Today, we drive safer cars on safer roads, but most car accidents are the result of human error. 1. So it’s a good idea to review some basic rules for safe driving. Here are four driving tips that will help bring you and your passengers home unharmed.
1. Practice defensive（保护的）driving.
Defensive driving includes keeping a safe distance and not speeding. 2. Accept small delays, such as staying in line behind a slower car instead of suddenly changing lanes.
2. 3.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how safely you drive. You are driving at the speed limit and obeying all traffic rules but someone else can crash into you. One good rule is to think everyone else on the road is a fool and be prepared for anything unexpected. 4. And it pays to be ready when you do.
3. Don’t follow too closely.
Drivers need enough time to react if the car in front makes a sudden turn or stop. It can be too difficult for drivers to judge the proper distances while driving and the exact distance is adjusted by speed, so most experts suggest a “three-second rule”.
4. Be more careful in bad weather.
5. Drive below the speed limit if necessary, keep extra space between you and the car ahead, and be especially careful around curves. If the weather worsens, just find a safe place to wait out the storm.
A.Wear your safety belt.
B.Watch out for other drivers.
C.Chances are that you’ll eventually meet someone foolish.
D.The best way to reduce accidents is to practice safe driving behaviors.
E.If you’re driving through fog, heavy rain or on icy roads, be extra careful.
F.Remaining calm in the face of annoying traffic is another major part of the idea.
G.If a driver is tired enough to fall asleep while driving, the results are terrible.
Everyone knows that walking is one of the best means of exercise for health, so physicians often recommend 150 minutes a week. But that’s a measure of volume (量). What about the walking speed? Does that make a difference? A recent paper indicates the answer may be yes.
Previous research had only focused on total amounts of exercise in minutes or steps. A team of experts in Sydney looked at whether people who walked similar distances but at different speeds gained more or less health benefits
The researchers studied 11 English and Scottish population-wide reports that included more than 50,000 regular walkers with an average age of late 40s. The walkers were grouped according to four walking speeds: slow, average, brisk(轻快的) and fast. Lastly, the researchers figured out the death( from heart disease and cancer) rate during an average follow-up period of 9.2years.
New researchers showed marathoners had less arthritis(关节炎) than non-runners.
Participants who walked at an “average” speed, as opposed to ” slow ” , had a 20 percent lower risk of death. Those walking at a “ brisk ” or “ fast ” pace enjoyed an additional 4 percent lower death rate. While the best speeds vary with one’s own age and fitness, a pace below 20 minutes per mile is considered average, and below 18 minutes per mile is considered brisk. All the benefits came from lower heart-related deaths. Walking pace had no effect on cancer rates.
“Our paper is the first paper to keep apart walking pace from the physical activity volume ,”
Explained Emmanuel Stamatakis , a professor of the Charles Perkins Center. “We also took steps to role out ( 排除 ) the possibility that the slow walkers were in poor health to begin with.”
“Walking more is better than walking less. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that any walk improve health. Keep out of the ‘ slow ’ zone. Make sure you’re putting some effort into your walk”, Stamatakis noted. “ An appropriate effort for those in a comfortable walking routine might be slightly out of breath.”
When you’re short of time, simply walk faster to increase the pay-off. “ A faster pace means you are challenging yourself to make adaptations for better health and fitness,” said Stamatakis.
1.What’s the finding of the recent paper?
A.Slow walkers are in poor health at first.
B.Walking speed influences one’s health.
C.Walking pace has some effect on cancer rates.
D.Walking 150 minutes a week is good for health.
2.How were the walkers sorted in the research?
A.They were divided into groups by walking pace.
B.They were put into different age group.
C.They were groups by health condition.
D.They were organized by nationality.
3.What can we know about the research?
A.Participants are from eleven countries.
B.Participants include people of all ages.
C.It collected data during an average of 9.2 years.
D.It focused on total amounts of exercise in minutes.
4.What’s Stamatakis’s advice for those in a comfortable walking routine?
A.Working more. B.Walking a little faster.
C.Trying other exercise. D.Changing the present lifestyle.
Next time you go shopping, keep in mind that there may be hidden cameras analyzing your habits. According to a 2015 survey of 150 managers from Computer Services Corporation, a quarter of British shops use facial recognition software to collect data on shopper behavior.
