①Brain-injured boy set for ￡ 1.75m payout

　　A YOUNGSTER who was knocked off his bicycle by a taxi and left with a serious brain injury is set to be awarded ￡ 1.75 million.

　　Fourteen-year-old George Currie, from Dalkeith, was living in country Durham with his parents Allister and Paula at the time of the accident in September 1993.

　　George, who was then three years old, was riding his small tricycle along the pavement when he lost control and swerved on to the road into the path of an on-coming taxi.

　　The driver's insurance company has now ac cepted responsibility for the accident and New Castle County Court is expected to rule on the payout on Monday.

　　②Boating accidents reduce

　　Lee and Collier counties tied at No. 10 for boating accidents in Florida in 2004, an improvement for both.

　　But because the counties remained in the top 10 among Florida's 67 counties, safety continues to be a concern, officials said.

　　③Teens react to new law on driving permit

　　Lawmakers may hope to make teenage drivers drive more safely, but some local teens behind the wheel feel angry following the passing of Senace Bill 36 last week.

　　SB 36 is a law that limits times new teen drivers can drive and the number of passengers

　　④Road accidents take costly toll

　　Traffic accidents kill more than one million people each year, injure tens of millions more and cost developing countries twice as much as they receive in international aid, the leader of a research body said Wednesday.

　　The figures have led experts to form an international road safety network to choose the most important research areas, inform policy makers and help develop ways to prevent accidents, particularly in poor nations.

　　pavement: 人行道

　　swerve: 突然转

　　insurance: 保险.

　　Florida counties with the most accidents in 2004:

　　1．Monroe (98)

　　2．Palm Beach (65)

　　3．Pinellas (64)

　　4．Broward (59)

　　5．Miami-Dade (54)

　　6．Okaloosa (34)

　　7．Orange (24)

　　8．Bay (22)

　　9．Lee (21)

　　10．Collier (21)

(1) What does Passage ① tell us about the boy?

[　　]

A．He was injured in the head when he was 14.

B．He has waited for the payout for a long time.

C．He has lived in the same place since the accident.

D．He was run over by a taxi when riding on the pavement.

(2) What can we learn about Lee and Collier counties from Passage ②?

[　　]

A．They both became safe places.

B．They won the same place in race.

C．They had the same number of accidents.

D．They joined hands in reducing accidents.

(3) Which passage would give more information on the prevention of road accidents?

[　　]

One summer evening I was sitting by the open window, reading a good but rather frightening mystery story. After a time it was too dark for me to read easily, so I put my book down and turned on the light.
I was just about to draw the   36  as well when I heard a loud cry “Help! Help! ” It 37  to come from the trees at the end of the garden. I looked out but it was too 38  to see anything clearly. So I decided to go out and have a look in the garden, just 39  someone was in   40  . I took the torch and picked up a strong walking stick,   41  that this might come to be useful, too.   42   with these, I went out into the garden.   43   I heard the cry. There was no    44  that it came from the trees at the end of the garden.
“Who’s there?” I   45  as I walked, rather 46  , down the path that   47   to the trees. But there was no  48  . With the help of my torch I   49  the whole of that part of the garden and the lower  50   of the trees. There was no sign of anybody or anything. I came to the ___51___ that someone was playing a rather silly joke on me.
___52   feeling rather puzzled, I went back to the house and   53   away the torch and the stick. I had just sat down when I was startled by the cry of “ Help! Help! ”, this time from  54  my shoulder. I dropped my book and climbed up. There, sitting    55  of the mantelpiece ( 壁炉 ), was a parrot!

Today was the day of trying the new boat on the river. Nella jumped out of bed, got dressed quickly and woke up her brother Jed.

After 　1　 Nella and Jed arrived at the riverbank and 　2　 the new blue boat waiting for them. They got into the boat and packed their picnic under the 　3　. Nella started the engine and 　4　 they went into the wide, brown and unknown 　5　 of the river.

The boat sounded 　6　 round a bend in the river. On the distant sandbank they saw a long dark creature 　7　 in the sun. It opened one eye at them and then suddenly disappeared into the 　8　.

“What was that?” shouted Jed.

“It looked like a crocodile to me!” said Nella. “We’d better be 　9　. ”

Just as they came round the next 　10　, the engine 　11　 and came to a stop. Nella 12　 to start the engine again. But it wouldn’t start. They were 　13　.

“Let’s get the wooden oars,” said Jed. “Maybe we can push the boat free.

They tried but failed.

“We’re stuck on a 　14　,” said Nella. “We’ll just have to sit here having our 　15　 and wait for the water to 　16　. ”

“It’s boring!” said Jed.  

Suddenly, they felt the boat move. It moved slowly off the sandbank. And the engine started again. Just at the same time they noticed a black   17    by the boatside and in no time it disappeared in the brown water ahead.

They   18   their journey down the river. It was so exciting.

At noon they saw a small river     19    off the main course. It wasn’t on the map. “Let’s    60   in there!” said Nella.

The boat turned into the smaller channel. On both sides grew thick unknown trees.

1．A．meal                     B．breakfast             C．dinner                 D．lunch

4．A．away                    B．around                C．on                      D．up

5．A．flow                     B．flood                   C．direction              D．position

6．A．smoothly               B．normally              C．badly                  D．hardly

7．A．walking                 B．lying                   C．running               D．sleeping

8．A．sands                    B．woods                C．air                      D．water

9．A．serious                  B．brave                  C．careful                D．slow

10．A．bend                   B．river                    C．animal                 D．boat

11．A．put out                B．broke down         C．gave in                D．got off

12．A．planned               B．managed              C．intended              D．tried

13．A．stuck                  B．delayed                C．stopped               D．kept

14．A．river                   B．creature               C．sandbank             D．stone

15．A．rest                     B．picnic                  C．sightseeing          D．fun

16．A．fall                      B．come                  C．rise                     D．run

17．A．snake                  B．fish                     C．shadow               D．figure

18．A．continued            B．started                 C．ended                  D．went

19．A．separating            B．leading                C．dividing               D．leaving

20．A．observe               B．watch                 C．explore                D．play