was a bit of a car guy and subscribed to cool magazines like Car and Driver and Motor Trend.
Every so often, one of those magazines would run an article on the "Car of the Future". They
featured unconventional styling and things like small nuclear reactors as power sources. Yet,
frankly, my car doesn"t do anything that my brother"s Studebaker didn"t do. It goes, it stops, it
burns gasoline, it plays music. I still have to steer it, and it still runs into things if I don"t steer it
carefully.
But guess what? All of these things are subject to change in the not-so-distant future. It will
still go and stop, but it may not burn gasoline, I may not have to steer it, and it may be a lot better
at not running into things.
Airbags aren"t the be-all and end-all in safety. In fact, considering the recent news about people
occasionally being killed by their airbags in low-speed collisions (碰撞),they obviously still need
some development. But they aren"t going away, and in fact, you can expect to see cars appearing
with additional, side-impact airbags, something some European car manufacturers already offer.
Better than systems to minimize (使减少到最低限度) injury in the event of an accident,
however, are systems that minimize the likelihood of an accident happening in the first place. Future
cars may be able to eliminate many of the major causes of accidents, including drunk-driving,
tailgating (与前车距离过近) and sleepiness. Cars could be equipped with sensors that can detect
alcohol in a driver"s system and prevent the car from being started, for example. Many accidents
are caused by people following the car in front too closely. As early as next year, you"ll be able to
buy cars with radar-equipped control systems. If the radar determines you"re closing too quickly
with the car in front, it will ease up on the throttle (油门). For city streets, expect other radar devices
that will give advance warning that the car in front of you has slowed abruptly (突然地) and you
should step on the brakes-or that may even brake for you.
Will cars eventually be able to drive themselves? There"s no reason to think it won"t be technically
possible, and Mercedes is working on a system that can brake, accelerate and steer a vehicle down
a highway on its own. Nobody really expects people to give up all control to their cars, but such
systems could be used as failsafe systems to keep cars on the road and bring them safely to a stop
even if the driver suddenly became disabled.
B. Because he read exotic things about cars in his brother"s magazines.
C. Because his oldest brother loved to take him to places in his car.
D. Because he subscribed to cool car magazines.
means that_____.
B. my car is not as good as my brother"s
C. not much has changed in the performance of cars so far
D. much improvement has been made in the design of cars recently
B. They are going to disappear gradually.
C. They kill people instead of protecting them in low-speed collisions.
D. They are a standard feature of European cars.
system?
B. They will brake automatically.
C. They will ease up on the throttle.
D. They will not start.
B. Cars will be able to drive themselves.
C. No cars will ever break down on the roads.
D. Cars will all be equipped with failsafe systems.
by and we heard one of them say, "Never seen that dog around here before."
We looked down the hill and saw an old black dog stumbling(蹒跚) painfully up the hill. We bent
down, talked gently to the dog and patted it. I checked and there was a collar. There was a phone
number on the collar, but no one answered.
The dog was painfully thin. It didn"t have many teeth left and, well, it just seemed done.
Julie ran home to get some of our dog"s food while I tried to encourage the dog to come along with
me. Julie got home and back again when I was only half way there. So, we sat down on the sidewalk
while our new friend made short work of the food.
Eventually we got her home. We gave her a blanket, more food, kept her warm and wondered what
to do next.
After trying for many times we got a response from the number. A lady came around with a bunch
of flowers for us. She explained that Tara had been her father"s dog. She was very old and should
probably be put to sleep, but the lady just couldn"t bring herself to do it. So, Tara was safely returned
home.
Here is the truth of the story:
Actually Julie and I were out that morning because I was leaving. She was trying to persuade me to
come back, but I wasn"t hearing anything that made that sound likely.
I was about to turn and go when an old, worn out dog walked between us and collapsed. Suddenly
we had something more important than our problem to worry about. There was a creature in need right
before us and we had to work together to help it.