With concerns that face-recognition cameras“ are kind of invasive(冒犯的)”, British analysis firm Hoxton Analytics has come up with a new way of measuring footfall (客流)—by filming people's shoes. The technology can collect a large amount of personal information. "We have cameras at 50 cm off the ground and they point down so they are less invasive than facial recognition," Duncan Mann, Hoxton's officer said.
As modern cities get fuller—70 percent of the population will live in urban areas by 2050—cameras and other technologies are taking over public spaces and collecting our data. Their purpose is to keep people safe, provide efficient services and prevent disasters and crimes.
But some are not happy with the cameras as far as their privacy(隐私) is concerned. "Very few of us have any real concept of what data smart cities are gathering," said Renate
Samson.
We begin giving away data as soon as we wake up. When we enter the transport system, we are giving away even more details about ourselves through smart cards, mobile phones or credit cards.
Nick Millman, director at a consulting firm thinks statistics are the key to the privacy concern. He used the example of Google Maps, which is to monitor the flow of traffic in Stockholm. He explained, "It is basically adding privacy controls to statistics so that you only see the data you need to know about". In this case, Google gets enough data to improve traffic but not so much that it shows individual journey patterns.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. An introduction to collecting shoppers' data.
B. The concerns about giving away personal data.
C. The problems caused by imbalanced distribution of population.
D. An invention recording and collecting customers' information.
2.The new technology invented by Hoxton Analytics_______.
A. can gather a lot of people's personal data from their shoes
B. uses cameras fitted on the ground to collect customers' data
C. has improved the accuracy of facial recognition software
D. offers a perfect solution to customers' privacy concerns
3.According to the author, cameras in modern cities_______.
A. cause a huge waste of public space
B. help reduce the size of population in urban areas
C. are likely to help improve traffic conditions
D. are to avoid crimes and disasters and provide efficient services
4.What is Renate Samson's attitude toward the rise of smart cities?
A. Worried.
B. Optimistic.
C. Confused.
D. Uninterested.
My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.
The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.
1.A month before the marathon, the author ____________.
A.was well trained B.felt scared
C.made up his mind to run D.lost hope
2.Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?
A.To acknowledge the support of his teacher.
B.To amuse the readers with a funny story.
C.To show he was not talented in sports.
D.To share a precious memory.
3.How was the author’s first marathon?
A.He made it. B.He quit halfway.
C.He got the first prize. D.He walked to the end.
4.What does the story mainly tell us?
A.A man owes his success to his family support.
B.A winner is one with a great effort of will.
C.Failure is the mother of success.
D.One is never too old to learn.
Palaces are often built with the intent to show off the wealth and splendour of royalties.The first palace on the list was so spectacular that it inspired some other royalties to build theirs in response, meanwhile, the last on the list inspired Disney’s Cinderella castle.
Palace of Versailles, France
The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. It is located in the region of Île-de-France, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of the centre of Paris.
The palace is now a historical monument and UNESCO World Heritage site. It received millions of visitors every year, making it one of the most visited monuments in France.
The Forbidden City, China
The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for almost 500 years. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. Since 2012, it has seen an average of 14 million visitors annually and received more than 19 million visitors in 2019.
Schönbrunn Palace, Austria
A summer retreat for the Hapsburg rulers of Austria, the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna was built by Emperor Leopold I between 1696 and 1712.
UNESCO catalogued Schönbrunn Palace on the World Heritage List in 1996, together with its gardens, as a remarkable Baroque ensemble and example of the synthesis of the arts. Schönbrunn is Vienna’s most popular tourist destination.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of the opera composer Richard Wagner.
The castle was intended as a home for the king, until he died in 1886. It was open to the public shortly after his death. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with as many as 6,000 per day in the summer.
1.What do we know about the Palace of Versailles?
A.It is located in the center of Paris.
B.It is an inspiration for some castles in other countries.
C.It is one of the least popular tourist attractions in France.
D.It is the original model for Disney’s Cinderella castle.
2.How many castles mentioned in the text have been catalogued as World Heritage sites?
A.One B.Two
C.Three D.Four
3.Which castle was built to remember a musician?
A.Palace of Versailles, France B.The Forbidden City, China
C.Schönbrunn Palace, Austria D.Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present.
On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a little boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." "The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that” Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"
"Oh yes, I'd love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
Paragraph1:
He ran up the steps.
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Paragraph 2:
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car.
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