Imagine you enter a car with no steering wheel, no brake or accelerator pedals (踏板). Under a voice-activated command, you say an address. “The fastest route will take us 15.3 minutes. Should I take it?” You say “yes” and you are on your way. The car responds and starts moving all by itself. All you have to do is sit back and relax.
How weird would it be if, one day in the future, everyone had such a car? No crazy driving, no insults, no cutting in; traffic laws would be respected and driving much safer. On the other hand, imagine the cost savings for local police enforcement and town budgets without all those speeding and parking tickets.
A new technology has the potential to change modern society in radical ways. There’s no question that self-driving vehicles could be an enormous benefit. The potential for safer cars means accident statistics would drop: some 94% of road accidents in the U.S involve human error. Older drivers and visually- or physically-impaired people would gain a new level of freedom. Maintaining safe speeds and being electric, self-driving cars would drastically reduce pollution levels and dependency on non-renewable fuels. Roads would be quieter, people safer.
But we must also consider the impact of the new technology on those who now depend on driving for their livelihoods. According to the U.S. Department of Labor. In May 2015 there were 505,560 registered school bus drivers. The American Trucking association lists approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the U.S.
The companies developing self-driving vehicles should be partnering with state and federal authorities to offer retraining for this massive workforce, many of whom will be displaced by the new technology. This is similar to what’s happening in the coal and oil industries, a situation that fuels much of the current political discontent in this country.
New technologies will, and should, be developed. This is how society moves forward. However, progress can’t be one-sided. It is necessary for the companies and state agencies involved to consider the ethical consequences of these potential changes to build a better future for all.
1.What would be the impact of the extensive use of driverless car?
A.People would be driving in a more civilized way.
B.It would save local governments a lot of money.
C.More policemen would be patrolling the streets.
D.Traffic regulations would be a thing of the past.
2.How would the elderly and the disabled benefit from driverless cars?
A.They could enjoy greater mobility.
B.They would suffer no road accidents.
C.They would have no trouble driving.
D.They could go anywhere they want.
3.What is the result of the introduction of new technologies in energy industries?
A.Political dissatisfaction. B.Retraining of employees.
C.Fossil fuel conservation. D.Business restructuring.
4.What would be the negative impact of driverless cars?
A.The conflict between labor and management would intensify.
B.The gap between various sectors of society would be widened.
C.Professional drivers would have a hard time adapting to new road conditions.
D.Numerous professional drivers would have to find new ways of earning a living.
5.What does the author suggest businesses and the government do?
A.Keep pace with technological developments.
B.Make new technologies affordable to everyone.
C.Enable everyone to benefit from new technologies.
D.Popularize the use of new technologies and devices
A child who suffers bullying(霸凌) usually has low self-esteem and their ability to learn and be successful at school is greatly lessened. Therefore, bullying must be stopped.
The best and most obvious way to stop bullying in schools is for parents to change the way they raise their children at home. Of course, this is much easier said than done and everyone raises their children differently. Bullies, however, come from homes where physical punishment is used and children have been taught that physical violence is the way to handle problems and “get their way”. Bullies usually also come from homes where the parents fight a lot, so children have been modeled on such violence. Parental involvement is often lacking in bullies’ lives and there seems to be little warmth.
Early intervention (干预) is truly the best way to stop bullying, but parents of the victims or therapists(治疗师) can’t alter the bully’s home environment. Some things can be done at the school level, however. Most school programs that address bullying apply a multi-faceted(多层面的) method to the problem.
Hand out questionnaires to all students and teachers and discuss if bullying is occurring. Define exactly what constitutes(构成) bullying at school. The questionnaire is a wonderful tool that allows the school to see how widespread bullying is and what forms it is taking. It is a good way to start to solve the problem.
Get the children’s parents involved in a bullying program. If parents of the bullies and the victims are not aware of what is going on at school, then the whole bullying program will not be effective. Stopping bullying in school takes teamwork and concentrated effort on everyone’s part. Bullying also should be discussed during parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings. Parental awareness is the key.
In the classroom setting, all teachers should work with the students on bullying. Oftentimes even the teacher is being bullied in the classroom and a program should be set up to teach about bullying. Children understand modeling behaviors and role-play and acting out bullying situations is a very effective tool. Have students role-play a bullying situation.
1.In the author’s opinion, bullies usually _____________.
A.have extremely high self-esteem
B.know little of the harm of violence
C.look forward to parental involvement
D.experience or witness violence at home
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.understand B.change
C.remove D.approach
3.Paragraph 5 suggests that it’s important to ______________.
