There is no question that fewer teenagers are on the roads in the US.
In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licence. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%. The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been declining since 1978, when 11, 989, 000 had licence. In 2010, it was 9, 932, 441, or 4.1% of American drivers.
In the UK, 683, 273 teenagers have driving licences- just 1.85% of total licence holders, according to Department of Transport figures from September 2010.
But the decline in the US may have more to do with tougher tests and the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.
In recent years, the annual number of journeys being made by American drivers of all ages has declined clearly for the first time ever. Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.
But there are signs that it is getting back to normal and American remains a country on wheels. It has a higher number of cars per head of population than any other country in the world.
“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don’t have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around,” says Kristin Nevels. This makes driving necessary in some rural states, where about twice as many teenagers are on the road than in big cities. The underlined word “declining” in the second paragraph most probably means “__________”.
| A．rising | B．dropping | C．improving | D．holding |
In recent years cars are used less than before mainly because of __________.
| A．traffic jams | B．harder tests | C．expensive petrol | D．worst economy |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Kristin Nevels __________.
| A．doubts the popularity of the car use in the future. |
| B．thinks American people can not live without cars. |
| C．holds confident attitude to the cars’ future in America. |
| D．believes America should build up its public transportation. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The UK has more teenager drivers than the US. |
| B．A 15-year-old boy cannot drive alone in the US. |
| C．The US has very developed bus transportation system. |
| D．Big cities have more teenager drivers than rural areas in the US. |
What do you do if you're stranded (处于困境的) on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.
Body signals (信号)
Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training. When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend (弯曲) your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.
Smoke signals
The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it's a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn't hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a fire unless you're sure that it can't spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.
Ground-to-air signals
It's a good idea to build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols (标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:
F: I need food and water."
II: I need medicine."
I: I am badly hurt."
X: I am unable to move from here."
Pilots' replies
If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means "message received and understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilots flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received but not understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's red lights.)Which picture means "it's not safe to land"?
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes". |
| B．If the ground is dark, light smoke can't be seen. |
| C．If you need some medicine, make a symbol "II". |
| D．The pilots make replies with a blue light at night. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The explanation of building signals on an island. |
| B．The importance of making signals on an island. |
| C．Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island. |
| D．Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island. |
Dereck Joubert and his wife, Beverly, have made many films about wild animals in Africa. Their films and photographs are very popular and one of the photographs has been on the front cover of a National Geographic magazine.
A working day for Dereck and Beverly started very early—at 4:30 in the morning! That’s when they get up and start filming. And it’s a long day—they often work until 8:30 in the evening. In the winter it’s very cold and in the summer it can be 40C. Dereck always does the filming—Beverly never does that, and she doesn’t write. But Dereck never takes photographs or records the sound. They work very well as a team, and they both believe we should shoot animals with cameras—not with guns!
When they have finished filming and taking photographs for the day, they have dinner and Dereck usually writes while Beverly looks at her photographs. At night, they usually sleep in a small tent, but they sometimes sleep in the Land Cruiser—when they’re very close to wild animals, it’s sometimes safer to sleep in the car!
Dereck and Beverly have also traveled around the world and given talks about their work. Dereck says that the animals are not just something to look at—they play an important role. Beverly thinks the wild animals can teach us a lot about ourselves.Dereck and Beverly start working_________.
| A．at 4:30 in the morning |
| B．at 4:30 in the afternoon |
| C．at 8:30 in the morning |
| D．at 8:30 in the evening |
Dereck and Beverly usually sleep_________ at night.
| A．in a car | B．in a tent |
| C．in a house | D．in a hotel |
Beverly thinks the wild animals __________.
| A．are something to look at | B．are very popular |
| C．play an unimportant role | D．can teach us a lot |
Scientists believe that one of our most important means of knowing what is going on around us is the sense of sound. We are warned of danger by sounds. Sounds serve to please us in music. Sound has a waste product, too, in the form of noise. Noise has been called unwanted sound. Noise is growing and it may get much worse before it gets any better.
