Main people believe that the only way to make our communities safer is to build more prisons. But there's a way to better protect cities and towns by doing just the opposite.
In many countries throughout the world, prison populations have risen dramatically over the past decade. One of the main reasons for this is the large number of repeat offenders, that is people who break the law again are once freed from jail. Statistics show that about one in four prisoners freed every year return to jail within three years.
This is partly because ex-prisoners face huge difficulty finding employment. More than a third of them cannot find any job at all. Data show that having a job greatly reduces the chances that a person will commit a crime again or commit one in the first place. Released prisoners who do manage to find steady employment are 50 percent less likely to return to prison. Rather than harming a community, having a job helps ex-prisoners to change their ways and make a positive and productive contribution to their communities.
What's more, helping these men and women find jobs would also save taxpayers a lot of money. Few prisoners would save governments millions or possibly even billions of dollars annually: the costs of building and operating jails.
There are many things that the government can do to help ex-prisoners find work. More job training programs should be introduced to provide prisoners with work skills before they are freed. Companies and factories should also be given tax benefits if they employ ex-prisoners. Such programs have been shown to work in several countries.
Such policies of course assure that freed criminals actually want to work. But shouldn't they be given the chance? Our goal, after all, shouldn’t be to incarcerate as many prisoners as possible, but to build a society that doesn't need to put such a large percentage of its population in jail. We should take a step in that direction and help prisoners find self-respect and purpose through work.
1.What percentage of freed prisoners returns to prison within three years?
A. 65%. B. 50%.
C. 33%. D. 25%.
2.Which of the following best describes the content of the fifth paragraph?
A. Facts. B. Arguments.
C. Recommendations. D. Requirements.
3.What does the underlined word "incarcerate" in the last paragraph mean?
A. set free B. lock up
C. employ D. separate
4.Which of the following would the author agree with?
A. Tougher punishment will reduce crime.
B. Most prisoners do not deserve to be in prison.
C. Economic conditions are a major cause of crime.
D. Prison populations are likely to increase in the future.
Back in 2003 an 86-year-old man drove his Buick through a crowded farmers’ market. Nine people were killed. More than fifty-four people were hurt, fourteen with serious injuries. When he finally stopped, the 86-year-old man got out his car and screamed at people to get out of the way. No alcohol or drugs were found in his system. Apparently, he was just old and confused.
This is a frightening accident, and it is not a rare one. There are many examples of elderly drivers driving into swimming pools, houses, storefronts, or worse.
In our teenage years, we all heard “driving is not a right; it’s a privilege.” That is still true, and there comes an age when driving is no longer a privilege that can be allowed. After a certain age, eyesight and dementia(痴呆) are very serious concerns. Undoubtedly, these age-related problems affect some older adults’ driving ability. By the time a person is between eighty-five and ninety years old, his or her driving privilege should be examined.
Licensing laws vary greatly from state to state, and it’s time for a national law on the maximum age limit for driving. The motivation for this law is safety. Another option is to start with laws that ban anyone over the age of eighty-five from driving after sundown, because driving conditions are not as safe as daylight hours. Still another option that may allow elderly drivers to continue driving could be new technology like a voice warning system that cautions drivers on busy streets or at traffic lights. Finally, since there are laws against driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, shouldn’t some prescription drugs also be included? The average age of 85-year-old is undoubtedly taking at least one prescription drug daily.
The thought of an 86-year-old driver with failing eyesight running down the road in a two-ton piece of metal is unsettling to us all. Driving at an advanced age is not only challenging for the elderly drivers, but also it’s dangerous for the rest of us.
1.The first paragraph is written in order to show_________.
A. the harm of driving at an old age
B. the importance of traffic safety
C. traffic accidents are on the rise
D. many elderly drivers are careless
2.The author suggests that there should be new laws against driving __________.
A. over eighty-five
B. between sunset and dawn
C. with the help of voice warning systems
D. under the influence of prescription drugs
3.The underlined word “unsettling” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
A. disappointing B. worrying
C. touching D. interesting
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. How to keep old people safe on the road?
B. Are drivers well protected by licensing laws?
C. Should there be an age limit for elderly drivers?
D. Is driving a right or a privilege for an old person?
Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are trained to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手术), ”one replied. I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job. One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows. You can get at least 5 cm taller! ”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short. I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦)just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost is. In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
1.Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to .
A. marry a better man/woman
B. become a model
C. get an advantage over others in job-hunting
D. attract more admirers
2.According to the passage, the author believes that .
A. everyone should pursue perfection, whatever the cost is
B. it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs
C. media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery
D. it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career
3.What does the author think of his height?
A. He hates to be called a short man.
B. He tries to increase his height through surgery.
C. He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.
D. He just accepts it as it is.
假设你是晨光中学的高二年级一班的学生李华。你校拟选拔一批优秀学生，利用暑假到黎明希望小学为学生辅导英语。你希望参加此活动。请根据以下提示，用英语给校评选组写一封申请信。
写作内容：1．对此活动的认识（如对本人、学生及社会的益处等）
2．个人优势（如性格、独立生活能力、语言能力等）
3．你的计划（如怎样进行辅导等）
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯。
参考词汇：黎明希望小学Liming Hope School
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last week my parents and I made three-day tour of Hong Kong. On our arrive, we headed straight for the Golden Bauhinia Square. After lunch, we went to Hong Kong Ocean Park, there we were impressed by a good many of interesting ocean creatures. After supper, we admired the fascinated night scenes of Victoria Harbor on a cruise ship. The next day, we visited Hong Kong Disneyland and had much fun participated in many exciting activities. On the three day, we went on a sightseeing tour of the street and purchased some souvenir gift. Although we were exhausted, we found worthwhile to have such a nice tour. Not only did it entertained me, but it also broadened my horizons.
Mr. Green has 1.bakery. Many customers come to buy2.(variety) of bread every day.3. (say)that Mr. Green’s bread is nicer and cheaper than4.in other bakeries. Children always ask their parents to buy Mr. Green’s cake5. their birthdays because it tastes so delicious and looks so cute.
Betty is Mr. Green’s only daughter 6.usually helps in the bakery. However, she thinks her father very cold and complains to her mother: “Mom, why does Dad never say how much he loves me? Is it because he doesn’t like me?” “Oh, my good girl,” says Mrs, Green. “You never know how proud your father is of you. Nothing else in the world 7. (mean) more than you to your father. When he’s making cookies and bread, he is thinking of you. That’s 8.our cakes and bread are the 9.(good). Sometimes when you’ve done something wrong and made him angry or sad, the bread that day must taste hard and dry. Your father may not say how much he loves you, 10.his bread does.”
