There were no rush hours any more," said Charles M. McLean,who runs the nation' s busiest road. "We have rush periods, and they keep getting longer and longer."

McLean was describing Chicago' s 235 miles of expressway. But the same might be said about almost any of the expressways that have become an important part of American city life―and about the heavy traffic that often blocks them.

In Chicago,a computerized system has been developed that controls traffic on the city、s seven expressways. Now one man―a controller―can follow the movement of Chicago' s traffic by look?ing at a set of lights.

The system uses electronic sensors that are built into each expressway,half a mile apart. Several times a second,the computer receives information from each sensor and translates it into green,yellow, or red lights on a map in the control room.

A green light means traffic is moving forty-five miles an hour,yellow means thirty to forty-five miles an hour,and red means heavy traffic―cars standing still or moving less than thirty miles an hour.

"See that red light near Austin Avenue? " the controller asked a visitor. "That, s a repair truck fixing the road,and the traffic has to go around it."

At the Roosevelt Road entrance to the expressway,the light kept changing from green to red and back to green again. "A lot of trucks get on the expressway there, ”the controller explained. "They can't speed up as fast as cars."

The sensors show immediately where an accident or a stopped car is blocking traffic,and a truck is sent by radio to clear the road. The system has lowered the number of accidents by 18 percent. There are now 1.4 deaths on Chicago's expressways for each one hundred million miles traveled,while in other parts of the country there are 2.6.

Traffic experts say that the Chicago system is the "coming thing". Systems like Chicago's are already in use on some expressways in Los Angeles and Houston. "Chicago has taken the lead," says New York City,s traffic director;and he adds,"We are far behind!”

(   ) 8. By saying "Chicago has taken the lead” ,the director means         .

     A. Chicago has taken something very heavy

    B. they are under the control of Chicago

     C. Chicago is ahead of them in using the system

    D. Chicago is the center of all the systems in the US 

(   ) 9. Why did the controller ask a visitor?

     A. He wanted to tell him how the lights work.

    B. He cited it as an example to show the visitor what the lights tell.

    C. He showed the visitor what he does.

    D. He was teaching him how to control the system.

(   ) 10. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

     A. A science book.    B. A travel journal.

    C. A magazine.    D. A student text.

(   ) 11. What,s the main idea of the passage?

     A.   The computerized traffic control system greatly helps in Chicago.

    B.   Rush periods in Chicago are getting longer.

    C.   Chicago has the busiest road in the nation.

    D.   The expressways are faster now.

(   ) 12. What can we learn from the passage?

     A.  The controller follows Chicago,s traffic by waiting for the red light to turn to green.

    B.  The sensor can immediately deal with the accidents.

    C.  The system has greatly helped to reduce the deaths on the expressways.

    D.  At the entrance to the expressway,the lights can change only because of the speed of the trucks.

"Dining out" and "eating out" are phrases people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or pub (酒馆) .Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. In 2006 ,for the first time ever,British people spent more time eating out than cooking for themselves and eating at home. It seems that many British people are becoming increasingly interested in how good their food tastes, and also how healthy it is.

However,eating out can also be expensive. As British people do not eat out every night of the

week,eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going on a first date and wanting to impress him/her, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant to eat,and people often also eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theater.

As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼仪) surrounding food and eating. The knife and fork should be used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows(肘部) on the dining table when you are eating.

Almost all British cities have a vast range of food as well as traditional British food,and all from the very cheap to the very expensive―French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Greek,Thai,Japan and many,many more. In fact,when asked which was their favorite food,more British people said an Indian curry(咖?厘菜肴) is tastier than any other dish!

As well as dining in a restaurant,when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a "takeaway". This means that they order from a take-out restaurant by telephone,and then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many take-out restaurants also deliver it to your house. While you can normally find a take-out restaurant for almost any food,the most popular are Italian pizza,Indian and Chinese and then all you have to do is to open the door,pay and eat!

(   ) 4. On which of the following occasions are British people likely to eat in a restaurant? 

     A. After watching a play.    B. Before watching a movie.

    C. When they' re too tired to work.    D. When they want to have natural food.

(   ) 5. From the passage we can know that        .

     A.  eating out is not expensive in Britain

    B.  eating at pubs doesn't have so many rules in Britain

    C.  British people are not aware of nutrition while eating out

    D.  the British spent more time eating at home than eating out before 2006

(   ) 6. We can learn from the last two paragraphs that        .

     A.   French dishes are very expensive

    B.   Take-out restaurants only deliver pizza

    C.   British people are fond of foreign food

    D.   people can eat take-out food first and pay later

(   ) 7. What is the passage mainly about?

     A. Restaurant culture in Britain.    B. Table manners.

    C. Traditional British food.    D. Eating and health.

Government anti-tobacco campaigns should target teenage girls since a survey shows they smoke almost as much as boys,officials said at a conference in Helsinki, Finland. A report at the 12th World Conference on Tobacco said that the gap in tobacco consumption between boys and girls is closing in many parts of the world.

It said there were no significant differences between cigarette smoking rates of 13 to 15-year-olds

in more than 150 countries studied.

"Programmes specific to women must be developed,which emphasize the serious health results of tobacco use," said Charles Warren from the Atlanta,Georgia-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The survey showed that only in the eastern Mediterranean were boys still smoking significantly more than girls.

Europe and America have the smallest gender gap in tobacco consumption. In Europe, 33.9 percent of boys smoke cigarettes regularly,compared with 29 percent of girls. In America, 16.6 percent of boys and 12.2 percent of girls are smokers, the reporter said. However, boys are still smoking more than girls worldwide. The survey showed that,on average,15 percent of boys smoke regularly compared with 6.6 percent of girls. The increase in young girls, tobacco use contributed to aggressive marketing aimed at them by the tobacco industry,which describes smoking as fashionable.

The survey showed that in industrial countries male smokers account for 35 percent, and female smokers 22 percent, while in developing countries male smokers account for 50 percent, and female smokers, 9 percent. "Transnational tobacco companies continued to aim at women and girls in developing countries, and particularly in Asia,as a large untapped market," the report said.

The World Health Organization estimates that 47 percent of men smoke regularly worldwide compared to 12 percent of women.

(   ) 1. Government movements against tobacco should aim at young girls because        .

 A.  the number of girl smokers is increasing

    B.  young girls' tobacco use is decreasing

    C.  the gap in tobacco consumption between boys and girls is expanding

    D.  young girls,cigarette smoking rates are too low

(   ) 2. Where do companies most want to open up their tobacco market?

 A. Europe and America.    B. Developed countries.

    C. Asia.    D. Eastern Mediterranean.

(   ) 3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

 A.  The gender gap in tobacco consumption in Europe is very small.

    B.  The percentage of male and female smokers in developed countries is just the same as that in developing countries.

    C.  The gap in tobacco consumption between boys and girls is becoming narrower in many countries.

    D.  Tobacco industry describes smoking as fashionable,aiming to tempt people to smoke.

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