56. The report from NHTSA suggests that　　　　　　　 .

　 A. fewer people were injured in crosswalks

　 B. crosswalk safety has been greatly improved

　 C. much has been done to reduce traffic accidents

　 D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalk remain a serious problem

E

All too often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持续的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇)for fuel from corn. Corn is a renewable resource -you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea .

One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land - including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil - into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide(CO2)into the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help.

You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete lift-cycle analysis of its environmental costs. Even then, technology and public policy keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis.

55. What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test?

　 A. There’re many cars and buses on the road. B. Pedestrians are careless.

　 C. Crosswalks are crowded.　 D. Drivers don’t give way.

54. What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?

　 A. Fixing more traffic lights. B. Providing more crosswalks.

　 C. Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets.

　 D. Increasing the time before the orange lights appear.

53. Which of the following is true according to the text ?

　 A. Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70.

　 B. Old people are more likely to meet with accidents in crosswalks.

　 C. Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people.

　 D. About seven traffic accidents happened per hour.

52. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express _______ .

　 A. one must be brave to be honest

　 B. it’s difficult to be honest when others are not

　 C. one should be honest when making a deposit

　 D. honesty in one’s actions can help him in the future

D

　 　Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.

　 A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes；one is injured every nine minutes, according to official date. Crosswalk can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

　 The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA)advises that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears .

　 FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.

　 Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006. But among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says .

51. What does the author expect to show by Jeff’s story?

　 A. honesty can be of great help.

　 B. A bad thing can be turned into a good one.

　 C. Helping others cheat can do good to nobody.

　 D. One should realize the wrong in his bad deeds.

50. Which of the following can best explain Judy Garland’s words?

　 A. Be your true self rather than follow others.

　 B. Don’t copy others or you can’t be the first class.

　 C. Make efforts to be the first instead of the second.

　 D. Don’t learn from others unless they’re excellent.

49. The underlined part “appear through smoke and mirrors” in the first paragraph means “_____________”.

　 A. to be honest 　B. to be unreal　 C. to become clear

　 D. to come from an imagined world

48. What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?

　 A. She valued human feelings more than before.

　 B. She realized she almost didn’t need possessions.

　 C. She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed.

　 D. She thought her own home was the most important.

C

Honesty comes in many forms. First there’s self-honesty. Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors? I find that if I try to be something I’m not, I feel unsure of myself and take out a part from my PBA(personal bank account ). I love how singer Judy Garland put it, “Always be a first-class version(版本) of yourself , instead of a second-class version of somebody else .”

Then there’s honesty in our actions. Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss? If you’ve ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you feel. Remember, you can’t do wrong and feel right. This story by Jeff is a good example of that:

In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn’t do well. I was really good at it. I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass. I’d write on a little piece of paper all the right answers, and hand them off.

At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job. I wasn’t thinking about how it could hurt all of us. After a while I realized I shouldn’t do that anymore, because I wasn’t really helping them. They weren’t learning anything, and it would only get harder down the road. Cheating certainly wasn’t helping me.

It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying to their parents, and stealing at work. But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit(储蓄)into your PBA and will build strength .

47. Why does author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?

A. Because her situation was not serious.

B. Because many other places were flooded.

C. Because she had been to Northern India.

D. Because some others suffered even more.