A major development to self-driving cars may change the way we will drive in the future. Google, the leading company in self-driving technology, has changed its develop plan. It had driverless cars built by car factories, but now it will start building its own cars.
Google has started to build some kinds of experimental electric self- driving cars that look like a Smart car or Fiat 500. There is no steering wheel(方向盘)，gas pedal or brake. The only things a human passenger controls are a red “e-stop” button(按钮) for fear stops and a start button. The car’s only “friendly” face is designed to make it help people accept self-driving technology.
Google workers took part in a long experiment, in which they used self-driving cars for their usual travel to work. No accident happened, but Google’s heads realized that depending on a human passenger to drive in an emergency(紧急情况) wouldn’t work because they may be reading, working , or sleeping. Now the self-driving car drives by itself if the driver takes his hands off the wheel for over ten seconds.
Google’s self-driving cars are now limited(限定) to a speed of 25 miles per hour for safety reasons. The cars aren’t allowed to drive on highways. However, a Google engineer said that once the cars are solved to run safely, we can drive at the speed of 50, even 80 miles an hour.
Google recently announced that its cars had covered 700,000 miles of public roads, and they were now running in busy city streets. People who love self-driving cars say this will improve transport by making roads safer, cutting down accident, and making less pollution.
Of course, there’s no need to look for parking at a crowded shopping mall. Instead, users could let their self-driving cars drop them off to park itself. A mother who took a test ride said that having the car would allow her more time to catch up with her son. The cars could also allow people who might not be able to drive to enjoy the hand-free driving. And drunk driving? Not a problem. It is very likely that by 2020, driverless cars will be common. Do you believe so?
What equipment do the self-driving cars have?
| A．A gas pedal. | B．A brake. |
| C．A steering wheel. | D．An “e-stop” button and a start button |
How fast can people drive a self-driving car now?
| A．25 miles an hour. | B．50 miles an hour. |
| C．80 miles an hour. | D．100 miles an hour. |
What has Google company already done?
| A．Google has changed its development plan and helped other factories make cars. |
| B．Google has already had car-testing experiments in all the states in the US. |
| C．Google has realized some problems and tried to solve them. |
| D．Google has asked its own workers to buy the cars and travel to work. |
Which advantage of self-driving cars is not mentioned ?
| A．They can start the engine by itself and make people’s hands completely free. |
| B．They can help to solve air pollution and reduce car accident. |
| C．They can park by themselves and make mothers look after young kids easily. |
| D．They can help those disabled people to enjoy the driving. |
What will happen if emergency happens when someone is driving a driverless car?
| A．If the driver presses the “e-stop” button, the car will drive by itself at once to keep safe. |
| B．If the driver is reading, working or sleeping, he can’t handle the situation in time. |
| C．The car’s friendly face will work and help the driver accept the situation and stay calm. |
| D．The self-driving car will break the speed limit and run at a speed that the driver tells it. |
阅读短文，然后根据短文内容完成任务。
There is a popular club in many US middle schools. It’s homework club. More and more students spend (度过) their afternoons at these clubs.
The US middle school students need a quiet place to study. But games, computers and TV are all around kids at home. So the homework club is just for them to do their homework. The club is quiet and it’s (A)________ for students to study. Some teachers are there, too. They can answer students’ questions and help with their work.
Finish (完成) their homework and then they play games or watch TV happily.
任务一：从方框中选择适当的词填入文中的A处。 good, well _____________
任务二：将划线句子翻译成汉语：________________________________________
任务三：根据短文内容完成句子。There are ____________, ______________ and TV at kids’ homes.
任务四：根据短文内容回答题。What club is a popular one in many US middle schools?
What can students do after they finish their homework?
