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 makes 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 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-belts “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.
1.Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
A.He was driving at a 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.
2.The reason why 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
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
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
5.What is the advice given in the text?
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.
So you thought the hamburger was the world’s most popular fast food? After all, McDonald’s Golden Arches span(跨越)the globe(全球). But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the ultimate(极好的)fast food. It’s easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied than the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands and it’s delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It’s been one of America’s favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.
It’s kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was “invented”. It changed over the years, but one thing’s for certain—it’s been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. They called them “plakuntos” and ate them with various simple toppings(配料)such as oil, garlic(大蒜), onions and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it “picea”. By about 1000 AD in the city of Naples, “picea” had become “pizza” and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies and finally the tomato, brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza capital of the world. In 1889, King UmbertoⅠand Queen Margherita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffele Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named “Pizza Margherita” in her honour.
Pizza went to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World WarⅡ and raved about(夸赞) “that great Italian dish”. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.
1.Which is the correct order of the changes of pizza?
A.Plakuntos→pizza→picea B.Pizza→plakuntos→picea
C.Picea→plakuntos→pizza D.Plakuntos→picea→pizza
2.Why are Mexico and Peru important in the development of pizza?
A.Because pizza first became popular in these countries.
B.Because pizza was invented in these countries.
C.Because one topping was brought to Italy from these countries.
D.Because people there are the greatest consumers of pizza.
3.What do the Italian flag and a Pizza Margherita have in common?
A.There is a picture of a Pizza Margherita. B.They have the same colours.
C.Both of them represent Italy. D.They are both popular in Italy.
4.When did pizza become really popular in the United States?
A. After 1945. B. In 1889. C. In 1905. D. By 1000AD.
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.McDonald’s and Pizza B.Global Pizza
C.Pizza in the United States D.How to Make Pizza
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as "Empty Nest Syndrome”(空巢综合症).
In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as "distant parent phenomenon", which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome".
1.According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by __________.
A.their earlier experience of living alone
B.the poor living conditions in their native countries
C.the common worry that they have not saved much money
D.the distance between where parents live and where their children live
2.Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to __________.
A.realize their dreams in foreign countries
B.seek a better place for their aged parents
C.live in the countries with more money
D.continue their studies abroad
3.If young people go abroad, __________.
A.they do not hold to the value of duty at all
B.they can give some help to their parents back home
C.they cannot do what they should for their parents
D.they believe what they actually do is right
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that __________.
A.the situations in the developed and developing countries are different
B."Empty Nest Syndrome" has arrived unexpectedly in our society
C.children will become independent as soon as they go abroad
D.the aged parents are not fully prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome"
5.The society discussed in the passage is most probably __________.
A.France B.America C.China D.Britain
括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答卷标号为16-25的相应位置上。
1.Nowadays any country can take part their athletes are good enough.
2.The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress, until today we have reached a stage we have almost no rights at all.
3.It was also a treasure (decorate) with gold and jewels , which took the country's best artists about ten years to make .
4.Some of the rescue workers and doctors (trap) under the ruins.
5.Once she has made her mind, nothing can change it.
6.It was based more on German than the English we speak present.
7.She and her family hide away for two years before were discovered.
8.This gift was Amber Room , which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it .
9. (slow),the city began to breathe again.
10.Then, later that afternoon, big quake which was almost as strong as the first one shook Tangshan.
According to a recent report, some once-hot majors like English, Computer and Law for Chinese students entering college have now fallen out of favor. The reason is that more graduates studying in those fields end up 1 .
This year, a sample of 500,000 college 2 from 2009 were surveyed and 220,000 questionnaires were received back for the 2010 report. Among the 3
majors, Law graduates had the most difficulty finding jobs, with the 4
unemployment rate(比率) of 17.7% of all the majors in 2009. English majors had the highest 5 of the unemployed for three years, with 15,700 graduates still out of work.
“Such majors as Computer, English and Law were the most 6 ones for Beijing students entering universities in 2005, but now these graduates are in a tight corner,” said Ba ran, a senior counselor(顾问)at a well-known company. Ba said that the expansion(扩大)of college enrollment(注册)for those hot majors five years ago has 7 an over-supply in the market, making it harder for those graduates to find jobs.
On the other side, engineering graduates majoring in Geological Engineering, Ship and Marine Engineering are 8 most in the job market. Engineering majors are more practical in professional skills and work experience, which are favored by many 9 . The graduates are thus armed with a competitive 10 in the cruel job market.
The report 11 a system should be set up against majors with a high risk of 12 . Undergraduates studying Law or English are encouraged to change their 13 or obtain a second degree. For some colleges and provinces with 14 employment rates, the report advised a(n) 15 in enrollment numbers or even a temporary (暂时的) stop in enrolling students.
1. A.useless B.jobless C.reliable D.grateful
2. A.partner B.graduates C.professors D.guidance
3. A.unpromising B.favorable C.generous D.educated
4. A.quickest B.slowest C.highest D.lowest
5. A.rate B.number C.problem D.supply
6. A.famous B.risky C.practical D.popular
7. A.received B.encouraged C.stopped D.caused
8. A.ignored B.enrolled C.favored D.surveyed
9. A.employers B.professors C.reporters D.researchers
10. A.situation B.advantage C.skill D.major
11. A.ignored B.devoted C.suggested D.questioned
12. A.insurance B.disaster C.over-supply D.unemployment
13. A.favors B.jobs C.majors D.schools
14. A.low B.high C.rising D.falling
15. A.end B.remove C.cut D.increase
The boy, who admitted _____ in the exam, promised the teacher that he would work hard at his lessons.
A.cheat B.to cheat C.cheated D.cheating