Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.   But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this sight, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.
【小题1】We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.

A．traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city

B．traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

C．if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

D．public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

【小题2】According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam？

A．Traffic jam is unavoidable in any cities.

B．Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.

C．Traffic jam is one of the consequences of successful cities.

D．Traffic jam is a cause of economic decline.

【小题3】By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means_______.

A．declining

B．developing

C．rich and successful

D．strong and healthy

【小题4】According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true?

A．The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.

B．New York and Los Angeles are the least successful cities in the US.

C．It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.

D．Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.

 Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth, but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
　　Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
　　Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
　　“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards life, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people aware of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
【小题1】According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth _____.

A．by educating its citizens

B．by careful family planning

C．by developing TV programmes

D．by chance

【小题2】What can you infer from the passage about many Third World countries ?

A．They haven’t attached much importance to birth control.

B．They would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate.

C．They haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population.

D．They neglected the role of TV plays in family planning

【小题3】Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because ______.

A．they keep people sitting long hours watching TV

B．they have gradually changed people’s way of life

C．people are drawn to their attractive package

D．they popularize birth control measures

WASHINGTON---At least four more U.S. air-traffic controllers are caught nodding off on the job at three separate airports across the nation, the government said Wednesday.
The controller working alone in the tower fell asleep and was out of communication for 16 minutes while a medical flight carrying a patient was trying to land at about 2 A.M. Wednesday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The FAA announced that it is also investigating a controller who fell asleep Monday at Boeing King County International Airport in Seattle and two controllers who were unresponsive at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee on Feb.19.
“I am sick of this,” Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. “We can’t have a system where some of the people responsible for safety are asleep at the switch.”
As the incidents pile up, sleep experts say it demonstrates that the agency faces a systemic issue with the thousands of people expected to work through the night in safety-critical jobs. Scientific research shows that workers on midnight shifts make more errors because it is so difficult for the body to adapt to sleeping during the day, they say.
The agency will add an extra controller at the 27 towers staffed with one worker on the midnight shift, the FAA statement said.
Representative John Mica, the Florida Republican who chairs the House transportation committee, criticized the decision to add controllers. “Only in the federal government would you double up on workers, averaging $161,000 per year in salary and benefits, that aren’t doing their job,” Mica said in a statement. Mica has pushed legislation that would allow as many as 90 smaller airports to switch from federal to private controllers.
“People have known these problems with fatigue（疲劳）have existed for years,” said John Goglia, a Boston-based aviation safety consultant. “They’re now showing up. The FAA is admitting they exist. Now the FAA needs to work on it.”
The four controllers in Nevada, Seattle and Texas have been suspended(暂时停职) during the investigations, the FAA said.
【小题1】The underlined part “double up on workers” means “______”.

A．add two more workers	B．staff two workers at a post
C．settle two workers in a double room	D．give the workers double pay

【小题2】According to John Goglia, fatigue problem ______.

A．is a known potential danger	B．has never appeared before
C．is common for day-time shift workers	D．seldom shows up at night

【小题3】Which statement is true?

A．A controller fell asleep without communication for 16 minutes in Knoxville, Tennessee.

B．A medical flight carrying a patient failed to land with the controller asleep.

C．Jay Rockefeller pays little attention to sleeping at the switch.

D．Mica refused to support the decision to staff more controllers on the midnight shift.

【小题4】We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．All the controllers in the US were working alone while they were on duty

B．The incidents are rooted in fatigue problems and those on midnight shifts need an extra nap

C．In the U.S. , thousands of people expect to work through the night in safety-critical jobs

D．The agency has added an extra controller at the 27 towers

From the health point of view we are living in an amazing age. We are free from many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern medicine. It is almost certain that one day medicines will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased greatly. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man vs the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing.
Thousands of people all over the world are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel(方向盘), his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They say, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and completely selfish. Their hidden angers and disappointments seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so gently on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the deaths become nothing more than a number every year, to be easily forgotten.
It is high time a world rule was created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are unbelievable lenient(宽容的) and even the strictest are not strict enough. A rule which was universally accepted could only have an obviously beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some of the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict tests for safety each year. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can damage a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws(where they exist) should be made much stricter. Speed limits should be required on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for car factories, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stress power and performance should be banned. These measures may not sound good enough. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the number of deaths. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
【小题1】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.

B．Thousands of people all over the world are killed each year.

C．The laws of some countries about driving are too lenient.

D．More strict traffic laws can prevent accidents.

【小题2】What does the author think of society toward motorists?

A．Society laughs at the motorists.

B．Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.

C．Victims of accidents are nothing.

D．Society forgives their rude driving.

【小题3】What does the author mean by saying “his car becomes the extension of his personality” in
Paragraph 3?

A．Driving can show his hidden qualities.

B．Driving can show the other part of his personality.

C．Driving can bring out his character.

D．Driving can represent his manners.

【小题4】 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?

A．Perfect the road network.

B．More strict driving tests.

C．Test drivers every three years.

D．Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.

【小题5】 The author’s attitude towards the traffic situation is ______.

