D

While drunken driving may be on the decline, traffic safety experts remain puzzled over how to deal with another alcohol related danger: drunken pedestrians.

Pedestrians struck and killed by cars often are extremely drunk. In fact, they are intoxicated more frequently-and with higher blood alcohol levels-than drunken drivers who are killed in accidents, various studies have shown. Forty percent of adult pedestrians involved in fatal crashes have a blood alcohol level of at least 0.10-which by law in most states signifies intoxication-compared to only 25 percent of drivers in deadly accidents, according to recent federal data.

Some types of pedestrian accidents have been declining nationally, especially those involving children, but the number of adult pedestrians who are drunk when killed in traffic has remained relatively steady at 2500 a year. The total number of pedestrians killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents is at least 7000, or one of every seven highway accidents resulting in death.

“We’re dealing here, we think, with a very severe drinking problem that leads to a severe highway safety problem,” said Richard Bloomberg, president of Dunlap and Associates Inc, in Norwalk, Coon.

Bloomberg, whose consulting company found a very high rate of alcohol involvement in a controlled study of pedestrian accidents in New Orleans, was among several researchers who spoke on the topic at the annual meeting of the Research council’s Transportation Research Board(TRB)  in Washington in January.

Pedestrian accidents have not received enough attention in the past, according to Kay Culprits, who chairs the board’s committee on pedestrians. Few methods exist to monitor walking habits, she said, and researchers have been mystified about how to prevent disasters.

68. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Traffic Safety.

B. Drunken Drivers.

C. Drunken Pedestrian Accidents.   

D. A Severe Highway Safety problem.

69. Among the causes of walkers’ accidents, the most serious problem is______ .      

A. long delays in traffic signals that may make people cross streets without paying attention to traffic rules

B. alcohol

C. a lack of adult keeping eyes on many children involved in accidents

D. former drunken drivers whose licenses are not allowed to use for a time

70. According to recent federal data, drunken drivers with an over 0.10 blood alcohol level in deadly accidents______ .      

A. make up one seventh of highway accidents

B. are 2500 a year

C. are at least 7000 in US traffic accidents

D. are 15 percent less than drunken adult walkers with the same level

71. According to the passage, what is Bloomberg?

A. A researcher.              B. A specialist in traffic safety.

C. A clerk of a consulting company.        D. A government official

D

While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s ,America forgot how; even high-school children would drive to school .Recently there has been something of a renaissance(复兴) in cycling, and in many areas it is a very useful way of getting around, especially where bike paths or bike routes have been built. You may well want to buy , hire or borrow a bike. 

     There are two important consequences (后果)of this earlier drop in cycling in the U.S.A. One is that many people do not to know how to cycle. That is, cyclists often behave more like Pedestrians(行人)than motorists: they ride on the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the road; they don't care for stop signs or traffic lights; they ride without lights at night; they give no hand signals .The other consequence is that cycling is regarded by many people not so much as a way of getting from one place to another but as a way of life, a form of exercise, etc. As a result, a large number of young Americans have ten-speed racing bikes. These are very high and fast and great if you are cycling long distances, riding up mountains or racing. At first , though, you may find them awkward (使用不便)for cycling in town. Sight-seeing or shopping ----they are expensive, uncomfortable and hard to control until you get used to them, and unsuitable for rough stony roads.

     There are also ordinary bikes around. If you get hold one of these ,you may find that brakes work by pedaling(踩踏板)backwards. This is perhaps safer than ordinary brakes when it is wet, but it seems to be less effective. This arrangement also means you can't pedal backwards in order to get the pedals in the right place for getting on or moving off.

68.   The passage gives us a brief introduction to _______________________.

     A. advantages of bikes                B. cycling in America

     C. American transportation            D. how to ride a bike

69.   Young Americans prefer racing bikes because they_________________.

     A. can help keep fit                    B. are easy to learn

     C. are safer to ride                     D. are expensive and popular

70.   Which of the following does NOT result from the early drop in cycling in the U.S.A?

     A. Cyclists do not care for traffic lights.

     B. People ride on the wrong side of the roads.

     C. Cycling is not considered a way of transportation.

     D. People have to pedal backwards to stop the bike.

C

       How Americans Began to Eat Tomatoes

       People have strange ideas about food．For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable．It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways．It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it．But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes．They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty．But they thought the vegetable was poisonous （有毒的）．They called tomatoes “poison apples．” President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat．He was a learned man．He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes．He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden．The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup．This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party．The guests thought the soup tasted really good．They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples．Jefferson never spoke

to his honored （忠实的） guests about the fact．

71．After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

       A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them．

       B．Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century．

       C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes．

       D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes．

72．The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes __________．

       A．while he was in Paris                  B．when he was a little boy

       C．because his parents told him so         D．from books

73．According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?

       A．the President himself                  B．a French cook

　   C．the President’s cook                 D．the President’s wife

74．From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were __________．

　   A．people from other countries　　　           B．from France

       C．people of his own country　　　　      D．men only

75．According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

       A．All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes．

　   B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice．

　   C．All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice．

　   D．None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples．

D

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.

       Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

       First he kissed his three children one by one and said, “It’s nice to see you. I missed you so much!” Then he hugged his wife, “I’ve saved the best for last!” giving her the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds（新婚夫妇）, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.

       Full of admiration, I asked, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” He replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. “Two whole days!” “Two days?” I was astonished. By the intensity (热烈) of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks --- if not months. I knew my expression betrayed me, so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. “Don’t hope, friend…decide!” Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”

With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.

I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What are you looking at?” Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”

74. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face.

   B. After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much.

   C. It was fourteen years since the couple had got married.

   D. Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds.

75. By saying “my expression betrayed me” (in Paragraph 4), the author means that _________.

    A. he failed to express his ideas to the man 

B. the man sensed his real feelings from his expression

C. he didn’t believe in his expression any more  

D. his expression was not faithful to him

76. From the passage, we can infer that __________.

    A. the experience may be easily forgotten by the author

B. the author will live a passionate life from now on

C. the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return

D. Americans prefer to save the best for last  

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers（铜钱）.The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip（条）of vellum（牛皮纸）on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!

The touchstone was a small pebble（小园石）that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold-throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant（警惕的）, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.

The book was special to the man because ______.

         A. it was made of vellum

         B. it was the only book that survived the great fire

         C. it was a story about how to tell the touchstone from ordinary stones

         D. it included the secret of the touchstone

He threw pebbles into the sea ______.

         A. to test how far he could throw

         B. to practice throwing pebbles

         C. to avoid picking up the same pebble once again

         D. to express his disappointment at failing to find the touchstone

What message does the story want to convey?

         A. Careful habits can lead to success.

         B. Habits can benefit you but also hold you back.

         C. Never judge a person or a thing by appearances.

         D. Opportunity only visits the ready and watchful mind