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. 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. 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 from 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 |
Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag, one that’s built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fabric (织物), with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌入) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That’s where the similarities end: This bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you’re about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf (围巾).
Sure, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices (装置), part of next generation of wearable computers, could become common within a few years. DuPont created new super strong fibres that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and silly types of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike the old types, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here’s how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you’ve forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse’s handles will inform the computer that you’ve picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are applied in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring-and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years—making for a booming market for wearable computers that don’t look like something out of science fiction.
72. Which of the following describes a wearable computer?
A．It can be washed in washing machines.
B．It is much heavier than a leather purse.
C．It can download songs from the Internet.
D．It is made of clothes conducting electricity.
73. According to the passage, the new wearable computers .
A．require users to operate on the stomach
B．pick up the signals through wires and chips
C．are being put to use in some different areas now
D．are smarter but more expensive than the old ones
74. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A．The new wearable computers have become fashionable.
B．People would like to learn more about the new computers.
C．The idea of the purse-like computers comes from science fiction.
D．New wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.
75. The purpose of the passage is .
A．to introduce a new kind of computer
B．to explain the functions of computers
C．to compare different types of computers
D．to show how high technology affects our life
“We started as a group of friends with the same problem: difficulty in our personal life to manage our time, being always in a hurry.” This thought was recently offered by Bruno to explain the origin of The Art of Living Slowly, an organization that he founded two years ago, with his wife, Ella.
Bruno and Ella said they decided to draw more people’s attention to the overlooked idea that “time is wealth.” On February 19th last year, they created a new holiday, the first Global Day of Slow Living. Despite its ambitious name, the event was limited almost entirely to Italy, where the couple arranged a number of events: a reverse bicycle race in which the last rider was declared the winner; an afternoon of grandfathers reading poetry to children etc.
One Monday in late February, 2008, the couple staged a New York version (版本) of the Day of Slow Living. “It has to be a Monday, the worst day to try to slow down.” Bruno explained. Bruno was wearing a police cap, mirrored sunglasses, and a sandwich board stating, “Watch out! Speed-walking camera is in action!” He flagged down passers-by and handed them postcards printed with fourteen “slowmandments.” For example, No. 4: Write your text message on your cell phone with no symbols and get in the habit of starting with “Dear …” No 7: Avoid being so busy that you don’t have time for yourself. Bruno told the passers-by to read them once a day and keep the doctor away.
Many said, “I can’t do this. New York is too fast.” Bruno admitted. But many stopped, they read and said. “This one is good for me, because trying to slow down is like trying to stop smoking.”
When asked about their plans for the future. Bruno and Ella looked at each other and chanted the name of the city they have chosen for next year’s Global Day of Slow Living, “Tokyo!”
68. The Art of Living Slowly was founded to help people .
A．understand the truth of life. B．know the difficulty in managing time
C．avoid being in a hurry all the time D．make friends with the same problem
69. What did Bruno do in New York?
A．He advertised his idea on a sandwich board.
B．He stopped passers-by and delivered postcards.
C．He served as a policeman to prevent accidents.
D．He took photos for the people who walked fast.
70. Which statement may be included in the fourteen “slowmandments” in paragraph 3?
A．Wake up five minutes earlier. B．Do two things at the same time.
C．Make a habit of writing letters. D．Don’t work on weekends and relax.
71. What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The new holiday is usually celebrated on a fixed day.
B．Italian grandfathers enjoy reading poetry to children.
C．The couple tend to choose busy cities to promote the idea.
D．New Yorkers have a negative attitude towards slow living.
Twenty–six years after a terrible bicycle accident which left her in a coma(昏迷) for two months and with permanent brain injuries, Barbara Buchan performs many actions more slowly than others. But on September 10 in Beijing, Buchan, at 52, the oldest member of the United States Paralympic team, broke the record and won the gold medal for her disability class in the individual 3,000–meter cycling pursuit.
“You can be very upset at the world and have everyone take care of you.” Buchan said by telephone from Beijing, “or get back on your feet again.”
Buchan first dreamed of Olympic gold at age 15 while watching the 1972 Munich Games. She became a top American cyclist by July 1982, when a terrible road–race crash injured her brain and left doctors doubtful about whether she would survive. She was wearing only a soft leather helmet at the time; her accident made the rule put into practice that cyclists wear the hard–shell helmets that are now common.
Buchan recovered enough of her athletic ability to run track in the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, where she won a silver medal in the 800 meters. Women’s cycling was not included in the Paralympics yet, so Buchan trained to the point where she raced against men in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia-she finished 9th and 10th in two races-and then successfully fought for a separate women’s cycling program beginning in 2004 in Athens, where she did not get a medal.
