2. In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　 A. produce star performers

　　 B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　 C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　 D. provide a general education and stage training.

1. People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　 A. attend a stage school　　　 B. are going to the theatre

　　 C. have got some work to do 　　 D. love singing and dancing

5. What is the advice given in the test?

A. Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.

B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.

C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.

　D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.

D

　When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　Stage schools often act as agencies(代理机构)to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

4. Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe _______.

A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C. they will be caught when help comes

　D. cars catch fire easily

3. According to the text, to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous because you ________.

A. may be knocked down by other cars.

B. may get serious hurt thrown out of the car

C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat

　D. may get caught in the car door

2. The reason father was in a hurry to get home was that he __________.

A. wasn't feeling very well　　 B. hated to drive in the dark

C. wanted to take some exercise　 D. didn't want to be caught by the people

1. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead"?

　A. He was driving at great speed.

B. He was running across the street.

C. He didn't have his safety belt on.

　D. He didn't take his medicine on time.

4. The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________

　A. improved.　 B. increased.

　C. produced.　 D. sold.

C

　Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."

　Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.

　There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

　Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.

　Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".

　Myth Number Two: Safety-bets "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

　　 Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious (昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

　Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).

　Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.

3. China, France and the United States are considered to _______________

　A. be large producers of apples.

　B. be large producers of applesauce.

　C. have the longest history in apple production.

　 D. have the coldest winter among apple producing countries.

2. Cold winter weather is good for _______________

　 A.the growth of apple trees.

　B. producing large apples.

　C. improving the taste of apples.

　 D. the increase of water in apples.