Aggressive pedestrians are in fact as dangerous as careless drivers. They cause traffic accidents, injury and death.

These dangerous walkers can be seen in any big city all over the world. About 69% of last year’s pedestrian deaths in the US occurred in urban areas. They cross streets ignoring “DON’T WALK” signals, suddenly appear without warning from behind parked vehicles, walk slowly at crossroads with cell phones attached to heads, blocking traffic.

These pedestrians and drivers share a common disregard for the rules of the road, both for selfish reasons. The drivers believe in the power of their machines. If their machines can go faster, they believe they have the right to go faster. If their machines are bigger, they believe they have the right to push smaller vehicles aside. Aggressive pedestrians, on the other hand, believe in the primacy(首位) of the individual, the idea that they are first in any environment, under any circumstances, even when they are on foot in a roaring tide of steel and rubber.

Last year, an estimated 5,220 pedestrians died in traffic accidents. Some 69,000 pedestrians were injured. On average, that worked out to one pedestrian killed in a traffic crash every 101 minutes, and one injured every eight minutes.

The good news is that the accident rate is dropping. For example, the number of pedestrians killed last year was 24 percent less than the number killed in traffic accidents a decade earlier. The bad news is that the basic causes of pedestrian deaths remain pretty much the same----disregard for traffic signals, inattention and crossing roads under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol, in fact, was involved in 46 percent of the traffic accidents that resulted in pedestrian deaths. Of those, 31 percent of the pedestrians were found to be drunk.

The bottom line is that the pedestrians must do more to protect their lives as well as the lives of other road users. They can start by obeying traffic signals, using marked cross-walks and calling a cab when they’ve had too much to drink.

1.The passage is mainly about _____.

A．how aggressive pedestrians cause traffic accidents

B．why so many Americans were killed on roads last year

C．what the traffic rules of the road about pedestrians were

D．who are to blame for pedestrian deaths, drunk drivers or the aggressive pedestrians

2.What is the pedestrians’ selfish reason for traffic jams?

A．They know all drivers are skilled and with great care.

B．They believe individuals are always first.

C．They think traffic rules have nothing to do with them.

D．They guess all vehicles will slow down at crossroads.

3. What was NOT the basic cause of pedestrian deaths in the US a decade ago?

A．Disregard for traffic signals                B．Paying no attention to surroundings.

C．Crossing roads drunk.                    D．Overspeeding driving.

4.What word can best describe the author’s attitude to the traffic accidents caused by pedestrians?

A．Excited.           B．Cold.             C．Concerned        D．Unconnected.

Aggressive pedestrians are in fact as dangerous as careless drivers. They cause traffic accidents, injury and death. These dangerous walkers can be seen in any big city all over the world. About 69% of last year’s pedestrian deaths in the US occurred in urban areas. They cross streets ignoring “DON’T WALK” signals, suddenly appear without warning from behind parked vehicles, walk slowly at crossroads with cell phones attached to heads, blocking traffic.

These pedestrians and drivers share a common disregard for the rules of the road, both for selfish reasons. The drivers believe in the power of their machines. If their machines can go faster, they believe they have the right to go faster. If their machines are bigger, they believe they have the right to push smaller vehicles aside. Aggressive pedestrians, on the other hand, believe in the primacy(首位) of the individual, the idea that they are first in any environment, under any circumstances, even when they are on foot in a roaring tide of steel and rubber.

Last year, an estimated 5,220 pedestrians died in traffic accidents. Some 69,000 pedestrians were injured. On average, that worked out to one pedestrian killed in a traffic crash every 101 minutes, and one injured every eight minutes.

The good news is that the accident rate is dropping. For example, the number of pedestrians killed last year was 24 percent less than the number killed in traffic accidents a decade earlier. The bad news is that the basic causes of pedestrian deaths remain pretty much the same----disregard for traffic signals, inattention and crossing roads under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol, in fact, was involved in 46 percent of the traffic accidents that resulted in pedestrian deaths. Of those, 31 percent of the pedestrians were found to be drunk.

