SAN FRANCISCO—A phone app (应用程序) in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots. City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns.

In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think. Now San Francisco has found a solution—a phone app for spot-seekers that displays information about areas with available spaces. The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors (感应器) fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up.

Monique Soltani, a TV reporter, said she and her sister spent 25 minutes on Friday trying to park. “We were praying to the parking god that we’d find a spot,” she said. “If we had the app, we would not have to pray to the parking god.” But the system could come with serious consequences.

Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road. “It could be really distracting (使分心的),” said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.

City officials acknowledge the potential problem. They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city’s iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated.

San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages. If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency. On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places (blue) and which are full (red).

More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco’s app, which is available now only for the iPhone but which city officials say they hope to bring to all similar devices.

When it is started up, the city’s parking app warns drivers not to use the system while in motion. But safety advocates said that might not be sufficient. After all, they say, texting while driving is illegal in California and in many states, but a number of surveys, including one by the Pew Research Center, show that many Americans do it anyway.

Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy group, said she hoped the new parking app would lead to fewer accidents.

“It’s an innovative idea,” she said. “The safe way for people to use the device is for them to pull over, which they know they should do. The question is whether they will.”

But Ms. Soltani, the TV reporter, said using the app would probably join the group of activities already performed by drivers.

“We’re already looking at Google Maps and Facebook on the phone while we drive,” she said. “Aren’t we always looking at something on our phone, or changing the radio, or drinking coffee? You’re always slightly distracted when you’re driving.”

1.What is the phone app mentioned in the text mainly aimed at?

A. Making full use of the parking spots.     

B. Making the traffic flow smoothly.

C. Preventing traffic accidents.

D. Benefiting iPhone users.

2.According to the text, San Francisco city officials ______.

A. don’t consider the app distracting

B. advise drivers to park cars slowly

C. are aware of the app’s disadvantages    

D. believe more parking spots are needed

3.How do drivers locate the parking spots?

A. Sensors"computers"app.                              B. App"computers"sensors.

C. Sensors"app"computers.                               D. Computers"app"sensors.

4.The phone app mentioned in the text ______.

A. is a bit slow in reacting

B. hasn’t been put into service

C. was introduced several years ago

D. can’t be downloaded to all phones

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. Daniel Simons thinks the app convenient.

B. San Francisco will put more sensors into use.

C. Most drivers open the app once they start their cars.

D. Nathaniel Ford doesn’t doubt the practical use of the app.

 

That morning, I stepped into the classroom, ready to share my knowledge and experience with seventy-five students who would be my English Literature class. Having taught in  1 for seventeen years, I had no  2  about my ability to hold their attention and to  3  on them my admiration for the literature of my mother tongue.

I was shocked when the monitor shouted, "  4  !" The entire class rose as I entered the room, and I was somewhat  5  about how to get them to sit down again, but once that awkwardness was over, I quickly  6  my calmness and began what I thought was a fact-packed lecture, sure to gain their respect—perhaps  7  their admiration. I went back to my office with the rosy glow which came from a sense of achievement.

My students  8  diaries. However, as I read them, the rosy glow was gradually  9  by a strong sense of sadness. The first diary said, "Our literature teacher didn’t teach us anything today.  10  her next lecture will be better." Greatly surprised, I read diary after diary, each expressing a  11  theme. "Didn’t I teach them anything? I described the entire philosophical framework of Western thought and laid the historical  12  for all the works we’ll study in class," I complained." How _13  they say I didn’t teach them anything?"

It was a long term, and it  14  became clear that my ideas about education were not the same as_15 of my students. I thought a teacher’s job was to raise   16  questions and provide enough background so that students could  17 their own conclusions. My students thought a teacher’s job was to provide _18_ information as directly and clearly as possible. What a difference!

_19 , I also learned a lot, and my experience with my Chinese students has made me a  20  American teacher, knowing how to teach in a different culture.

1.                A．the UK         B．the US          C．China    D．Australia

 

2.                A．worry          B．idea            C．doubt    D．experience

 

3.                A．impress         B．put            C．leave     D．fix

 

4.                A．Attention       B．Look out        C．At ease   D．Stand up

 

5.                A．puzzled         B．sure           C．curious   D．worried

 

6.                A．found          B．returned        C．regained  D．followed

 

7.                A．more          B．even           C．yet D．still

 

8.                A．passed         B．borrowed       C．read     D．kept

 

9.                A．replaced        B．taken           C．caught    D．moved

 

10.               A．Naturally        B．Perhaps        C．Fortunately     D．Reasonably

 

11.               A．different        B．strong          C．similar D．usual

 

12.               A．happenings      B．characters      C．development   D．background

 

13.               A．should         B．need           C．will   D．must

 

14.               A．immediately     B．certainly        C．simply     D．gradually

 

15.               A．that           B．what           C．those     D．ones

 

16.               A．difficult         B．interesting      C．ordinary   D．unusual

 

17.               A．draw           B．look           C．search    D．offer

 

18.               A．strange         B．standard        C．exact D．serious

 

19.               A．Therefore       B．However        C．Besides    D．Though

 

20.               A．normal         B．happy          C．good D．better

 

 

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little ___1______ All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her 2         mother with whispered desperation（绝望）, "Only a miracle（奇迹） can save him now", the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she   3      her way six blocks to the local drugstore（药店）.