Even though she was approaching her 50s, Buchan kept racing and again made the United States Paralympic team for Beijing-where she is twice the age of most of her teammates and competitors.
“Barbara’s almost the leader of our team-she’s been through it all,” said Craig Griffin, the United States cycling coach. “She’s never tired. She’s never let her body go and then come back. I don’t think age is as big of a deal as people make it out to be.”
64. According to the text, after the accident, .
A．Buchan asked her friends to take care of her
B．cyclists started to wear helmets in competition
C．Buchan could not answer questions correctly
D．doctors doubted whether Buchan could come back to life
65. What’s the right order of the events related to Buchan?
a. She won a gold medal in Beijing.
b. She became a top American cyclist.
c. She won a silver medal in the 800 meters.
d. She suffered a terrible bicycle accident.
e. She took part in a cycling program in Athens.
A．c-d-b-a-e B．b-c-d-a-e
C．b-d-e-c-a D．c-b-d-e-a
66. What does the underlined phrase “get back on your feet” in the second paragraph mean?
A．rise to your feet B．walk on your way
C．go beyond yourself D．depend on yourself
67. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A．The Making of a Hero B．From a Loser to a Winner
C．All Roads Lead to Rome D．Health is Better than Wealth
Information for Visitors to the Breenda Museum
Opening times
The Breenda Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission (门票) is free and the museum is open to all.
The Breenda Museum is closed for the Christmas Holidays from 5:00 pm on Wednesday 23 December 2009 until 10:00 am Wednesday 6 January 2010.
Location and local transport network
The museum is located inside The Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.
The College is within easy walking distance of Tower underground station. It is a short taxi or underground journey from most major rail stations. There are two NCP car parks nearby.
Group bookings
All groups must book in advance. An online booking form for groups is now available.
Admission is free. A donation (捐献) of ￡3 per person is encouraged.
To book a visit please contact the museum on 020 7788 6060 or email: museums@rcsng.ac.uk
Tours for groups
Tours of the museum can be booked for up to 30 people:
*An introductory tour lasts 30 minutes and is ￡100 plus VAT (增殖税).
*A specialized tour lasts 45 minutes and is ￡130 plus VAT.
*Tours for schools are free, but donations are encouraged (￡3 per person).
*After hours tours (5:30-7:30 pm) are ￡130 per tour plus VAT. A tour will last 20-25 minutes.
To book a tour or a place for the free tour, please call 020 7869 6560.
60. From the text we know the Breenda Museum is open at .
A. 4:00 pm Monday Jan.11, 2010 B. 11:00 am Friday Dec. 18, 2009
C. 6:00 am Thursday Jan.7, 2010 D. 11:00 am Wednesday Dec.30, 2009
61. To get to the museum, a tourist at the Tower underground station .
A. can just walk B. may go by train
C. should take a bus D. must take another underground
62. Which of the following is true about group bookings?
A. Every person is charged ￡3. B. Tours are available any time.
C. Tours must be booked in time. D. Free tours can be booked on the Internet.
63. Which tour lasts the shortest time?
A. Tours for schools. B. Tours for after hours.
C. The specialized tours. D. The introductory tours.
Before human’s history, in the middle of an ocean, miles from the nearest island, an undersea volcano broke out. The hot liquid rock piled higher and higher and spread wider and wider. In this way, an island rose up in the sea.
As time went on, hot sun and cool rains made the rock split and break into pieces. Sea waves dashed against the rock. In this way, soil and sand came into being.
Nothing lived on the naked soil. And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other little creatures there. Only plants could grow at first. Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the minerals of the soil, water and air. While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food. A spider wove its web in vain, because there were no insects for its web to catch. Insects couldn’t stay until there were plants for them to eat. So plants had to be the pioneer life on this new island.
The underlined part “in vain” can be replaced by ________.
A. tirelessly B. uselessly C. fearlessly D. effortlessly
According to the passage, ________ made the island rise up in the sea.
A. rock from the nearest island B. sand brought by the wind
C. hot liquid rock from the volcano D. sea waves dashing against the rock
What is the correct order of things appearing on the island?
A. Spiders, birds and plants. B. Soil, plants and animals
C. Soil, hot liquid rock and animals. D. Hot liquid rock, animals and plants.
The passage is mainly about ________.
A. how an island formed B. how a volcano broke out
C. how plants were brought to the island D. how plants and animals began to live on the island
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