Passage seven(Stricter Traffic Law can Prevent Accidents)

  From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car ! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.

  It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.

  The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.

  It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be mad much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh. But surely nothing should be considered as to severe if tit results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.

1.The main idea of this passage is

A.Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.

B.Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.

C.The laws of some countries about driving are too lax.

D.Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.

2.What does the author think of society toward motorists?

A.Society smiles on the motorists.

B.Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.

C.Victims of accidents are nothing.

D.Society condones their rude driving.

3.Why does the author say:’ his car becomes the extension of his personality?’

A.Driving can show his real self.

B.Driving can show the other part of his personality.

C.Driving can bring out his character.

D.His car embodies his temper.

4.Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?

A.Build more highways.

B.Stricter driving tests.

C.Test drivers every three years.

D.raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.

5.The attitude of the author is

A.ironical        B.critical     C.appealing      D.militant

“Mark Twain” was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835~1910) when he wrote books.His father was a lawyer,but a poor one,who lived in Florida,Missouri.The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching.He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met.His father died when he was very young,and then there was even less money than before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great Mississippi River,and he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name “Mark Twain”? It came from the great river itself.It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships.When a man called “By the mark twain!” he meant that the river was “two marks deep” there,that is to say,six feet deep ( “Twain” is an old form of the word “Two”.) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young,and he used them as a pen name all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds,and this helped him a great deal when he started to write.But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861.Many of the great ships on the river stopped work.Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother,who was at that time Governor of Nevada.There,near the town of Carson,Samuel became a gold miner,but he never made much money at the time.He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him.He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada,and this seemed more hopeful.He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy.In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon,and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing.Among his books is his own story (1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain,and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens.He traveled in America and in England,and went to Oxford in 1907.He was one of the great American writers of the time,and could make his readers laugh—a thing which few writers can do.He died in 1910.
【小题1】“Mark Twain” was         .

A.a famous American writer
B.name of a book
C.a great river in America
D.a large ship
【小题2】As a child,Samuel did not get much education because         .
A.his father died too early
B.the family was very poor
C.he disliked school very much
D.he could learn what he liked from the people he met
【小题3】What gave him a great deal when he started writing?
A.His poor childhood.
B.The Mississippi River.
C.All kinds of travelers he met.
D.His brother.
【小题4】We can infer(推断)from the passage that         .
A.Samuel loved writing from his early age
B.Samuel did not love writing at the beginning
C.his writings to the newspaper were successful
D.his brother encouraged him to write more
【小题5】According to the writer of the passage,a good writer could         .
A.write a lot for his readers
B.make a lot of money for his family
C.cause his readers to laugh
D.travel everywhere he wanted

You’re rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on  walking rather than stop and get involved.

“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed.” says a psychologist. “The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help. In order to take action, you have to work against them.” Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping.

● Why should I be the one? I’m probably not the most competent(有能力的) person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.

● What if he doesn’t really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.

● No one else looks concerned- this must not be a problem. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.

“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,” says the psychologist. “Then retry to involve other people; you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, ‘It looks like we should do something.’ Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you.”

1.Which is NOT the common thought that stops you from helping others?

A.I’m not the very person capable of setting the problem.

B.It looks like we should do something.

C.It must not be a problem as no one else is concerned.

D.He doesn’t really need my help.

2.According to a study of by-standers, what will some people do when a man ahead falls down on the sidewalk?

A.They will call for help and then walk away.

B.They will stop and offer help.

C.They will turn away their eyes and go on walking.

D.They will laugh at him.

3.We learn from the last paragraph that if we spot trouble,           

A.we should call the ambulance as soon as we can.

B.we should take on the whole responsibility and do something alone.

C.we should stop and evaluate the situation and try to make other people follow.

D.we should turn to other people and ask them to take on the responsibility

4.In order to offer others your timely help, you need to        

A.ask others for help and call the police

B.get along well with the passers-by who spot the trouble

C.go directly to the police station

D.work against the first thoughts that prevent you offering help

5.The main purpose of the text is to tell readers        

A.to give others a hand

B.to be more competent

C.not to risk looking foolish

D.to stop and evaluate the situation

 

From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized (免疫) from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and medical treatment. It is almost certain that one day cures will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable slaughter (屠杀) of men, women and children on the roads. Man vs the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.

It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel (方向盘), his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and absolutely selfish. All their hidden disappointments and regrets seem to be brought by the act of driving.

The surprising thing is that society smiles so kindly on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost impossible to live in because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.

It is high time a world system of laws were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. As for driving, the laws of some countries are not strict and even the strictest are not strict enough. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can affect a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be introduced on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications (规范) for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately severe. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.

1.The main idea of this passage is _________.

A.Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.

B.Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.

C.The laws of some countries about driving are not too strict.

D.Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.

2.What does the author think of society toward motorists?

A.Society laughs at the motorists.

B.Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.

C.Victims of accidents are nothing.

D.Society forgives their rude driving.

3.Why does the author say: “his car becomes the extension of his personality?”

A.Driving can show his real self.

B.Driving can show the other part of his personality.

C.Driving can bring out his character.

D.His car can express his temper.

4.Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?

A.Build more highways.                    B.Make stricter driving tests

C.Test drivers every three years.             D.Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.

5.The attitude of the author is  _________. Zxxk

A.ironical           B.critical            C.appealing         D.favorable

 

To face the music

Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.

When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!

The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”

Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do? 

Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.

1.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?

A. 1        B. 2        C. 3       D. 4

2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”

A. To face something far less pleasant.   B. To face the stage.

C. To face the back of one’s horse.       D. To face one’s leader.

3.Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?

A. When we are playing basketball.   B. When we are making a speech.

C. When we are having a party.    D. When we are talking with somebody. 

4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______. 

A. unfriendly       B. dislike      C. unkind   D. unnecessary

 

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