B

　　China is likely to surpass the U.S. to become world’s largest online game market this year, according to a recent report by market research firm iResearch. China’s online game market generated revenue(总收入) of 20.8 billion yuan($3.04 billion) in 2008, up 52.2% over the previous year. Over 80% of the revenue came from big, multiplayer online games, with the rest generated from Web games and mobile games.

　　The overall market is expected to keep growing at an average annual rate of 20% in the coming five years. And iResearch forecasts that the Chinese online market will be worth more than 68 billion yuan by 2012, which will account for almost half of the global market by then. At present, U.S., China and Korea are the world’s top three largest online game markets, making up about 29%, 27% and 21% respectively of the global online game market, according to the report.

　　U.S. game companies derive a major part of their revenue from sales of games overseas. South Korea’s online game industry generates half of its revenue from games in its home market. In China, however, most of the money comes directly from its own game players. Negatively influenced by the global economic downturn, both the U.S. and Korea markets will see a drop in game exporting, iResearch estimates.

　　In China, the enormous base and fast growing of online gamers will further boost China’s online game industry, said the report. China is currently home to 55.5 million online game players, according to the latest stats by the China Internet Network Information Center(CNNIC). In its report, iResearch found that figures for gamers under 18 and above 40 grew at their fastest rate yet last year, though it didn’t disclose specifics.

55．The second and third paragraphs show that ________.

A．The global online game market will be worth more than 136 billion yuan in 2012.

B．China’s online game market increased by 20% in 2008.

C．China’s online game market will become 60% less in 2009.

D．US, China and Korea together account for 90% of the global online game market.

56．China’s online game industry is different from that of the US and Korea because it’s ________.

A．made up of online, Web and mobile games

B．easily affected by the global economy

C．mainly based upon its home market

D．among the three largest online game markets

57．Which of the following things is mentioned as a factor in the rapid development of China’s online game industry?

A．The rapid growth of online gamers in China.

B．A drop in game imports to China.

C．The global economic downturn.

D．The development of technology in China.

58．According to the last paragraph, which of the following is TRUE?

A．CNNC and iResearch worked together on the report.

B．Gamers under 18 were one of the age groups which grew the fastest last year.

C．At present there are 55.5 million online game providers in China.

D．The statements of CNNC and iResearch are contradictory.

Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season.
“Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money or buy at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.”
Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. “Here in 2012, $252 on average——the technology spend for consumers this year.”
From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision."
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“Its hardware is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.
But Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest robust group of apps (应用软件) that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through WiFi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera.
“You can literally take a picture and upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.
【小题1】What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 3?

Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season.

“Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money or buy at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.”

Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. “Here in 2012, $252 on average——the technology spend for consumers this year.”

From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision."

Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.

“Its hardware is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.

But Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest robust group of apps (应用软件) that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”

Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through WiFi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera.

“You can literally take a picture and upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”

Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.

1.What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Every technology product costs an average of $252.

B．Consumers are spending $252 more on technology products than last year.

C．Consumers should spend $252 on their technology products.

D．It is estimated that $252 on average might be spent on electronics by consumers in 2012.

2.According to Brian Tong, why may people prefer the iPad Mini to the Google Nexus 7?

A．Because it is cheaper.

B．Because it has more functions.

C．Because you can read books and surf the Internet with it.

D．Because it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.

3.What does “Its hardware” in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The hardware of tablet computers.

B．The hardware of the Apple iPad.

C．The hardware of the Google Nexus 7.

D．The hardware of the iPad Mini.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．People will spend most of their money on electronics.

B．Photos can be uploaded from the camera when connected to a computer.

C．A streaming media box is a box which can contain CDs.

D．Most people would like to buy electronics as gifts.

5.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Electronics: People’s Most Favorite Gifts this year

B．Which is More Popular, the Apple iPad Mini or the Google Nexus 7?

C．Latest Technology Products

D．More Electronics to Choose from