Many countries have passed safety laws that require seat belts in vehicles. A modern three-point seat belt, also called a safety belt, is a harness to prevent the driver or a passenger from flying forward and hitting hard against the interior of a vehicle during a collision. A modern seat belt will help to position you properly to gain maximum benefit from your car’s airbags that will inflate（使充气）during a collision. Using a seat belt also prevents you from being ejected (弹出) from a car into the path of oncoming traffic. Research shows that when you wear a modern seat belt, you reduce the risk of death or serious injury by 70% or more during an auto accident.
Seat belts have existed in different forms since the early days of automobiles, and they have changed from a single lap belt to the three-point seat belt we use today. In 1911 the first airplane seat belt was installed. Then, in the 1920’s they were used in racecars. By the 1930s, a group of American physicians created lap belts for their own vehicles and urged vehicle manufacturers to provide seat belts on all vehicles.
Dr. C. Hunter Shelden made a major contribution to our safety with his article in the November 5, 1955 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). He strongly encouraged the manufacture and use of door locks, airbags, and retractable(伸缩式的) seat belts, like the ones we use today. The modern three-point seat belt, including a lap belt and a shoulder belt, was introduced as standard equipment on Volvo cars in 1959.
In 1970, the state of Victoria in Australia made the wearing of a seat belt compulsory for every car driver and front-seat passenger. Today many countries have also mandated(授权) the use of five-point safety harnesses for carefully designed child safety seats that can protect a child during a serious car accident.
An airbag is a Supplemental Restraint System, or SRS, and consists of a rapidly inflatable restraint cushion that works together with a seat belt to protect you during a collision. Modern cars often contain several airbags in various locations. Since airbags can only inflate once and will quickly deflate after the initial impact, they will not provide any protection for you during a secondary collision.
The inflation of airbag can protect or hurt you. The risk zone for a driver’s airbag is the first 8 centimeters from its pre-inflation location. While driving, you should remain about 25 centimeters from the airbag in the center of the wheel. As a driver, wear your seat belt and make sure children correctly use their seat belts. Failure to wear a seat belt properly means the airbags in your car might injure or even kill you during an accident.
An essential part of your safe driving skills is the habit of making sure that you and each of your passengers are always properly positioned and wearing a seat belt. There are many wonderful benefits of being able to drive a car, but there are also severe consequences during an accident for anyone who chooses not to wear a seat belt.
1.This article mostly deals with .
A. how to drive safely on the road
B. different forms of seat belts
C. the history of seat belt development
D. the importance of seat belt use
2.We can learn from this article that _____.
A. to reduce your risk of death or serious injury by 70%, you must wear a five-point seat belt while you are driving
B. American physicians created lap belts for their own vehicles because they had seen many injuries caused by car accidents
C. if two or more collisions occur during a serious car accident, your airbags can help reduce the risk of death by 70%
D. the U.S. was the first country to require by law that car drivers and front-seat passengers wear their seat belts
3.The author treats the subject of this article with .
A. good humor B. admiration
C. seriousness D. disapproval
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Seat belts were first used in airplanes and then applied to vehicles.
B. Airbags, door locks, and seat belts were all designed at the same time.
C. The lap belt is more modern than the 3-point safety belt.
D. Buying the latest seat belts is an essential driving skill.
With the average temperature for January standing at -50℃, it is no wonder the village is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world. Known as the 'Pole of Cold', the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon was -71.2℃.
This is the lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location on Earth and the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.
Ironically, Oymyakon actually means 'non-freezing water' due to a nearby hot spring. Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences.
Nothing grows there so people eat reindeer meat and horse meat. A single shop provides the town's bare necessities and the locals work as reindeer-breeders, hunters and ice-fisherman.
Doctors say the reason the locals don't suffer from malnutrition is that their animals' milk contains a lot of micronutrients.
Unsurprisingly, locals are hardened to the weather and unlike in other countries— where a flurry of snow brings things grinding to a halt, Oymyakon's solitary school only shuts if temperatures fall below -52℃.
There are few modern conveniences in the village— with many buildings still having outdoor toilets - and most people still burn coal and wood for heat. When coal deliveries are irregular the power station starts burning wood. If the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack.
Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them.
Even if there was coverage for mobile phone reception the phones themselves would not work in such cold conditions.
Another problem caused by the frozen temperatures is burying dead bodies, which can take anything up to three days. The earth must first have melted sufficiently in order to dig it, so a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours. Hot coals are then pushed to the side and a hole couple of inches deep is dug. The process is repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the coffin.
Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions.
1.Which of the following statements about this village is true?
A. Local children don’t go to school because of the extreme cold.
B. People there live a hard and simple life with few modern conveniences.
C. People there have a healthy and balanced diets by eating vegetables and meat.
D. The name of this village— Oymyakon suggests that it’s extremely cold here.
2.The sentence “If you thought it was cold where you are at the moment then a visit to the Russian village of Oymyakon might just change your mind.” can be put .