We did help it. And here am I writing the story in my own home, in my own family.
In the song "Love Is Not a Fight" Warren Barfield talks about marriage. At one point he sings, "And
if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door."
Sometimes angels come disguised (伪装) as dogs.
B. The old black dog was sick and weak and couldn"t walk.
C. After finding the dog, the writer phoned its owners.
D. Most of the dog"s teeth had been pulled out by someone.
B. the writer had his own pet dog
C. the dog didn"t go with the writer
D. the dog didn"t eat any of the food
B. took good care of the dog
C. found out that its owner was a lady
D. found it hard to get to sleep
B. Julie disagreed with the writer"s travel on business
C. an old and worn out dog appeared in front of them
D. the couple had some trouble with their marriage
B. An Angel Dog.
C. Saving the Dog.
D. A Famous Song.
Robert performs his 24-foot boat past willow(柳树) young trees that stick out of the waters of the
Mississippi River. __1__ dances off maples(枫树), their branches heavy with __2__ spring leaves. But a
_3__ inspection discloses trouble behind the beautiful sight. Rubbish is __4__ in a logjam(浮木阻塞) and hangs from the tree"s branches.
For the next three hours Robert and his team pull plastic bags, tanks, bottles and __5__ bowling pins
out of the water. Then they __6__ for a picnic table caught in the trees. Welcome to the Mississippi River
Beautification Project begun in 1997 with Robert"s one man __7__ to pick up rubbish __8__ a 400 mile
stretch(伸展) of the 2,340 mile river. That year, often working __9__, the 22-year-old fellow cleaned 150 miles of shoreline.
At first the project appeared__10__ and useless. But Robert tried his best to find __11 , and with their backing, he soon had a new boat and five-man __12 -the Boom Crane Crew. Last year alone the crew
__13_ from the water 44,055 gallon durms,1,104 tires and enough plastic bags to __14__ a football
field. Much of the waste will be __15__.
"Robert"s operation is the only one actually in __16___on the river," says Mark of the Mississippi
River Basin Alliance, a union of environmental groups. "It"s the __17_I have ever seen in 20 years, and he
is inspiring others to do the __18_ ."
"The river has given me a livelihood and brought me so much _19_ ," Robert says, "I want to do
something in __20_ ."
( )2. A. ripe
( )3. A. wider
( )4. A. placed
( )5. A. ever
( )6. A. come
( )7. A. work
( )8. A. on
( )9. A. alone
( )10. A. large
( )11. A. supporters
( )12. A. family
( )13. A. came
( )14. A. clean
( )15. A. burned
( )16. A. ending
( )17. A. biggest
( )18. A. deed
( )19. A. time
( )20. A. return
B. brown
B. quicker
B. piled
B. even
B. save
B. discovery
B. in
B. strongly
B. happy
B. workers
B. team
B. pulled
B. cover
B. buried
B. progress
B. earliest
B. favor
B. joy
B. turn
C. falling
C. closer
C. trapped
C. nearly
C. head
C. place
C. off
C. quietly
C. impossible
C. engineers
C. grade
C. pushed
C. build
C. used
C. discussion
C. latest
C. same
C. pride
C. pay
D. fresh
D. stricter
D. thrown
D. merely
D. fight
D. effort
D. along
D. fiercely
D. possible
D. pioneers
D. class
D. appeared
D. spread
D. recycled
D. common
D. luckiest
D. good
D. waste
D. trouble
One summer evening I was sitting by the open window, reading a good science storybook. (1) I was so interested in the story I was reading that I did not notice that it was getting dark. When I realized it was too dark for me to read easily, I put the book down and got up to turn on the light. Just then I heard someone crying, "Help! Help!" It seemed to come from the trees at the other end of the yard. (2) I looked out but it was now too dark to see anything clearly. Almost immediately I heard the cry again. It sounded like a
child, but I could not imagine what anybody could be doing in our backyard, unless one of the
neighborhood children had climbed a tree and had not been able to get down.
