A city in South Korea, which has the world’s highest smartphone usage rate, has placed flashing lights at a road crossing to warn “smartphone zombies” (低头族) to look up and drivers to slow down, in the hope of preventing accidents.
The designers of the system were motivated by growing worry that more pedestrians (行人) addicted to their phones will become victims in a country that already has some of the highest injury rates among developed countries.
State-run Korea Institute of Civil Engining and Building Technology believed its system of flashing lights at crossings can warn both pedestrians and drivers.
In addition to red, yellow and blue LED lights on the road, “smartphone zombies” will be warned by flashing lights and a warning sent to the phones by an app that they are about to step into traffic.
“Increasing numbers of accidents are happening at pedestrian crossings, so these lights are needed to prevent these pedestrian accidents,” said KICT senior researcher Kim Jong-hoon.
South Korea has the world’s highest smartphone usage rate, according to Pew Research Center, with about 94 percent of adults owning smartphones in 2017, compared with 77 percent in the United States and 59 percent in Japan.
For now, the warning system is set up only in Ilsan, a city about 30 km northwest of the capital, Seoul, but is expected to go nationwide, according to the institute.
Kim Dan-hee, a 23-year-old citizen of Ilsan, welcomed the system, saying she was often too absorbed in her phone to remember to look at traffic. “This flashing light makes me feel safe as it makes me look around again, and I hope that we can have more of these in town,” she said.
1.What is the purpose of South Korea’s new warning system?
A.To prevent pedestrian accidents. B.To limit the use of phones.
C.To remind pedestrians to look around. D.To ensure drivers’ safety.
2.How does the writer introduce the high smartphone usage rate of South Korea?
A.By describing a scene. B.By making comparison.
C.By explaining a subject. D.By raising a question.
3.What’s Kim Dan-hee’s attitude to the new warning system?
A.Supportive. B.Indifferent. C.Objective. D.Doubtful.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Flashing lights at the crossing in different countries.
B.Watching out for safety while crossing the road.
C.South Korea ranking the world’s highest phone usage rate.
D.New warning system to prevent accidents in South Korea.
One Saturday afternoon, I went to a fast food restaurant to have some food with my kids. As we were walking into the restaurant, I noticed a woman smoking a cigarette outside. While we were waiting in line, with about ten other people, we saw the woman rush back into the store to help the busy staff.
A customer standing next to us started yelling at the employee who had begun filling brown paper bags with fries, burgers, and nuggets, “I saw you,” she said. “I saw you out there smoking; then you came in straight and touched our food! It’s disgusting! Why would you do that?” The woman wouldn’t stop. Everyone was staring. The employee was getting teary. It looked as if she just wanted to find a place to hide. The manager came over and told her to wash her hands and leave the floor for a while. He then apologized to the customer.
“That’s disgusting,” my oldest son whispered to me, “But I do feel bad for her.” I was glad he followed it up with that last sentence. His comment showed me that he’d probably never treat someone the way that customer had treated that employee.
You are allowed to be angry at others’ improper behavior and tell them how you feel. However, you don’t need some audience or witnesses when you are making negative comments on others. Doing that in public doesn’t strengthen your point.
I’m willing to bet that the woman being criticized was so shamed that she wasn’t able to hear the message that was being forced down her throat. However, had the customer taken her aside, and said in a quiet voice, “I noticed you didn’t wash your hands after your smoke break; can you please go to do that now?” The employee would have had the opportunity to do just that. The message the customer wanted to convey would have gotten to that employee more effectively, and her entire day would not have been ruined.
1.Why was the customer so angry?
A.The employee smoked in front of her.
B.She was yelled at by people around her.
C.She had to wait in a long line for her food.
D.The employee touched food without washing hands.
2.How did the employee respond after hearing the customer’s words?
A.She felt confused and annoyed.
B.She turned to her manager for help.
C.She was very sad and embarrassed.
D.She dealt with the problem calmly.
3.The comments of the author’s oldest son indicated that he .
A.had sympathy for the employee
B.supported the customer’s behavior
C.cared little about the employee’s action
D.had experienced the situation many times
4.What does the author mainly want to convey?
A.We should treat every person equally.
B.We should always mind our behavior.
C.We should admit our mistakes bravely.
D.We should avoid criticizing someone in public.
We’ve got a list of teen scientists from a variety of fields.
Jack Andraka
Jack Andraka created a biosensor for cancer that he says is 168 times faster, 26, 667 times less expensive and 400 times more sensitive than technology nowadays.
He’s the youngest person to have spoken in front of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Taylor Wilson
Taylor Wilson was the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion (核聚变). He was inspired by The Radioactive Boy Scout, a novel in which a kid tries and fails to build a nuclear reactor.
Taylor thought he could do better. Long story short, he wanted to build a small nuclear reactor. And he did it at the age of fourteen. He received a Thiel Fellowship, which gave him $100,000 to work on his own research.
Sara Volz
Sara Volz performed experiments in which she grew algae based on their oil output for the purpose of growing them as biofuel (生物燃料). This research is especially important as the world continues to search for a way to lessen our dependence on non-renewable energy. She won the top prize of S100,000 in the Intel Science Talent Search.
Daniel Burd
Plastic usually takes thousands of years to decompose (降解), but this high school student Daniel Burd managed to do it in three months.
In an experiment, he mixed plastic bags and a special kind of dirt together, and found that they did decompose faster. He then performed tests to find the bacteria responsible for decomposing the plastics.
His solution only produces water and small amounts of carbon dioxide. He says it could easily be used elsewhere.
1.Who designed a medical instrument?
A.Sara Volz. B.Daniel Burd. C.Jack Andraka. D.Taylor Wilson.
2.What excited Taylor Wilson’s interest in his invention?
A.A novel by a kid. B.Plastic pollution.
C.Energy shortage. D.A story book.
3.What do we know about Daniel Burd’s invention?
A.It won him a $100,000 prize.
B.It is environmentally friendly.
C.It was completed in three months.
D.It is widely used in everyday waste.
4.Where is the text probably taken from?
A.A guidebook. B.A magazine. C.An advertisement. D.A dictionary.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Which room is the speaker in?
A.Room 204. B.Room 307. C.Room 405.
2.Where should the students put all their belongings?
A.In the lockers. B.In the front of the testing room.
C.On the chairs outside the testing room.
3.What must the students do if they want to use the restroom?
A.Go with a monitor. B.Wait to be called.
C.Ask for permission.
4.What do we know about the students?
A.They should go to Room 204 for the GRE test.
B.They can’t wear their coats in the testing room.
C.They can use their own pens, paper and pencils.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who is the man?
A.A business traveler. B.A tour guide. C.A hotel clerk.
2.What is the most important thing to business travelers?
A.Quick check-in and check-out. B.Good room service.
C.Nice transportation.
3.Where do business travelers tend to eat their meals?
A.In their rooms. B.At restaurants. C.At the bars.
4.What does the hotel provide for free?
A.Meeting rooms. B.A bus to the city center.
C.Airport pick-up service.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Friends. B.Mother and son. C.Policeman and driver.
2.Why did Jason get a ticket?
A.He drove too fast. B.He ran through a red light.
C.He stopped on the double yellow line.
3.What bothered Jason?
A.His shopping list. B.His mother’s illness. C.His driving skill.