A.make a punishment program effective
B.let parents know their children are bullies
C.find the key to improving security at school
D.make parents conscious of bullying at school
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to stop bullying in school. B.What leads to violence in schools.
C.What parents can do to stop bullying. D.How to comfort those who are bullied.
The doorbell rang, and a few minutes later, to her complete astonishment, Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy walk into the room. He hurriedly began to ask how she was, and she answered with cold politeness. He sat down for a few minutes, and then getting up, walked around the room. Elizabeth was surprised but said nothing.
After a silence of several minutes, he came towards her and said. “I have struggled with my feelings, but without success. You must allow me to tell you how much I admire and love you.”
Elizabeth, who was unable to believe what she heard, stared, blushed, and was silent. Her silence encouraged him to speak and tell her about his strong feelings for her. He spoke well, but unfortunately, he did not speak only of his love for her, he also made it very clear that he did not consider that her family was good enough for him. He explained that it was only because she herself was so unusual that he had decided to ask her to marry him.
In spite of her powerful dislike for him, Elizabeth at first felt sorry that she was going to cause Darcy pain. Then, as he continued to insult her family, she began to feel angry. When he at last finished speaking, she said, “I believe that in a situation like this, the lady is supposed to thank the gentleman. Unfortunately, I have no desire to thank you, as I have never wanted your good opinion. I am sorry to have to cause you pain. However, I never meant to do so, and I am sure you will soon forget me.”
1.Why did Mr. Darcy come to her house?
A.He came to ask how she was.
B.He wanted to walk around the room
C.He wanted to find her family was good
D.He came to tell Elizabeth he loved her.
2.Why was Elizabeth silent?
A.She really didn’t like Darcy .
B.She was shy.
C.She couldn’t believe what she heard.
D.She wanted to cause Darcy pain.
3.What did her words suggest?
A.She expected Darcy to forget her.
B.She didn’t want to thank Darcy for his visit.
C.She felt sorry to cause Darcy pain.
D.She rejected his feeling.
Do you know an outstanding junior high or senior high school teacher, coach, guidance counselor (辅导员), librarian, or headmaster? Nominate (提名) that special teacher you’ll always remember and give him/her the chance to be recognized in a famous national magazine through “Educator of the Year Contest”!
Prizes
Cash awards will be given to those from across the country who are given the honor of Educator of the Year. Besides, your winning essays will also be published in our magazine.
Guidelines
We will only consider essays written by teens. Nominations must be for junior high or senior high school educators only. Elementary school educators are not suitable.
Convince us your educator is special. Tell us about his or her style of teaching, his or her role in school activities, and community service. What has your educator done for the entire school, for your class, for you or for other students? Tell us some stories about your teacher with specific details. Keep your essay between 200 and 1,000 words. Remember to include the first and last name, position, and school of your educator in your essay.
Don’t forget to submit your essays through our website. You can also read our submission guidelines for more information on this website.
Deadline
The deadline for submitting your essays is December 30. If your essays are accepted, they will appear in our magazine all over the year. Winners will be made public after the January issue is published.
1.What is the purpose of the contest?
A.To make the magazine popular.
B.To choose “Educator of the Year”.
C.To stress the importance of teachers.
D.To encourage people to be teachers.
2.Who can write the essay for the contest?
A.Librarians in senior high school.
B.Teachers in junior high school.
C.Students in junior high school.
D.Guidance counselors in senior high school.
3.What is the basic content of the essay for the contest?
A.Your teacher’s previous honors.
B.The basic information of your school.
C.Some examples of your special teacher.
D.Your appreciation of your teacher’s hard work.
假定你是晨光中学的高二年级学生李津。以下四幅图描述的是你参加学校“社团招新”活动的整个过程。请根据其先后顺序，给你的澳大利亚笔友Chris写一篇电子邮件。
内容须包含以下要点：
（1）简要描述内容、记述整个过程；
（2）表达你的感受；
（3）询问对方的学校社团情况和所选择的社团。
注意：1. 词数不少于100；
2. 请勿提及真是学校名称；
3. 可适当加入细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯；
4. 开头、落款已给出，不计入总词数。
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阅读下列短文并回答问题。
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was very organized. Each of her things had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her shouting, “Mary, take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started shouting. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying.
Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart,
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t noticed Kate had sat up.
She was watching, her tears dried. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me. “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on. (294words)
1.What is Paragraph 1 mainly about? (no more than 15 words)
2.What made Kate angry one evening? (no more than 10 words)
3.What does the underlined word “yelled” mean in Paragraph 2? (one word)
4.Why did Mary tidy up the room? (no more than 5 words)
5.Who do you prefer to make friends with, Kate or Mary? Please give your reasons. (no more than 20 words)
