They are still very cautious about ________ side effect the new medicine will bring about, although the experts have tried it on about 2000 patients．

In the United States，train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes．Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001．The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation．They only studied trips longer than 50 miles．The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle．Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane．Two percent were traveled in a bus．And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States．In the past ten years，the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent．Although the number of passengers has increased，it is still very small now．In countries such as France，Germany，or Japan，more people use trains．
There are several reasons why many people __________________________．
Firstly，Americans love to drive their own cars．On highways，cars can travel as fast as trains．These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly，many travelers like to be independent．When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel．Thirdly，many buses travel between major cities．Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States，cities are far away from each other．In some cases，travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day．Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster．People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly．For these people saving time is the most important thing.
【小题1】What is the best title of the passage? （Please answer within 10 words.）
【小题2】Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.
【小题3】Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（Please answer within 10 words.）
【小题4】What means of transportation do you like best when traveling，trains，cars，or planes? Why? （Please answer within 30 words）
【小题5】Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.

David has won the first prize in singing; he is still very excited now and feels ________ desire to go to bed.

A．the most              B．more                   C．worse                 D．the least

请根据首字母或括号内的提示用单词的正确形式填空 (共15题; 每小题1分, 满分15分)
【小题1】Harry Potter, the a_______ of which is J.K. Rowling, has been one of the best-sellers for years.
【小题2】WWF is d_______ (致力于) to protecting wild animals around the world and the places where these animals live.
【小题3】If I’m late for the interview, I will be _______ (暴怒的) with myself！
【小题4】We can a_______ (呼吁) to charities to help those less fortunate.
【小题5】Can you a_______ for the series of failures in our experiment?
【小题6】You must ask for _______ (permit) if you want to leave early.
【小题7】“You always were the best-tempered man,” said Amanda, smiling g_______ (温柔地).
【小题8】After his wife passed away, he s_______ (寻求) escape in the bottle from hard realities.
【小题9】A g______ (真正的) friend will not desert you in time of trouble.
【小题10】He wanted to be a _______ (物理学家) and devote himself to research.
【小题11】Looking up, he found himself s_______ (包围) by many children in rags.
【小题12】The house is more than twenty meters long and m_______ six meters in width.
【小题13】Without mutual (相互的) respect, true love cannot possibly e_______.
【小题14】Modern industry has been concentrated in a few u_______ (城市的) centers.
【小题15】It is 2 weeks since the Art Festival, but the performances of all the students are still very _______ (令人印象深刻的).

C.
Here are two letters from our readers expressing their concern about school assessment (评价):
(l)
Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades (学习成绩). Fortunately, most educators realize that students have different interests and abilities. However, grade-based assessment is still very common. Grades often hold back creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to go in for music, drama and sports. Grades are also an unfair measure of a student’s ability. I do not demand, as some extremists do, that grades should no longer be recorded. However, I do believe that less importance should be placed on. grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional(可选择的) at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith, President
Drama Club
(2)
Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions( 功能). First, grades get students to work at their highest level of competence  (能力 ). Second, they act as an encouragement for hard-working students and as a warming to those who are not. Finally, grades are an effective standard by which to measure students' achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university.
I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired mainly because of their grades. My grades helped me get a part-time job and will help me into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper, Member,
Science Club
64. Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone who      
A. insists grades should become optional in the near future
B. believe in the advantages of assessment based on grades
C. is concerned about improving students' creativity
D. supports using students' interests to measure their abilities
65. Magdalena Smith thinks it is important for       .
A. educators to assess the students by grades
B. educators to pay more attention to grades
C. students to compete for better grades
D. students to take part in music, drama, and sports
66. According to the letters, which of the following is TRUE about Village High School?
A. Grades are effective in every way.    
B. Grades hold back students' creativity. .
C. Grades bring about unnecessary worries.
D. Grades are still in use at present.    .
67. What are the two letters mainly about?
A. The role that grades should play in assessing students.
B. The importance of art and music in students' life.
C. The need to have a standard measure for students' success.
D. The reasons why grades shouldn't be used to assess students.