A．confused

B．discontented

C．appealing

D．doubtful

Thanksgiving is an important festival in North America. We interviewed several students from the US and Canada. Here is what they have told us about their Thanksgiving experiences.
Josie from New York, USA
“In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year at the end of November. It is to remember the first group of people from Europe to live in America. When they first arrived, they found the environment strange. But they learned to survive after some native American friends showed them how to grow and find food. Thanksgiving is meant to be a traditional celebration.”
Todd from California, USA
“Thanksgiving is the first day of Christmas shopping. That means we have four weeks to buy Christmas presents for our families and friends. For me and my friends, the most important part of the festival is the big football game on TV. The match is watched by millions of people all over America. Thanksgiving is seen as an exciting day for football!”
Ian from Saskatoon, Canada
In Canada, Thanksgiving is held on the 2nd Monday in October. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, many people go to church. Thanks is given for all the good things that happened to them during the year. I always give thanks for the nice big turkey I’m going to have at the family dinner! Like all festivals, Thanksgiving is about food!
Katie from Maritimes, Canada
On Thanksgiving Day, we have dinner with all our cousins, aunts and uncles. It is always very busy. Sometimes we have two Thanksgiving dinners because we go to both our grandparents’ houses. The dinner is usually attended by more than twenty people at each house! My mother and my aunts do all the cooking but the washing-up is done by me and my cousins. And that’s not an easy job! But I don’t mind because Thanksgiving is meant to be a time to give thanks.
【小题1】People in the USA and Canada ____________.

A．all have the same opinion of Thanksgiving

B．have different opinions of Thanksgiving

C．feel that Thanksgiving is about food

D．have no interest in Thanksgiving

【小题2】Which of the people interviewed feels that Thanksgiving is all about football?

A．Ian

B．Josie

C．Todd

D．Katie

【小题3】Where does the person who thinks that Thanksgiving is a traditional celebration come from?

A．New York

B．California

C．Saskatoon

D．Maritimes

【小题4】For what reasons do people give thanks at Thanksgiving?

A．All the good things that have happened

B．Presents, a big turkey

C．Grandparents, food

D．Football, traditions

It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94.
【小题1】The doctors came to Herpin’s home in order to ______.

A．treat him for his illness

B．find the reason why some old people didn’t need any sleep

C．get some proof to show his sleeplessness was not really true

D．help him to have a rest in some day

【小题2】After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ______.

A．needed some kind of sleep	B．needed no sleep at all
C．was too old to need any sleep	D．often slept in a chair

【小题3】The word “puzzled” in this passage probably refers to “______”.

A．make you think a lot because you do not understand it

B．make you worry a lot because you cannot sleep well

C．make you sad because something unusual has happened

D．make you fear because something terrible has happened

【小题4】The main idea of this passage is that ______.

A．large numbers of people do not need sleep

B．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

C．people can live longer by trying not to sleep at all

D．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend (趋势) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture(家具) for our living room.” Says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to afford it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $ 420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
【小题1】We can learn from the text that many newly married people _______.

A．find it hard to pay for what they need

B．have to learn to make their own furniture.

C．take DIY courses run by the government.

D．seldom go to a department store to buy things

【小题2】John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _____

A．run a DIY shop	B．make or repair things
C．save time and money	D．improve the quality of life.

【小题3】 When the writer says Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ____

A．makes shoes in his home	B．does extra work at night
C．does his own car and home repairs	D．keeps house and looks after his children

A 37-year-old man in Australia’s Northern city Darwin ,Norm Pethrick, was praised for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater. Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free. Ms Pethrick was later taken to Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report. He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”. Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three more days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.
【小题1】 This passage is most likely to be found in _____.

A．a newspaper

B．a travel guide

C．a textbook

D．a novel

【小题2】The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.

A．swimming in the river	B．watching the crocodile
C．standing on the river bank	D．fishing in the water

【小题3】According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.

A．brave

B．diligent（勤勉的）

C．quick

D．humorous

【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The husband should save the wife

B．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws

C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine

D．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes

Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns(客栈)instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private(私人的)homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms; others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.
Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.
【小题1】Americans take a holiday trip_________.

A．all the year round	B．for years
C．every year	D．every other year

【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Some Americans like to stay at bed-and-breakfast homes instead of at hotels.

B．The bed-and-breakfast inns are private homes open to vacationers.

C．The bed-and-breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time.

D．The bed-and-breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night.

【小题3】Staying at the bed-and-breakfast inns, __________.

A．the travelers needn’t pay anything

B．the travelers don’t have to pay for the telephone or television

C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people

D．the owners will show the travelers around the area

【小题4】Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A．European and American vacationers like staying at bed-and-breakfast inns.

B．All Americans enjoy traveling.

C．These bed-and-breakfast inns are all old historic buildings.

D．Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is just like at the traveler’s home.

Bringing Art into Hospitals
The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to get better.
As part of nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places,　some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages, waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s.He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society,　and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience(观众).
A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5 000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art!　Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the out—patient’s waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975.Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist. Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.
The effect is striking. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colours, playful images(形象)and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
【小题1】 Some best artists of Britain have been called in to__________.

A．set up new hospitals

B．make the corners of the hospital collect paintings

C．bring art into hospitals

D．help patients recover from serious illnesses

【小题2】After the improvement of the hospital environment,__________.

A．patients no longer take drugs to kill their pains

B．patients don’t have to stay long in hospital

C．patients need fewer pain killers when they suffer from an illness

D．patients feel happy in hospital

【小题3】It can inferred from the passage that__________.

A．the role of hospital environment is important.

B．hospital artists have done more than doctors

C．exhibitions attract more audience in hospitals than in museums

D．the hospital is a better place for people.