What causes traffic jams? Too many cars, right? No! Some Brits are now saying that traffic lights are to blame for much of the congestion（交通拥挤）. They suggest that traffic lights be removed at busy roads. They believe people are a better judge of when it’s safe to go, not a traffic light programmed by an absent regulator.
A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, a UK think tank（智囊团）, argues that abolishing traffic signals would decrease congestion, reduce exhaust emissions（废气排放）and improve safety.
The report said that removing lights should also prevent other bad behavior caused by signals, such as speeding up to catch a green light. It would also avoid the wasted time when drivers have to sit at a red light even if no one is using the green.
The idea may sound strange, but it’s not new. Seven cities and regions in Europe are experimenting with no-lights roads.
Drachten in the Netherlands has got rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and changed the other two to roundabouts under a “shared space” scheme. At crossings, cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn, and drivers follow a first-arrived, first-through approach and communicate by hand signs, nods and waving.
The result? Typical journey time has been cut in half, and accidents and congestion have mostly disappeared.
There have been small collisions but no problem, said Hans Monderman, creator of the scheme. “We want small accidents, in order to prevent serious ones. It works well because it’s dangerous. The driver has to be responsible for his or her own risk.
“The many rules take away the ability to be considerate,” Monderman added. “We’re losing our responsibility for socially responsible behavior.”
So far, Drachten’s locals have called the experiment a success. “I am used to it now,” said Helena Spaanstra, 24. “You drive more slowly and carefully, but somehow you seem to get around town quicker.”
Tony Ooostward, 70, was equally enthusiastic. “I am a walker and now you are the boss at the crossroads, everyone waits for you. But at the same time walkers wait until there are a number of people wanting to cross at the same time.”
Owen Paterson, UK’s Shadow Transport Minister, visited Drachten. He said Britain should learn from the model. “The idea is to create space where there is mild anxiety among everyone so they all behave cautiously. No one drives fast along a busy street thinking that they have right of way.”
60.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Don’t Count On Traffic Lights B. New Traffic Systems Needed
C. Turn Those Traffic Lights Off D. Let People Have More Say In Traffic
61.According to the report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, abolishing traffic lights would NOT lead to ____.
A. more time being saved B. reduction of traffic jams
C. improvement of the environment D. right of way being taken for granted
62.The underlined word “collision” in Paragraph 7 means closest to ____.
A. jam B. accident C. trouble D. congestion
63.From the passage we can see that the experiment in Drachten worked well because ____.
A. walkers have become the boss of the crossroads
B. cyclists, walkers and drivers each have specially designed routes
C. everyone finds that they have to do their share in regulating traffic
D. drivers are more careful and wait for eyclists or walkers to pass first
活力课时同步练习册系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.
Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.
“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.
They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.
The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(胫骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(桡骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.
Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (钙) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.
The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.
French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.
A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts
B. they were not interested in their own astronauts
C. the Russian government invited them to do their research
D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time
Scientists have found that _______.
A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts
B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies
C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss
D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel
What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?
A. The food they eat in space. B. The drinks they take in space.
C. The temperature in space. D. The gravity in space.
In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.
A. unusual B. simple C. weak D. slow
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010—2011学年新疆乌鲁木齐市第八中学高二上学期第一次月考英语卷 题型：阅读理解
Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.
Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, afte
r their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.
“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ”
the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.
They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.
The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(胫骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(桡骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.
Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (钙)
which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.
The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.
【小题1】French scientists
did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.
| A．they only cared for the Russian astronauts |
| B．they were not interested in their own astronauts |
| C．the Russian government invited them to do their research |
| D．the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time |
| A．the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts |
| B．the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies |
| C．astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss |
| D．astronauts should take some calcium before space travel |
ge?| A．The food they eat in space. | B．The drinks they take in space. |
| C．The temperature in space. | D．The gravity in space. |
| A．unusual | B．simple | C．weak | D．slow |
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科目：高中英语 来源：浙江省杭州十四中2009-2010学年度高二下学期期中考试试卷（英语） 题型：阅读理解
第三部分：阅读理解（共2节，满分35分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑（共15小题，每小题2分,满分30分）.
ARGENTINA’S new government faced public anger over its recent decision to greatly reduce the dollar value of its citizens’ bank savings. More than two-thirds of Argentine bank savings were in US dollars. The country’s recession (衰退)，which is in its fourth year, has left a third of Argentine’s 36 million people in poverty.
