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 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.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about __________.

Help or Not

Dear editor,

During last year's winter holiday, I went shopping with my grandmother. We saw several beggars. Some of them were disabled, which made me feel sad. Among them were old people, young people and even children! When I wanted to help them, my grandmother stopped me. She told me they were not worth showing mercy to because some beggars cheated people out of their money. Should I help them?

                                                                                           Yours,

                                                                                           Mary from Guangzhou

Dear Mary,

       While I understand your grandmother’s point of view, I think that just because some beggars have cheated people, this doesn’t mean you should never help any beggars.

       Showing mercy to people who are not as fortunate as us is one of the kindest things we can do. While some beggars may use dishonest means to get money, most beggars will not. Even those who use dishonest means are probably hungry for food and feel they have no choice but to cheat people. It is important to be careful for your own safety. But if you want to help, you don’t necessarily have to give it to beggars in the street.

       Another way you can help is by donating money to the China Charity Federation. Visit its website at: www. china charity. cn.net.

18.From the grandmother’s point of view, we can learn that ________.

A. she has never helped the beggars.    

B. she believes not all beggars are honest

C. she has surely been cheated by some beggars  

D. she shows no pity for the poor

19. Mary felt sad for _______.

       A. her grandmother                                                 B. the disabled beggars 

C. the old people                                              D. herself

20. The editor suggests that Mary should _______.

       A. have her own mind                                      B. follow her grandmother

       C. do something for those unfortunate                D. help the China Charity Federation

21. The underlined word “donating” probably means _______.

       A. give out of kindness                                     B. put into a business

C. earn through an organization                         D. give in return for some kindness

Women are on their way to holding more than half of all American jobs. The latest government report shows that their share of non-farm jobs nearly reached fifty percent in September, 2009.
The job market continues to suffer the effects of last year’s financial crash. On the one hand more women have entered the labor market over the years, and on the other hand the economic recession (衰退) has hit men harder than women. In October the unemployment rate for men was almost 11% compared to 8% for women.
Industries that traditionally use lots of men have suffered deep cuts. For example, manufacturing (制造业) and building lost more jobs last month. But health care and temporary employment services have had job growth. Both of those industries employ high percentages of women.
Thirty years ago, women earned sixty-two cents for every dollar that men earned. Now, for those who usually work full time, women earn about eighty percent of what men earn. And a recent study from the University of California, Davis, reveals that women hold fifty-one percent of well-paid management and professional jobs. Yet the study also shows that men still hold about nine out of every ten top positions at most companies. The results have remained largely unchanged for five years.
Also, a new research paper in the journal Sex Roles looks at the experiences of women who are the main earners in their families. Rebecca Meisenbach at the University of Missouri in Columbia interviewed fifteen women. She found that they all value their independence and many enjoy having the power of control, though not all want it. But they even feel more pressure and worry. That is partly because of cultural expectations that working women should still take care of the children. Also, men who are not the main earners may feel threatened.
【小题1】Which of the following is a reason why women have a larger share of jobs?

Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards，who was behind songs including The Jackson 5's first three US number one hits，has died aged 68．

Richards，who had oesophageal(食管的)cancer,died in a Washington state hospice(安养院)，Universal Music said．The musician，whose real name was Dennis Lussier,Was leader of the Motown songwriting，arranging and producing team—The Corporation．Their hits include The Jackson 5'S I Want You Back and ABC．

Richards also co-wrote Love Child for Diana Ross and The Supremes，as well as Ross’s solo track I’m Still Waiting.He produced and wrote for Martha Reeves and the Vamlellas and Bobby Darin．

The Corporation，which consisted of Motown label head Berry Gordy,Alphonzo Mizell，Freddie Perren and Richards，was set up in 1969 to create hit records for the label’s new act，The Jackson 5．

They also wrote，produced and arranged the band’s singles and Maybe Tomorrow and Mama's Pearl．

According to Michael Jackson biographer,J．Randy Taraborrelli，Mama’s Pearl was originally called Guess Who’S Making Whoopie(With Your Girlfriend)．

But Richards had the lyrics changed to preserve the young frontman’s innocent image．

The Hollywood Reporter said Richards' "love of music” kept him involved with a variety of projects，including last year’S production of The Jackson 5's Come and Get It：The Rare Pearls．featuring rare and unreleased(未发行的) tracks．

Richards’ final work was the mixing of eight unreleased tracks by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas for the band's 50th anniversary box set,which is to be released on 5 April．

1.Deke Richard wrote songs for the following singers EXCEPT

A．Martha Reeves  B．Joan Lussier  C．Bobby Darin   D．Jackson 5’s

2.Which of the following is true about Richards?

A．He died at the age of68 in a Washington clinic．

B．He is a musician behind many hit songs.

C．He wrote“I’m Still Waiting”for Martha Reeves．

D．His final work is to be released in May.

3.What Call we learn from the passage?

A．The Corporation has a history of more than 40 years．

B．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl turned out to be a failure．

C．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl Was changed by J．Randy Taraborrelli．

D．Richards said his own love of music kept him involved with many projects．

4.It is implied in the passage that______．

A．Richards hardly co-wrote songs for singers

B．the Jackson 5's Come and Get it Was left unfinished as Richards got i11．

C．The corporation Was set up to earn money．

D．Richards had deep love for music．

5.Which column can you most possibly find the passage on a website?

A. Health                     B. Business                  C.Technology                       D. Entertainment

The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over．

A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami, sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday．
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side． In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow．
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel． Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard．
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said．
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment．
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1．5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9．0 earthquake struck Japan．
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters．
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship． A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it．
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition twice that size．
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected．
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT the reason for sinking the Japanese ship?