7.All the expressways in the US have the system.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

6.At the entrance to the expressway, the lights change often because of

the speed of the trucks.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

5.The system reduced the number of accidents on the road.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

4.If the light is red, it means cars are moving at a dangerous speed.　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

3.There are sensors built into the expressways.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

2. The controller follows Chicago's traffic by waiting for the red light to

turn to green.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

1.What would be the best title for this text?

　 A. Computerized Traffic Control System

　 B. Rush Periods Getting longer

　 C. The Nation's Busiest Road

　 D. Expressways Are Faster

8.In this passage the word victims means ____.

　 A. living creatures 　　　　　　　　　　 B. people who do something wrong

　 C. people injured　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. both plants and animals

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 Words per minute ______

%Comprehension _______

Passage 48　

Expressways

“We don’t have rush hours any more,” said Charles M. McLean, who runs the nation’s busiest road. “We have rush periods, and they keep getting longer and longer.”

McLean was describing Chicago's 235 mi1es of expressway(高速公路). But the same might be said about almost any of the expressways that have become an important part of American city life---and about the heavy traffic that often blocks them.

In Chicago, a computerized system(系统)has been developed that controls traffic on the city's seven expressways. Now one man-a controller-can follow the movement of Chicago's traffic by looking at a set of lights.

The system uses electronic sensors(感应器) that are built into each expressway, half a mile apart. Several times a second, the computer receives information from each sensor and translates it into green, yellow, or red lights on a map in the control room.

A green light means traffic is moving forty-five miles an hour, yellow means thirty to forty-five miles an hour, and red means heavy traffic----cars standing still or moving less than thirty miles an hour

“See that red light near Austin Avenue?” the controller asked a visitor. “That’s a repair truck fixing the road, and the traffic has to go around it.”

At the Roosevelt Road entrance to the expressway, the light kept changing from green to red and back to green again. “A lot of trucks get on the expressway there,” the controller explained. “They can’t speed up as fast as cars.”

The sensors show immediately where an accident or a stopped car is blocking traffic, and a truck is sent by radio to clear the road. The system has lowered the number of accidents by l8 percent. There are now 1.4 deaths on Chicago's expressways for each one hundred million miles traveled, while in other parts of the country there are 2. 6.

Traffic experts say that the Chicago system is the “coming thing”. Systems like Chicago's are already in use on some expressways in Los Angeles and Houston. “Chicago has taken the lead,” says New York City’s traffic director; and he adds, “We are far behind...!”

　　　　　　　　　　　　 Length 348

Total Reading Time ___

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Answer the following questions without referring to the reading:

7.The tiger beetle moves very slowly.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

6.Man fights the hunter insects all the time.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F