阅读短文，根据短文内容选择正确的答案。
Coffee has become the most popular American drink. Today people in the United States drink more coffee than（比）people in any of the other countries. People drink coffee at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner, and between meals. They drink hot coffee or coffee with ice in it. They drink it at work and at home. They eat coffee ice-cream and coffee candy（糖果）. Coffee is black and very strong. Different people like to drink it in different ways. Some people like coffee with cream or sugar in it. Other people like coffee with both cream and sugar in it. In all ways it is served（提供服务）. Coffee has become an international（国际的）drink.Coffee is an ________ drink.
| A．interesting | B．international | C．ice-cream | D．America |
Different people like to drink coffee __________.
| A．at work or at home | B．in different ways |
| C．with cream or sugar | D．between meals |
Today Americans drink ____ coffee than people in any of the other countries.
| A．as much as | B．less | C．more | D．most |
“Coffee is black and very strong.” The word strong here means ______.
| A．坚固的 | B．淡的 | C．强壮的 | D．浓的 |
_____ is the most popular American drink.
| A．Black tea | B．Coffee | C．Water with ice | D．Whisky |
阅读短文，根据短文内容判断正（T）误（F）。
I take an after-school Spanish class once a week. One day, when the class was over, there weren’t any buses going to my house, and my parents couldn’t pick me up. So, I had to walk home myself.
It was a long walk but I enjoyed it. The wind was blowing (吹拂) gently. And I saw birds flying and trees changing color. A few times I saw something special, like a small snake near the sidewalk (人行道) and two cars very close to crashing (撞车)! Later, I got used to (习惯) the distance. It became a part of my daily life, like getting dressed.
People always think walking long distances is unimaginable (难以想象的). Cars keep us from nature. But I really enjoy my walk home from school.The writer takes an after-school Spanish class every day.
The writer’s parents asked him to walk home.
The writer didn’t enjoy the long walk.
The writer loves being close to nature.
The writer sees a car accident on his way home.
New York is one of (A)_______ (excite) cities in the world.
You might want to do some shopping in New York. Fifth Avenue is probably New York’s most famous shopping street, but if you go, be prepared to “window shop” only. This is shopping for the rich. There are other, less expensive shopping areas（区域）nearby, and you’ll soon (B)come across famous stores such as Bloomingdales, Macy’s and FAO Schwartz.
And if you’ve brought your rollerblades, then a visit to Central Park is a must. This is a large, open park right in the middle of Manhattan, but if you thought that people came here to relax, sits down for a few minutes and get away from the rush of New York life, then you’d be wrong. Nobody sits in Central Park: they run, jog（慢跑）, and most of all they rollerblade.
When you leave New York, you might be tired, even poor and overweight, but the one thing you won’t be is bored!用（A）处所给单词的适当形式填空。（A）_________________________
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。（B）的中文含义
Why would you probably only “window shop” in Fifth Avenue?
_____________________________________________What is Bloomingdales?
_____________________________________________What don’t people do in Central Park?
_____________________________________________
As a father, I always do my best to help my son, Peter. I like to help him with his study. I encourage him to join team sports. I send him to the summer camp if he wants to go. I also teach him to be both a good student and a useful man.
He used to make me feel proud. I often thought he was the best son and I was the best father in the world.
However, things changed two years ago. It was Peter’s 12th birthday. My wife and I bought him a computer as a present. We thought it was necessary for him to learn how to use a computer in the modern world. We knew that some children were addicted (上瘾的) to computer games and that they didn’t study or work at all. Someone said that computers and the Internet were bad for children, but I didn’t worry about it. I trusted (信任) my son. I believed that he could control himself. Peter did very well at first. He played computer games, but for only two hours every week. Most of the time he studied or wrote articles on the computer. We felt very happy to see that.
When we finally learned that Peter was also addicted to computer games, it was too late. He didn’t like studying at all. He no longer joined team sports. Sometimes we even couldn’t find him at night. He spent several days and nights at the Internet cafe. We tried everything to help him, but nothing worked. What should we do?Why did the writer think his son was the best in the past?
| A．Because his son joined many team sports. |
| B．Because his son was a good student. |
| C．Because his son always made him feel proud. |
| D．Because his son loved him very much. |
How old is Peter now?
| A．10 years old. | B．12 years old |
| C．14 years old. | D．16 years old. |
What did the writer buy for his son as a birthday present two years ago?
| A．A computer. | B．Some computer games. |
| C．Some books. | D．A computer book. |
How long did Peter play computer games at first?
| A．About two hours every day. |
| B．About two hours every week. |
| C．About two hours every month. |
| D．The whole day. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Peter likes to study a lot now. |
| B．It wasn’t necessary for children to learn how to use a computer. |
| C．Many children have lost interest in studying because of computer games and the Internet. |
| D．Children shouldn’t use the computer. |