America’s trucking industry employs roughly 3.5 million people, carries 10.6 billion tons of goods back and forth across the country per year, and brings in $738.9 billion in taxes annually. It is, in some way, a logistical (物流的) wonder.
Though America’s trucking industry may one day be replaced by new trains, or giant trucks piloted by AI systems, for now we need to deal with the system we have, instead of daydreaming about a new one. Truck driving used to be a desirable profession for Americans, but almost no one wants to be a truck driver anymore. The industry is already short of 50,000 tractor-trailer drivers, and that number could expand to 174,000 by 2026.
The solution is simple: raising drivers’ wages (薪水). While trucking is generally considered a high-quality blue-collar job, average pay for truckers is only around $42,000. That’s more than $10,000 below the average household income in America.
Bear in mind too, that the economically essential function served by the trucking industry creates a very tough quality of life for truckers themselves. Being far away from home for days or weeks at a time causes all sorts of personal issues. Therefore, drivers really deserve to be paid more.
The good news is that last week’s jobs report did show an increase in wages. In trucking specifically, compensation finally jumped 10 to 12 percent over the last year. It’s not enough, but it’s a step in the right direction.
And to encourage the American trucking industry, there are regulations too. A federal rule from 2004 limits truckers to driving 11 hours in any 14-hour period.
Of course, this rule was put in place to make truck driving a more humane (人道的), and less demanding industry. But it also lowered the amount of driving any trucker could do, increasing the number of drivers needed to cover the same number of routes. And it couldn’t avoid the long hours on the road, lonely nights in hotels, and etc. The effective way to fix the problem is obvious: If your industry can’t find enough workers, you need to pay them more.
1.What do the figures in paragraph 1 show?
A.The convenience of trucking in America.
B.The significance of trucking industry for America.
C.The big burden on America’s trucking industry.
D.The quick development of America’s trucking industry.
2.Which of the following are the causes of fewer truck drivers according to the passage?
① suffering from health issues caused by driving
② having a small salary
③ having a low-quality blue-collar job
④ working outside for long
⑤ lacking respect from others
A.①②③ B.②③④
C.②④⑤ D.①②④
3.What can we know about the federal rule from 2004?
A.It aimed at promoting the efficiency of truck drivers.
B.It didn’t make much difference to the trucking industry.
C.It effectively relieved the truck drivers’ burdens.
D.It tended to get resisted by numerous truck drivers.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The ways to fix America’s trucking industry.
B.The decline of America’s trucking industry.
C.The problems troubling America’s truck drivers.
D.The regulations governing America’s truck drivers
Engineers have launched a huge garbage collection device to gather plastics floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. The plastic makes up what is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is the world’s largest spread of garbage, twice the size of the state of Texas.
The Organization Ocean Cleanup created the collection device. The group’s founder is Boyan Slat, a 24-year-old inventor from the Netherlands. When Slat was 16, he went diving in Mediterranean Sea and saw more plastic bags than fish. Since then, he has made up his mind to clean up the oceans.
He told the Associated Press that researchers with his organization have found plastic from the 1960s and 1970s among the material in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in total. Most of them float on the surface of the water, or are within a few meters of the surface.
Last Saturday, a ship pulling the pipe-shaped floating barrier left San Francisco for the Garbage Patch. The barrier, called the floater, is 600 meters across. Attached to it is a screen (筛子) that hangs three meters down in the water. The screen is designed to collect the plastic as it moves through the water. Sea animals can safely swim under the barrier. The cleanup system also comes with lights powered by the sun, cameras, and other special devices. Slat said this enabled the system to communicate its position at all times.
Shipping containers will hold all the plastic gathered, including bottles and fishing equipment. Slat said the containers were expected to be back on land within a year. Then the plastic will be recycled. And they will also study how the system performs in severe ocean conditions, including huge waves.
1.How did Boyan Slat react to that dive in the Mediterranean Sea?
A.He showed a great interest in diving.
B.He became worried about his safety.
C.He decided to remove the garbage in oceans.
