Ninety percent of Americans drive to work every day although working from home is on the rise. If you’re lacking for topics of conversation at a party, chatting about your commute（通勤） is a pretty safe bet.
According to a recent study, driving for more than two hours each day can steadily decrease the IQ of middle aged drivers. The Sunday Times of London detailed the study, which looked into the lifestyle choices of over 500,000 Britons between the ages of 37 and 73.
When looking at the data of the 93,000 participants who drove more than two to three hours per day, the study found a noticeable drop off in brainpower, measured by intelligence and memory tests. The study found similar results with participants who took part in several hours similarly sedentary (久坐的) activities, like television watching.
As it turns out, stimulating activity stimulates your brain, while non-stimulating activity, well, doesn’t stimulate your brain.
“Cognitive (认知的) decline is measurable over five years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people. This is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet — and now with time spent driving,” Kishran Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist(流行病学家） at the University of Leicester（莱斯特大学） told the Times.
Fortunately for most Americans, the average commute time was recorded at approximately 26.5 minutes according to the 2015 United States Census.
And if you think that the way to pump up your IQ is through brain games, think again. Just try and avoid those long hours on the road if possible, and if you happen to have free time on your commute, be sure to use it wisely.
1.According to the passage, which of the following may be of help to our brainpower?
A. Watching TV. B. Having sports.
C. Driving long time. D. Sleeping.
2.Why does the writer mention “results with people participating in similarly sedentary activities” in paragragh3?
A. To make a contrast. B. To give an example.
C. To make a description. D. To give more evidence.
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. people should participate in more stimulating activities
B. long time drive may decrease the driver’s IQ
C. smoking and bad diet can cause cognitive decline
D. an increasing number of Americans drive to work every day
One day my two sons and I got into my old car to drive to the local post office. I backed out of my drive slowly like I normally do and then pulled to a stop at the side road that leads to the main highway. When it was clear I pulled out and stepped on the gas. As I stepped on the clutch（离合器）and tried to shift into second, though, I immediately knew that something was wrong. The normally solid gear shift（档位杆）now felt like a spoon in a bowl of soup. I tried quickly to get <u>it</u> to lock into any of the gears but did not succeed. Thankfully, the steering wheel（方向盘）was still working fine and I allowed the car to go to the end of the side road where I was able to pull safely into a wide spot and turn the engine off.
It was only later in the day that I finally realized how blessed I had been. I could have been on the main road when that stick shift failed. I could have been in the middle of a curve with no place to turn off the road. I could have had a car too close behind me that wouldn’t have been able to stop in time. A hundred things could have made this incident dangerous or deadly. Yet, the gear shift broken at just the right moment to keep me and my boys safe.
Far too often we only see the bad things in life. We get angry when things don’t go out way, and we fail to see the thousands of times that they do. Yes, my car broken down. Still, my sons and I are safe. We are loved. And we have been given more time here in this world to share our own love and light.
1.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. The clutch. B. The gear shift.
C. The spoon. D. The car.
2.How did the writer stop the car at last?
A. By turning the engine off quickly.
B. By turning to a local garage for help.
C. By removing the steering wheel away.
D. By letting it slow down to stop naturally.
3.The driver’s thoughts in Paragraph 2 imply that ______.
A. they were lucky enough to be safe
B. the car needed to be repaired well
C. the driver was good at driving a broken car
D. it was important to find a suitable place to park
4.By writing the story, the writer expected us to ______.
A. be careful in our driving
B. ignore the bad things in our life
C. share our love with others in time
D. find a bless even from a bad situation
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What may cause people fail to get their dream jobs?
A. Lack of experience.
B. Poor school report card.
C. The nervousness during the interview.
2.What does the speaker suggest the listeners do when applying for a job?
A. Build up self-confidence.
B. Prepare for the possible questions.
C. Go to the beauty salon before the interview.
3.What kind of clothes does the speaker suggest wearing at an interview?
A. A designer suit.
B. High quality clothes.
C. A suit in a simple style.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the woman make the call?
A. To ask for help.
B. To make a complaint.
C. To make a request.
2.How is the woman’s house owner?
A. He is lazy and impolite.
B. He is nice but care too much money.
C. He is considerate and easy to get along with.
3.What can we learn from the woman’s birthday party?
A. Her friends ate up all her food and drank up all her beers.
B. Some neighbors got angry at her noisy party.
C. All her neighbors went to her party.
4.What does the woman’s house owner want her to do?
A. Pay for the repairs.
B. Call him to fix the window.
C. Mail the house rent on time.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A. A new community center.
B. The woman’s friend Nat.
C. Problems of the old.
2.What does the woman say about the old community center?
A. It’s Nat’s favourite place.
B. It isn’t suitable for the old.
C. It was set up for people without family.
3.What does the man suggest the woman do?
A. Write a letter to the government.
B. Ask her friends to do the work themselves.
C. Collect some furniture from her neighbors.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does the conversation probably take place?
A. In a car. B. At home. C. In a shop.
2.What does the woman suggest doing right now?
A. Parking the car in a proper place.
B. Going shopping after the rain stops.
C. Putting on a raincoat before going out.
3.How does the woman feel about the weather?
A. Excited. B. Unconcerned. C. Worried
