Safety comes first
“Chinese style road crossing” became a hot topic in China from the end of last year. Now, many cities have started to punish these jaywalkers (乱闯马路的人).
“Chinese style road crossing” means crossing roads without thinking about traffic lights, as long as you are part of a crowd.
Beijing Traffic Management Bureau (北京交通管理局) announced that from April 6, people who do not wait for the green light to cross the road will receive a fine of 10 yuan. Officials from the bureau said that using the diagonal (对角线) to cross the road is also against the rules. Walkers should walk in an “L” shape.
Besides Beijing, many places have also taken steps to stop “Chinese style road crossing”. Provinces such as Sichuan, Shanxi and Zhejiang have already started to fine jaywalkers 5 to 50 yuan since last year.
Road traffic deaths top the list of deaths from non-natural causes in China, Xinhua reported. The action to punish behaviors that go against traffic rules calls on people to realize the importance of traffic safety.
However, many people complain that the red lights last too long. “But as long as the design of traffic lights is the same, everyone should follow the rulers. Otherwise the country will lose its order,” said People’s Daily.
Some cities have also paid attention to the problem. Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, for example, said it would not only focus on punishment, but also improve road safety facilities (设施), such as fixing traffic lights in a more proper way and building overpasses (天桥).Was the topic “Chinese style road crossing” very popular last year?
What is the right way for walkers to cross the road?
How are jaywalkers in Sichuan punished?
Why is it necessary to punish those who go against traffic rules?
Besides punishment, what else do some cities do to solve the problem?
What’s your opinion on the action to punish jaywalkers?
Jane is a bright young woman who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university. But her family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So she spends a lot of time on her QQ. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made lots of friends.
Last year Jane made a very special friend on QQ. He and Jane were both interested in rock music. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other.
He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends.
Jane asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. But when David finally stood before her, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
|
A. David sent a picture of himself.
B. In fact, Jane is quite lonely.C. One day. Jane’s father was going on a business trip to San Francisco.
D. His name was David and the lived in San Francisco.
| A．Jane is in a rich family but she feels lonely. |
| B．Jane and David chatted on QQ happily and became good friends. |
| C．Jane went to see David on her business trip to San Francisco. |
| D．Jane didn’t know David was only twelve until she visited him. |
Be careful! Some people may use the truth to deceive. When someone tells you something that is true, but misses important information that should be included, he can create a false impression(印象).
For example, someone might say, "I just won 100 dollars on the lottery(彩票). It was great. I took that ticket back to the store and they gave me 100 dollars!"
This man is a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he paid 200 dollars for 200 tickets, and only one ticket won. He's really a big loser.
He didn't say anything that was false, but he didn't give the other important information. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not lies, but in fact they are dishonest.
Advertisements sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to lie in advertisements, so they try to deceive with the truth. An advertisement might say, "Nine-tenths of doctors believe that Fancy Pills will be good to cancer. " It doesn't tell you that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Fancy Company.
This kind of thing happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.What does the underlined word "deceive" mean in Chinese?
| A．坦白 | B．引人注意 | C．获胜 | D．欺骗 |
When people tell part of the truth, .
| A．they are really lying |
| B．they are lottery losers |
| C．they may want you to buy something |
| D．they may not be honest |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The truth can be used by dishonest people. |
| B．All lies are hidden in the truth. |
| C．Nine-tenths of doctors work for Fancy Company. |
| D．Advertisements are full of lies. |
What does the writer clearly want people to do?
| A．Think carefully when they read or hear something. |
| B．Spend no money on lottery tickets. |
| C．Never trust anyone no matter what they say. |
| D．Always tell the truth. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Tell the Truth | B．Everybody Lies |
| C．Lie With the Truth | D．Lies Are Lies |
（C）
A year ago，I paid no attention to English idioms (习语), though my teacher told us the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head，shrugging his shoulders, he said，“You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought , perhaps this is not a right topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted (打断) again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’？” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “ ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” I realized I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because .
| A．I had no interest in them |
| B．English idioms were very difficult |
| C．I did not realize the importance of them |
| D．my teacher didn’t tell us the importance of them |
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant .
| A．I had talked too much |
| B．I had to stop talking |
| C．he was not interested in the topic |
| D．he was only interested in the Great Wall |
“… was shown in an amusing experience.” The word “amusing” probably means .
| A．interesting | B．important | C．terrible | D．unlucky |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| B．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| C．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___________.
| A．I felt very silly |
| B．the Englishman became a real fool |
| C．I became more carefully in everything |
| D．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool |
English Express
Notes: English Express is a monthly print periodical. Address: 136 Chaoyang Road, Beijing
Tel: 010-65451826 E-mail: Englishexpress@sina.com
(The number of stars in the contents shows how hard the article is. The fewer, the easier. )
| CONTENTS(目录) |
|
| World For The Young |
● Growing up means changing ☆☆☆ p.1 ● Seven ways to handle pressure ☆☆☆ p.10 Study Camp ● Model test for nine graders p.24 ● Model test for fourth graders p.26 ● Fun with words and phrases p.28 |
| Around The World |
● Eating in America ☆☆☆ p.4 ● American pet culture ☆☆☆ p.6 ● Crazy Westerners ☆☆☆☆ p.8 |
| Love Heart |
● Salty coffee ☆☆ p.12 ● Share your time ☆☆ p.15 ● Mother and child ☆☆☆ p.17 |
| Colorful Sun Show |
Jokes ● Roses for my wife ☆ p.2 ● A faithful student ☆ p.14 ● A second and a million dollars ☆☆ p.22 |
| Fable Stories |
● Sour grapes ☆☆ p.3 ● Slowly but surely ☆☆ p.13 ● One is enough ☆ p.23 |
The underlined word “periodical” probably means _________.
| A．an article | B．a program | C．a textbook | D．a magazine |
We can learn something about different people and cultures in the part called _________.
| A．World For The Young | B．Around The World |
| C．Love Heart | D．Colorful Sun Show |
Of those articles, which of the following is the most difficult?
| A．Growing up means changing. | B．Salty coffee. |
| C．Mother and child. | D．Crazy Westerners. |
If you are preparing for a test in a middle school, you can turn to Page ____.
| A．28 | B．26 | C．24 | D．10 |
How often can we read a new issue of English Express?
| A．Once a month. | B．Twice a month. |
| C．Three times a month. | D．Once every two months. |
A
A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in the year. You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam.
Do not remember only grammar when you are learning English. Try to read stories in English and speak in English as often as you can. A few days before the exam you should go to bed early. Do not study late at night. Before you start the exam, read carefully over the exam paper. Try to understand the exact meaning of each question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have finished your exam, read your answers again. Correct(改正) the mistakes if there are any and make sure you have not missed anything out.If you want to do well in an exam, you must .
| A．work hard every day in the year |
| B．study hard a few days before the exam |
| C．get up early a few days before the exam |
| D．keep doing your homework day and night |
It is to go to bed late at night before the exam.
| A．useful | B．important | C．not helpful | D．difficult |
Try your best to get the meaning of each question .
| A．after you write down your answers |
| B．before you write down your answers |
| C．as soon as you write down your answers |
| D．while you are writing down your answers |
In the last sentence “miss …out” means .
| A．think it hard | B．be important | C．be wrong | D．forget to answer |
If you want to learn English well, you must .
| A．try to read as many English stories as you can |
| B．learn grammar well |
| C．try to speak in English as much as possible |
| D．A, B and C |
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