"And what do you want?" asked the chemist.

    "It’s for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a  4        . His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my   5______says only a miracle can save him."

"We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry," the chemist said, smiling  6       at the little girl.

    In the shop was a   7       customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

    "I don’t know," she replied. "He’s really sick and mommy says he needs   8      . But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my  9     ."

    "How much do you have?" asked the man.

    "One dollar and eleven cents, _____10 ____I can try and get some more," she answered quietly.

    "Well, what a coincidence（巧合）," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents? The  11     price of a miracle for little brothers. Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents."

    That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon（外科医生）. The operation was completed without   12     and it wasn’t long before __13__________was home again and doing well.

The little girl was____14______. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the  15     of a little child.

1.A dog          B sister            C brother.         D father

2.A. tearful                B. helpless                   C. hopeful                       D. kind

3.A. followed B. made                    C. took                  D. found

4.A. favor          B. doctor                     C. hope                         D. miracle

5.A doctor        B mum            C family           D daddy

6.A. gently          B. sadly                     C. strangely        D. coldly

7.A. well-dressed  B. kind-hearted     C. well-behaved         D. good-looking

8.A. a doctor      B. a surgeon        C. an operation      D. a kindness

9.A. suggestions      B. wishes         C. ideas                  D. savings

10.A but          B when           C so              D because

11.A. same        B. exact            C. proper                       D. necessary

12.A. difficulty      B. delay       C. charge             D. result

13. A the chemist    B  the doctor    C Andrew          D the girl

14.A satisfy         B happy         C frightened        D angry

15.A. cleverness     B. faith               C. courage              D. devotion

 

I have nothing to say about whether or not "A Day Without Immigrants" had a positive or negative effect on the question of how the federal government should deal with the huge population of undocumented illegal immigrants in this country. I'll leave that question to others.

Regardless of how you feel about the event, one conclusion is obvious. Using the theme of" A Day Without" as a way to focus national attention on a particular subject is a great idea, and could serve as a method for increasing public awareness about other issues that affect daily life in America. Here are my top three examples:

"A Day Without Speeding." How hard could this be? If all drivers would strictly obey every posted speed limit on highways, downtown, on neighborhood streets, and in parking lots for one 24-hour cycle, the benefits would be huge.

"A Day Without Losing Your Temper." A higher degree of difficulty here, and I know that from personal experience. When something goes wrong at home or on the job, there may be brief satisfaction in yelling or kicking the furniture, but erupting with anger usually doesn't do anything to solve the problem, and in many cases it makes the situation more unpleasant.

"A Day Without Having All The Answers." I would like to get a break from hearing anyone speak the phrase, "Here's what you're doing wrong." Right now the US is jampacked with citizens who believe they can point out the cause of every single problem in existence and then solve it on the spot. I believe they need to be quiet sometimes and use their ears instead of their voices.

I wonder how would average Americans react to such a collective pause? Would it be a day of angry protests, or joyful celebrations?

1.The first paragraph suggests           .

A．the writer is against A Day Without Immigrants

B．immigrants are not equally treated by the US federal government

C．the writer cares little about the problems of the country.

D．some people move to America without the permission of the US government

2."The event" in the second paragraph is related to          .

A．"A Day Without Immigrants"

B．"A Day Without Having All The Answers"

C．"A Day Without Speeding"

D．"A Day Without Losing Your Temper"

3.According to the writer, losing one's temper is           .

A．personal

B．satisfying

C．pointless

D．unpleasant

4.The writer suggest a day without having all the answers because         .

A．he thinks the American are too proud

B．he doesn't think what he is doing is wrong

C．he wants others to keep quiet

D．the writer is so tired that he needs a break

 

How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings

Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical（经验的，实证的） basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.

 Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room's ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.

 In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant's ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.

 Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off  academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.

 Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim（暗淡的） light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.

So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. "We have a very limited number of studies, so we're almost looking at the problem through a straw（吸管）," architect David Allison says. "How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what we're all struggling with."

What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?

 A. Light.      B. Ceilings.     C. Windows.     D. Furniture.

The passage tells us that ______.

 A. the shape of furniture may affect people's feelings

 B. lower ceilings may help improve students' creativity

 C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades

 D. students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed

The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______.

 A. the problem is not approached step by step

 B. the researches so far have faults in themselves

 C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect

 D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns

Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?

 CP: Central Point    P: Point   SP: Sub-point（次要点）   C: Conclusion