I decided that I should to out and have a look in the yard, just in case someone was in trouble. I turned on the light and found for myself a flashlight and a stick in the room. I thought they might be useful. Armed with these, I went out into the yard. Once again I heard the cry and this time there was no doubt that it
came from the trees at the far end of the yard. "Who"s there?" I called out as I walked across the yard
towards the trees. But there was no answer. With the help of my flashlight, I searched all over that end of
the yard, including the branches of the tree. There was no sign of anybody or anything. I came to the
conclusion that my imagination was playing tricks on me, probably because of the story I was reading
about strange creatures on another planet.
Feeling rather foolish about hunting around in my own backyard with a baseball bat, I went back into
the house and put the bat and the flashlight away. I had just sat down to read my book again when I was
frightened by the cry of "Help! Help!" from right behind me. I dropped my book and jumped up. There,
sitting on the table was a large green and red bird. It was my neighbor"s parrot(鹦鹉)! While I was out in
the yard, the parrot must have seen the light in the living room and come in through the open window.
B. it was too dark for him to read easily outside
C. he didn"t turn on the light
D. none of the above
B. Hardly had the author got up and turned on the light when he heard a cry for help
C. The author looked out because it was too dark to see anything inside
D. A child, whose voice sounded like a parrot, was crying for help on the top of a tree
B. a science book on sound
C. a science story-book about strange creatures on a certain heavenly body
D. a book on how to play tricks on others
B. that he had got used to the cry for help
C. a large green and red bird flying into his living room from his neighbor"s house
D. the secret
All of a sudden, a sharp cry of Barney came into the mother"s ears, and Lisa rushed into the backyard
and found a big snake entwining(纠缠) the little child with its body and trying to swallow the boy. Lisa was terrified and quite angry. She made up her mind to save her son from the snake"s mouth.
It was a fearless mother"s love that made Lisa forget what she faced. She took up an old hatchet (斧头)from the ground and struck the snake with all her strength.
One...two... With the hatchet, Lisa hit the snake again and again, but she felt as if she were striking a
mass of solid rubber. The little boy"s voice and breath were getting weaker and weaker. Lisa"s heart was
broken and she nearly went mad.
Suddenly Lisa put aside the hatchet and threw herself on to the snake, opened her mouth and bit into its back, as if tearing a tough steak(牛排). Lisa was really mad.
A small piece of flesh was bitten off. Lisa picked up the hatchet again and hit at the wound in the
snake"s back madly and savagely.
Stinking blood was spraying out of the snake"s body. The snake was so badly wounded that it let go of Barney and moved back into the forest. It had never imagined that human beings had such terrible, sharp
teeth. Halfway home, the snake died.
B. Her son was playing with a poisonous snake.
C. Her son was in danger of losing his life.
D. Barney was fighting a big snake.
B. Because the hatchet was not sharp enough and the snake"s skin was too hard.
C. Because the snake was even stronger than Lisa.
D. Because she was too astonished to do anything
B. Lisa thought her teeth were much sharper than the hatchet
C. Lisa couldn"t refuse the temptation of the snake"s meat
D. Lisa had not got any other way to deal with the snake
B .the snake frightened
C. Lisa mad and angry
D. the woman fearless
down in the seat opposite him. The young man took out a 2 and began to read it, 3 the actor tried to
get some 4 in his corner of the carriage.
When he opened his eyes, he 5 that the young man was looking at him with his 6 open, his book
forgotten. The actor shut his eyes and tried to sleep again, 7 every time he opened them, the young man
was looking at him with the same excited look .At last, he gave up the attempt(企图) to sleep, took out a
newspaper, put it 8 in front of him and began to read. The young man tried several times to get into
conversation with the actor, but 9 .
After a long period of silence the young man said again, "I"m George P. Anderson of Willington,
Vermont."This time the actor put his 10 down and said, "So am I."That was the end of the conversation.