D.He became curious about underwater creatures.
2.What has the organization Ocean Cleanup found about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
A.Most of its plastic is half a century old.
B.It covers almost the size of the state of Texas.
C.Altogether there are about 1.8 billion pieces of plastic.
D.The majority of its plastic floats on or near the surface.
3.Why was a screen attached to the ship?
A.To power lights in the ship. B.To protect sea animals near it.
C.To tell the position of the ship. D.To collect plastic along the way.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Approaches to removing garbage in oceans.
B.The problem of garbage in the Pacific Ocean.
C.A young man who does well in classifying garbage.
D.A huge device made to clean garbage in oceans.
The baggy yellow shirt had long sleeves and four extra-large pockets. It was faded (褪色) from years of wear, but still in good shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, looking through bags of clothes Mom planned to give away. Seeing me packing the yellow shirt, Mom said, “I wore that when I was pregnant (怀孕) with your brother in 1954!”
“It’s just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class, Mom. Thanks!” Then I put it into my suitcase. The yellow shirt became a part of my college wardrobe (衣橱). I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.
The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois. But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it. That Christmas, I repaired one sleeve, packed it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her real gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely.
The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad’s to pick up some furniture. Days later, at the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow tied to its bottom. The shirt! And so the pattern was set. On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad’s mattress (床垫). I don’t know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing (重新整修) furniture.
1.After college graduation, the writer used to wear the shirt when ______.
A.she had art classes B.she cleaned the new apartment
C.she searched her wardrobe D.she played with her brother
2.When the writer was in Colorado, ______.
A.the shirt was too old to wear B.the writer stayed with her mother
C.the shirt comforted her in feelings D.the writer finished her college education
3.What did the writer mean by saying “the pattern was set” in Paragraph 5?
A.The shirt was cleaned and well hidden. B.The shirt was often hidden and found.
C.The shirt was kept by the writer’s mom. D.The shirt was found before refinishing furniture.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.My Mother’s Big Secret B.My Lovely Yellow Shirt
C.My Favorite Clothes at College D.My Family’s Yellow Shirt
Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare’s World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and where he grew up .The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806 .The House has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world for over 250 years.
◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World，a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from
Shakespeare’s period.
◆Enjoy the traditional English garden，planted with trees and flower mentioned in the poet’s works.
The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map；nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ Walk).
The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre，its exhibition,and the garden are accessible (可进入的)to wheelchair users.
The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
1.How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children？
A.￡9.80． B.￡12.00． C.￡14.20． D.￡16.40．
2.Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace？
A.Behind the exhibition hall．
B.Opposite the Visitors’ Centre．
C.At Windsor Street．
D.Near the Coffee House．
3.A wheelchair user may need help to enter ．
A.the House B.the garden
C.the Visitors’ Centre D.the exhibition hall
假定你是李华，是红星高中的学生会主席。为让更多的人了解中国优秀传统文化，你校将举办中国传统文化展（the Traditional Chinese Culture Exhibition)，请给你的外教Mr. Green写封邮件，邀请他参加。内容包括：
1. 时间、地点以及参加人员；
2. 文化展的宗旨；
3. 展出内容：相关书籍、照片、绘画、剪纸等。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mr. Green,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文. 文中共有l0处语言错误，每句中最多有两处. 错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词.
删除：把多余的词用（\）划掉.
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词.
注意：（1）每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
（2）只允许修改l0处，多者（从第1l处起）不计分.
My grandparents live in the countryside. They keep a dog calling Ah Bao. One day my grandparents go to work in the fields，taking along my little brother and Ah Bao. My brother and Ah Bao came to a river nearby and enjoyed himself. My brother was trying to catch a butterfly while he fell into a river. Ah Bao barked and immediate jumped into the water. Hearing about him barking，my grandparents hurried there and saw Ah Bao swimming towards the bank carrying my brother. Ah Bao did all he could save my little brother，that moved all the people present. Everyone praised Ah Bao for his bravery and kindn.