A. before the first paragraph
B. after the first paragraph
C. after the sixth paragraph
D. before the last paragraph
3.What does the underlined phrase “grinding to a halt” probably mean in this passage?
A. stopping B. growing C. continuing D. failing
4.What is the purpose of writing this passage?
A. To attract more people to visit this village.
B. To inform readers of this special village.
C. To help solve problems facing the village。
D. To draw readers’ attention to poor people.
The insanely popular song ‘Gangnam Style’ from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, garnering more than 808 million views on the popular media site.
The distinction was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song ‘Baby’ had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement on his Twitter page earlier today.
Since its release, the song has defeated such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On the Floor,’ Eminem's ‘Love the Way You Lie’ and LMFAO’s ‘Party Rock Anthem.’ And in September, 'Gangnam Style' also became the most liked video on YouTube, now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up.
At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY, your certificate is waiting here at our office, come pick it up any time!”
Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.
If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, ‘Gangnam Style’ would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.
The YouTube honors are just the latest in a long list that shows just how popular the song has become. Since it was released in July, the song has seen a meteoric rise through the music industry.
It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody（恶搞）videos.
It became a staple (主要部份) in the 2012 presidential elections with the now famous ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda films promoting their supreme leader.
Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.
1.This passage mainly talks about a world famous________.
A. music B. music video
C. video website D. Korean pop singer
2.Which of the following about “Gangnam Style” is NOT true according to the passage?
A. “Gangnam Style” has defeated Justin Bieber’s “Baby” on You Tube’s views.
B. “Gangnam Style” has been the favorite to at least 5.4 million people.
C. “Gangnam Style” has been the first to get more than 1 billion views.
D. “Gangnam Style” has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
3.What can we infer from this passage?
A. PSY will become one of the greatest musicians due to the popularity of “Gangnam Style”.
B. Obama won the presidential election partly because of the ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video.
C. Despite its massive popularity, the fever of “Gangnam Style” has decreased.
D. The influence of “Gangnam Style” has spread far and wide.
You may have heard of Osceola McCarty, an 88-year-old woman in Mississippi who had worked for over 75 years as a woman.
One day after she retired, she went to the bank and discovered that her small monthly had grown to over＄150,000. Then to everyone’s surprise, she turned around and almost all of the money to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) for a fund for students with financial needs. Immediately, she made national .
What you have not heard is how Osceola’s gift had my life. I am 19 years old and the first of an Osceola McCarty Scholarship.
I was a student, and I was determined to go to USM. But I being qualified for a regular scholarship by one point on the entrance exams, and a scholarship was the way I could attend.
One Sunday, I came across the story in the paper about Osceola McCarty and her generous . The next day I went to the financial aid office, and they told me there was still no money for me, but if anything came up they’d call.
A few days later, I was going out with my mother the phone rang. I was told I had been chosen to be given the first Osceola McCarty Scholarship. I was !
McCarty worked hard her whole life, washing clothes by hand. Now that she is , she sits most of the day and reads the Bible, that is, when she is not getting rewards. Every time I go to visit her, she has a new . She’s even gone to the White House. She is so happy and proud. We have tried to talk her into getting a VCR (录像机) so she can tape the programs and see on TV—she just smiles.
McCarty gave me much more than a scholarship. She taught me about the gift of . Now I know there are good people in the world who do good things. She worked hard and helped others, and in turn she has inspired me to when I can some day. So I plan to add to her scholarship fund.
1.A. café B. buffet C. laboratory D. laundry
2.A. expenses B. profits C. savings D. wages
3.A. returned B. donated C. delivered D. removed
4.A. welfare B. project C. scholarship D. research
5.A. headlines B. customs C. sympathies D. doubts
6.A. affected B. formed C. disturbed D. ruined
7.A. designer B. receiver C. contributor D. reporter
8.A. considerate B. dedicated C. casual D. sensitive
9.A. advocated B. regretted C. missed D. avoided
10.A. normal B. wrong C. legal D. only
11.A. gift B. idea C. decision D. plan
12.A. left B. raised C. available D. enough
13.A. since B. before C. though D. when
14.A. shocked B. excited C. puzzled D. encouraged
15.A. retired B. dismissed C. promoted D. transferred
16.A. job B. hobby C. life D. award
17.A. everybody B. everything C. herself D. us
18.A. giving B. understanding C. receiving D. loving
19.A. give up B. give back C. give off D. give in
20.A. suddenly B. originally C. gradually D. eventually
If we go on using energy so wastefully, __________ are that our oil wells will be dried up before new energy sources can be found to replace oil.
A. chances B. opportunities
C. questions D. problems
All these documents must be the university you are applying for before December,.
A. donated to B. sent in
C. submitted to D. handed in