A few angry people took the streets on January 21, beating pots and pans in protest. And a group of unemployed Argentines demanding jobs blocked a major highway into Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires.
Argentines fear they could lose up to half the dollar value of their savings. Some on the street said the country’s fifth president in the past month has already failed them.
After three weeks in power, President Eduardo Duhalde has broken his first and biggest promise. He said he would return people’s savings in the currency in which were deposited(开户). Duhalde aims to make exports more competitive. But this is expected to have a serious effect on ordinary families, for the simple reason that in Argentine, 80 percent of loans and mortgages(抵押) are in dollars. The government froze all the bank savings made in dollars, worth US$45 billion in total to stop a run on banks. This cause huge street protest earlier this month and contributed to the downfall of two governments. “Most of my life savings were just taken away from me, “ said Jose, a 38-year-old citizen. “I was going to move to Italy but now I can’t because my money is trapped here. Argentina is like a prison.”
The government loosened the new banking rules a little bit on January 17. However, people still don’t have free access to their bank account. They are only allowed to take out rapidly devaluing pesos, even though their savings are in US dollars.
The banking controls will remain in place for about three months, with a few exceptions for the elderly or people with sever illnesses who need crash.
56. How many people have been left in poverty because of Argentina’s economic recession?
A. all Argentines people B. 24 million people
C. 12 million people D. 36 million people
57. What cause Argentines to protest in the streets earlier this month?
Argentina’s economic recession.
Argentina’s new government made its people angry.
Argentina’s government froze all the bank savings made in US dollars.
Two of Argentina’s governments failed to make exports more competitive.
58. What does the sentence… my money is trapped here” mean_____?
My bank savings have been frozen by the government.
I don’t want to take my money away.
I don’t have any money in the bank.
My money has been taken by the Italian government.
59. According to the article, which of the following sentences is correct?
people can get their money from the bank freely.
People are only allowed to get US dollars from the bank.
The government will only allow people to get pesos from the bank.
The banking controls will loosen a little in three months’ time.
60. Argentines cannot get US dollars from the bank unless they are_____.
A. ordinary people B. rich or government officials
C. poor people D. old or seriously ill
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年黑龙江大庆高三第二次模拟考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip. It wasn’t the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way.
As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store. Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper. I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries.
I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry. On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables. It also included a short story about the boy and his efforts to collect food donations since the age of 8. I was really touched that someone so young would be so interested in helping others. I told him it was an awesome idea and that he should be proud of himself. He smiled.
Then, I went inside to get my drink. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have it in stock. But, I wasn’t upset, because by then I felt I had another mission. I went through the store, picking things from the list, then brought them back out to the boy and put them in the cart. I also gave the man the white sheet of paper back to reuse for another customer. They thanked me and offered me a treat (candy, I think) but I said to pass it on to someone else.
As I walked back to my car, the boy’s well-intentioned spirit stuck with me. How inspiring to encounter a young boy with a resolve to do good deeds, and the courage to act on it. It made my day!
1.What do we know from the passage?
A. The author wasn’t a regular customer to the store.
B. The store was owned by the man and the boy.
C. The store didn’t deal in drinks.
D. The author refused their treat because he didn’t need it.
2.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in paragraph 4?
A. He didn’t get his drink
B. He carried out another mission.
C. He got thanks and was offered a treat
D. He wasn’t upset though not getting his drink.
3.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. A Day for a Boy. B. A Young Boy’s Determination.
C. An Inspiring Boy. D. A Young Boy’s Groceries.
4.We can infer from the description of the author that the boy is _______.
A. noble-minded B. hard-working
C. well-educated D. open-minded
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012届新疆乌鲁木齐市高二上学期第一次月考英语题 题型：阅读理解
Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.
Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.
“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.
They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.
The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(胫骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(桡骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.
Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (钙) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.
The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.
1.French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.
A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts
B. they were not interested in their own astronauts
C. the Russian government invited them to do their research
D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time
2. Scientists have found that _______.
A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts
B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies
C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss
D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel
3. What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?
A. The food they eat in space. B. The drinks they take in space.
C. The temperature in space. D. The gravity in space.
4.In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.
A. unusual B. simple C. weak D. slow
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