Virginia is set to begin enforcing the toughest drunken-driving punishment, one that will require thousands of first-time offenders—whether they were highly drunk or slightly over the limit—to install in their cars blood- alcohol testing devices that can lock the ignition. The devices work like this—A driver must blow into a blood alcohol device linked to the car’s ignition. If the result is higher than the legal limit, the car will not start. The device also requires random “rolling retests” once the driver is on the road.
Virginia’s current law requires only repeated offenders or those with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher to have an ignition interlock device in their cars.
The new law, which takes effect in July, will roughly increase the number of people required to use ignition interlock devices four times, and offenders will have to pay about $ 480 for a typical six-month installation.
The measure has caused a debate between groups battling drunken driving and those representing offenders. Such groups as Mother Against Drunken Driving and The Washington Regional Alcohol Program say that Virginia’s 274 alcohol-related road deaths and more than 5,500 injuries in 2010 remained unacceptably high despite years of cracking down on drunken driving. Ignition interlock devices, they say, reduce repeat offenses. But some public defenders and lawyers argue that the devices are too severe a punishment for offenders at the legal blood alcohol limit 0.08, and that the court system will be burdened by more cases going to trial and lower-income drivers will be affected by the fees.
Del. Sal R. Iaquinto, who sponsored the bill, had a simple reply for concerns about the costs of the interlock devises: “How much does a life cost?” “Blowing into a tube for six months, you will remember that,” Iaquinto said, “And you’re not likely to offend again.”
【小题1】The underlined word “ignition” in Paragraph 1probably refers to the part in a car where ___________.

A.the alarm goes offB.the engine startsC.the door opensD.the car is fueled
【小题2】Who are required to install the blood alcohol devices according to the current law?
A.The first time drunken-driving offenders.
B.The drivers who are not able to pay offence fees.
C.The repeat drunken-driving offenders.
D.Drivers whose blood alcohol level is below 0.15.
【小题3】The reason why some defenders and lawyers oppose the new law is that ____________.
A.fewer cases go to trial
B.lower-income drivers will not afford to drink again
C.interlock devices increase repeat offenses
D.the devices are too severe a punishment for offenders
【小题4】The debate aroused by the measure implies that ___________.
A.prevention is better than cureB.no law is absolutely perfect
C.punishment is the key to allD.justice has long arms
【小题5】What is Del. Sal R. Iaquinto’s attitude towards the new law?
A.Negative.B.Indifferent.C.flexible.D.workable.

 “Last week,” Dr. P said “I was invited to a doctors’ meeting at the R. Hospital. In one of the rooms a patient, an old man, got up from his bed and moved slowly towards me. I could see that he hadn’t long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor.”

“Frank!” I cried with surprise. He couldn’t answer as I knew, but he tried to smile, all the time keeping his foot close to mine.

My thoughts raced back more than thirty years—to the dark days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The scene was an air-raid shelter (防空洞), in which I and about a hundred other people slept every night. Among them were Mrs. West and her son Frank, who lived nearby. Sharing wartime problems, we got to know each other very well. Frank interested me because he was not normal (正常的). He had never been normal, ever since he was born. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had less of a mind than a baby has. Mrs. West, then about 75, was a strong, able woman, as she had to be of course, because Frank depended on her completely. He needed all the attention of a baby.

One night a policeman came into our shelter and told Mrs. West that her house had been all destroyed. That wasn’t quite true, because the West went on living there for quite some time. But they certainly lost nearly everything they owned.

When that kind of thing happened, the rest of us helped the unlucky ones. So before we separated (分别) that morning, I stood beside Frank and measured my right foot against his.

They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a spare pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. As soon as he saw me, he came running—and placed his right foot against mine. After that, he always greeted (问候) me in the same way.

1.How did Dr P know that the patient was Frank?

A.He was told that Frank was in the hospital.

B.He was invited to study Frank’s illness.

C.Frank greeted him in a special way.

D.Frank’s name was written on the door.

2.When and where did Dr. P first meet Frank?

A.At the R Hospital about ten days before.

B.In an air-raid shelter during the war.

C.In Mrs. West’s house in 1941.

D.In London after the West’s’ house was destroyed.

3.The unlucky ones mentioned by the doctor were __________.

A.those who suffered from illness.

B.those who were killed during the war

C.those who slept in the air-raid shelter.

D.those whose homes were destroyed in air-raids

4.Dr. P placed his foot against Fran’s before he left the shelter.

A.to find out if Frank could put on his shoes

B.to be friendly towards Frank

C.to see if Frank’s feet were normal

D.to teach Frank to greet people in a special way

5.Why did Dr P say that Mrs West had to be a strong, able woman?

A.She was over 75.

B.She needed all the attention of a baby.

C.She had to give care and thought to her son as to a baby.

D.She lost nearly everything in the war.

 

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