In order to know how noise affects people and animals, scientists have been studying for several years. They are surprised by what they have learned. Peace and quiet are becoming harder to find. Noise pollution is a threat that should be looked at carefully.
Sounds is measured in units called decibels (分贝). At a level of 140 decibels people feel pain in their ears.
Trucks , buses , motorcycles, airplanes, boats, factories---all these things make noise. They trouble not only our ears, but minds and bodies as well.
There is a saying that it is so noisy that you can’t hear yourself think. Doctors who study noise believe that we must sometimes hear ourselves think. If we don’t, we may have headaches, other aches and pains, or even worse mental problems.
Noise adds more tension (紧张) to a society that has already faced enough stress.The sense of sound _________.
| A．makes us feel excited |
| B．helps us hear more clearly |
| C．is something harmful to us |
| D．helps to know what is happening around us |
When sound is turned into noise, ______________.
| A．people grow worse and worse |
| B．it makes us forget all the past |
| C．people don’t know what to do with everyday life |
| D．it will be a kind of pollution to people |
Why does the passage say peace and quiet are becoming harder to find?
| A．Because the world is making more and more noise. |
| B．Because wars and battles happen here and there in the world. |
| C．Because all the sounds are becoming over 140 decibels. |
| D．Because some machines can make noise. |
Doctors say we can hear ourselves think __________.
| A．if we don’t like to hear noise |
| B．if we have no aches or pains in our bodies |
| C．if there isn’t too much noise |
| D．if we can’t be careful of noise |
Once in a busy street, a middle-aged businessman found his wallet missing. There was a lot of money in it. So he made a promise, "If someone finds my wallet and returns it to me, I'll give half the money to him."
The wallet was found by a dustman in a dustbin. He sent it back to the loser. But the businessman changed his mind.
"There was still a diamond ring in my wallet," said the loser, "I won't give half the money in my wallet to you until you return it to me!"
"I've never seen a diamond ring in the wallet," said the dustman.
They began to quarrel. The businessman refused to do what he had said. The dustman became angry and took him before a judge.
After the judge heard what had happened to them, he said to the businessman, "I'm sure you are an honest man. It's true that you have lost a wallet in which there was a diamond ring. But it's also clear that there is only a lot of money in this wallet. I don't think it's yours. Wait for some time. Perhaps someone will be able to return your wallet to you!"
Then the judge turned to the dustman and said, "Take the wallet home. If the loser doesn't go to get it back in three days, it will belong to you!"The wallet the businessman lost ________.
| A．was found in a shop |
| B．was sent to the judge |
| C．was found in a dustbin |
| D．was never to be found |
The businessman was eager to get back the wallet because _________.
| A．there was the address of an important judge in it |
| B．he put in it a diamond ring he had just bought |
| C．there was a lot of money in it |
| D．it was a very expensive one |
Having heard what had happened, the judge _________ .
| A．took the side of the businessman |
| B．did not know what to do |
| C．took pity on the loser |
| D．made a wise decision |
Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer. The training I received, though excellent, didn't tell me how it was to work with a real student, however. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44-year-old single mother of three children. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule, she told me it would not help because she couldn't read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Also, she could only recognize items by sight, so if the product had a different label, she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader, with his reading. I found that helping Marie to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did.What did the writer do last summer?
| A．She worked in the supermarket. |
| B．She helped someone to learn to read. |
| C．She helped some single mothers. |
| D．She was trained by a literacy volunteer. |
Why didn't Marie go to the supermarket by bus at first?
| A．Because she liked to walk to the supermarket. |
| B．Because she didn't have a bus schedule. |
| C．Because she couldn't afford the bus ticket. |
| D．Because she couldn't find the right bus. |
How did Marie use to find the goods she wanted in the supermarket?
| A．She knew where the goods were in the supermarket. |
| B．She asked others to take her to the right place. |
| C．She managed to find the goods by their looks. |
| D．She remembered the names of the goods. |
Which of the statements is TRUE about Marie?
| A．She could do many things she had not been able to before. |
| B．She was able to read stories with the help of her son. |
| C．She decided to continue her studies in school. |
| D．She helped to build up my self-confidence. |
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