From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter（屠杀） of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over 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, 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 swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and completely selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.　　

　　The surprising thing is that society smiles so kindly on the motorist and seems to tolerate his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable(不宜居住的) because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is cut into pieces by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten. 

It is high time a world code(法规) were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are frustratingly lax（宽松） and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made harder 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 strictest annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person's driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound extraordinarily strict. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.

66. The main idea of this passage is _____.

　 A. Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists

　 B. Thousands of people in the world are killed each year.

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

　 D. Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents

67. What does the author think of society toward motorists?

　 A. Society smiles on the motorists.

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

　 C. Victims of accidents are nothing.

　 D. Society tolerates their rude driving.

68. What does the sentence “his car becomes the extension of his personality” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

　 A. Driving can show his real self.

　 B. His car can show the other part of his personality.

　 C. Driving can bring out his character.

　 D. His car embodies his temper.

69. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “toll” in the last paragraph?

   A. sum      B. the sound of a bell     C. a tax paid for the use of roads  D. the cost of life

70. The writer has suggested the following except ________________.

   A. raising the age at which young people are allowed to drive

   B. prohibiting the driver from the smallest amount of drinking

   C. advertising driving performance

   D. giving safety specifications to car makers

London Underground

　 The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time，the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system, was born.

　 The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays (推迟), but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.

54. What led the British government to build the London Underground？　　　

　 A. Traffic jams and pollution.

　 B. Population and pollution.

　 C. Overcrowding and traffic jams.

　 D. The poverty and traffic jams.

55. How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？　　　　　

　 A. It made the tunnels larger.

　 B. It put fans in the tunnels.

　 C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.

　　 D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.

56. How many passengers did the world’s first subway carry in its first year?　

　 A. 9,000　　　 B. 90,000　　 C. 9,000,000　　　 D. 90,000,000

57. Which of the following is TRUE？　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　 A. To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.

　 B. There were not so many problems and delays when the first subway was built.

　 C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.

　 D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.

根据汉语提示完成下列句子（用所学词组或短语） 满分10分

1.Eric 再次起航，这一次有25艘船同行，但其中只有14艘最终成功到达格林兰岛。

Eric set sail once again, this time with 25ships, of which only 14_______ ______ _____ Greenland.

2.一个叫比阿尼的人也从冰岛起航来寻找Eric一行。

A man called Biarni set sail from Iceland _______ ________ _____ Eric’s party.

3.突然，天空乌云密布。

_______ _____ _______, the sky was covered with dark clouds

4.最后，一艘船把我救起来。

In the end, a boat _________ me _______..

5.先是，他的两个雪橇坏了。

First, his two sledges______　＿＿＿＿　

6.队员们很快就精疲力竭了，而且食品也快吃完了。

The men were soon exhausted and were ­­­­＿＿＿＿＿　＿＿＿＿ ＿＿　food.

7.我们有多少次遇到塞车？

How often do we_______　________ in traffic jams?

8.过去十年中，英国公路上行驶的汽车数量上升了30%

In the last ten years, the number of cars on the roads in Britain has＿＿＿ ＿＿＿by 30%.

9.有些癌症和交通污染有关系。

Some types of cancer _______ _______ ______traffic pollution.

10.阿姆斯特丹市中心的交通已经不那么拥堵了，幸亏人们献计献策

There is already less traffic in central Amsterdam,_______  ______ the good ideas of lots of people.

　　Do you know insurance （保险）? Buying insurance is a 1 by which people can protect themselves 2 large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay 3 sums of money 4 an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only 5 will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes 6 the sums of money it has collected.

　　The first modern fire insurance company was 7 in London, England, in 1666. A great fire had just 8 most of the city, and people wanted to protect against 9 losses. The fire company grew rapidly. 10 other companies were founded in other areas.

　　Benjamin Franklin helped form the first fire insurance company in America in 1752. He also 11 a new kind of insurance for 12 . The new insurance would offer protection against the loss of crops 13 storm.

　　In 1759 , Benjamin Franklin helped start 14 new insurance company in America. This company , which offered 15 insurance , collected some money 16 from different men. Although a man died , his family was given a large sum of money. Today , this company is 17 in business.

　　Over the years, people have 18 from many new kinds of insurance when they have suffered from 19 accidents as car and plane crashes. Tomorrow , almost everyone has 20 kind of insurance.

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