Mistrust Mars Zhengzhou Ride-share Effort

More than 300 private car owners from a central Chinese city volunteered to offer free rides to citizens to ease crowded public transportation, but many local people didn't accept the offer for fear of being cheated.

The ride-share program was begun in October in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, when Ye Zhantong, a private car driver, started to gather volunteers to offer the free service. The drivers tied a green silk ribbon (丝带) on the car to differentiate themselves from unlicensed taxi drivers. But the free rides haven't been popular among the public as increasing reports of dishonesty have dried up many local citizens' trust towards strangers.

Ye said some of the volunteers have dropped out after they felt their kind intention was being questioned. Passersby walking in heavy rainfall or passengers who missed a bus would remain silent and walk away when the volunteers would stop and offer a ride.

“It's so common that people give us the cold shoulder, and sometimes, take our kindness as ill will,” said one of Ye's volunteers, identified as Binge. “Many would even say: 'Let's get out of here quickly to avoid being cheated by him.'” Some commenters on Weibo explained why they hesitated to participate in a ride-share program. “Trusting a stranger might bring huge risks. I can't take the risk,” one Internet user wrote.

Some said Ye's group wasn't authorized, and cheaters pretending to be kind drivers might volunteer. They suggested traffic authorities issue rules to regulate, protect and promote ride-share programs.

61. The ride-share cars were driven by _____ drivers.

A. licensed taxi         B. unlicensed taxi          C. private car               D. specially-trained

62. Some of the ride-share car drivers _____ .

A. were forced to join Ye’s group                   B. once behaved dishonestly

C. offered free rides only to acquaintances             D. have left Ye’s group

63. The free rides haven't been popular among the public because _____.

A. people often have enough time to wait         B. some think the drivers are cheaters

C. there are many taxies available                    D. many people choose to save money

64. Which correctly explains the expression “give sb. the cold shoulder”?

A. To be unfriendly to sb. .                                   B. To help sb. unwillingly.

C. To sit silently beside sb. .                          D. To try hard to support sb. .

65. The underlined word “mar” in the title possibly means “ _____”.

A. make sth. work the way it should                     B. make sth. less attractive or enjoyable

C.       help sth. to develop or increase                  D. damage sth. so badly that it no longer exists

The greatest source of inspiration for me has always been my father. Though he’s been gone for 17 years, his   21  still resonate（产生共鸣）. He taught me how to run my own race in life. But the most inspiring thing he taught me was to   22 .
One incident is   23  in my mind. It happened when I was a teenager. My sister and I weren’t very fond of a so-called friend of   24 . Dad was a very generous man, and as he’d done with so many people, he’d given this fellow great help. But when he asked for a favor   25 , the guy didn’t deliver.
Dad’s outlook（人生观）on most things was “Live and let live.” In this case, however, his calmness   26  Terre and me, and we let him know it.
“How can you be nice to that man?” we said to him. “You’ve been so kind to him, and he’s not being kind back. Why would you want to give him the time of day again?”
My father shrugged（耸肩）and said to us, “I do not bend my back with   27 . ”
I didn’t get it at first, but over the years I came to understand the   28 . Holding a grudge（怨恨）doesn’t   29  the person you’re angry with, but it changes you. It makes you heavier and gives you more weight to drag around.
After my father died in 1991, a (n)   30  came from a fellow I’d had a quarrel with years before to   31  his sympathy. He wrote: “I thought I’d tell you how sorry I am   32  the loss of your father. I know he   33  the world to you. I just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts. ”
Much moved, I wrote back. I thanked him for his   34 . And then, because he’d   35  
our disagreement, I recalled Dad’s inspiring words. “I am my father’s daughter,” I wrote. “And like him, I do not bend my back with yesterday.”

My Fellow Americans,
I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease (老年痴呆症).
Upon learning this news, Nancy & I had to decide whether as private citizens we would  36  this a private matter or we would make this news known in a  37  way.
In the past Nancy suffered from breast cancer  38  I had my cancer surgeries (外科手术). We found that after we told it to the public, we were able to  39  public awareness(意识). We were happy that  40   many more people went to have a test. They were treated in early stages and able to  41  to normal, healthy lives.
So now, we feel it is  42   to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater  43  of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are  44   by it.
At the moment I feel just fine. I’d  45   to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have  46  done. I will continue to share  47    journey with my beloved Nancy and my family. I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch  48   my friends and supporters.
Unfortunately, as Alzheimer’s Disease  49 , the family often suffers a lot. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this   50  experience. When the time comes I am confident that with your help she will   51  it with faith and courage.
At last, let me thank you, the American people for giving me the great honor of  52   me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home,  53  that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and endless optimism (乐观) for its future.
I now begin this  54  that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright   55  ahead.
Thank you my friends. May God always bless you.
Sincerely,
Ronald Reagan

Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices． The action follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone． Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security．
Allan Friedman, the research director, says, “All wireless companies do some location tracking as part of their networks． This information is usually stored by the companies, not the devices, and there are laws to protect it． Law enforcement（执法） agencies, for example, have to have a fairly high standard before it can access that data． And the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information．
Now, two researchers report that location tracking information is being stored directly on Apple devices． They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information． The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded （上传） to any computer that the device is connected to． The researchers say the information is available to anyone who has access to the device or computer．
Allan Friedman says, “This raises additional concerns． There’s the idea that because it’s on my phone and on my computer, rogue applications（恶意程序） that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it．”
Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”． It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cellphone towers near the user’s location． This information is meant to help the iPhone quickly find its location when needed．
Letters have been sent to some of the leading mobile device developers, including Apple and Google． The letters asked for more information about their location tracking systems． Allan Friedman calls this an important start to strengthening privacy laws． He says, “There aren’t strong controls over things like location information, what they are doing with it, how long they are keeping it． And perhaps the most important question is, is my location data with other facts about me?”
【小题1】Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?

A．wireless companies focus on personal privacy．

B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will

C．phone companies may sell private information secretly

D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking

Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聪明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of  “grey matter” and
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about mine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children ad young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors(祖先) ,among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?