxed | D．give ourselves amusement |
The author would probably hold the view that ___________
| A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
| B．negative words may stimulate（刺激） us to make more progress |
| C．people tend to remember friendly words |
| D．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
You and your friends will have lots of fun with Rabbit
Ears Walkie -Talkies. You can talk to someone who is in another
room at your house or someone who is up to 180
feet away from you. You can take your walkie
-talkie with you when you go camping or walking.
Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies are easy to use. This is what you do:
1. Push the ON button.
2. Hold the TALK button in and say something. If your friend has his/her walkie - talkie on, he/she will hear you.
If you want to talk for a long time, you can lock the TALK button. Just push the button in and up. When you finish talking, push the TALK button down.
3. When you finish talking, let go of the TALK button and listen. When your friend pushes the TALK button and says something, you will hear what your friend says through your walkie -talkie.
4. When you finish talking with your friend, push the ON button again to turn your walkie-talkie off.
| REMEMBER ◆If you cannot hear , push L (loud) to make it louder. ◆If it is too loud, push S (soft) to make it quieter. |
What are Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies used for?
| A．Locating places. | B．Listening to music. |
| C．Giving directions. | D．Talking with others. |
How can you lock the TALK button?
| A．Keep the button on. | B．Hold the button back. |
| C．Push the button in and up. | D．Turn the button off and down. |
Which button will you push when you can't hear clearly?
| A．L | B．S | C．TALK | D．ON |
The author writes this passage to _____.
| A．show how to use Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies |
| B．explain to the readers his camping experience |
| C．introduce some special ways to make friends. |
| D．tell how to make Rabbit Ears Walkie –Talkies |