Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.
In a survey done for insurer MetLife,51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. “Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding (守法的) drivers, which leads to fewer accidents，” the report says. However，not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them up on one point：automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control, which helps prevent rollover accidents.
Auto safety unavoidably matters to money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general，women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest advantage in Wyoming(where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington，D. C. where their insurance costs are 16% lower.
“More than 11, 900 male drivers died in U．S.traffic accidents in 2009，compared with just under 4,900 women drivers，” according to the study. “Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, VS 1.7 deaths for women. ”
1.According to the study, female drivers ________.
A. are more aggressive while driving
B. are more interested in auto knowledge
C. are more likely to stick to driving laws
D. are more familiar with safety equipment
2.Insurance companies focus on female driver clients probably because they ________.
A. cause more accidents on the road
B. pay more money to the insurance companies
C. take the most part of the insurance clients
D. have the lowest amount of money on insurance claims
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. men are 3.1 times more likely to get tickets than women
B. all women in the USA pay the same for their auto insurance
C. more female drivers die every year than male drivers
D. women are generally safer drivers than the opposite
4.The writer mainly develops paragraphs by ________.
A. giving examples B. making comparisons
C. drawing a conclusion D. presenting an argument
Why do some parents tend to hold back their disabled children from experiencing life? Even when they are grown, the parents will not allow certain things to happen. It's true that they do have a certain amount of responsibility in protecting their severely disabled adult children, but at what point do they become overly protective?
Parents want to create a safe haven, a place where they know that nothing bad will happen to their beloved children. This seems to be a respectable and notable act in caring for a person with a disability, but it can have a side effect. When protecting their children from suspected hardships, not wanting anything bad to happen to them, they very well may be preventing good things from happening to them.
In life we all make mistakes, it is how we are able to grow and strengthen our character. Parents may feel that in certain instances their children will get hurt or mistreated in some way, so they build walls in their own minds convincing themselves of the need to shelter. However, the disabled, yes even the “severely disabled” deserve to make personal mistakes as well. Even more, they have the right to succeed.
Parents should do everything and anything within their power to see their disabled children lead a somewhat “normal”life. Parents should help their children，not hold them down. This could make them think they are unworthy and that their parents do not believe in them.
Whatever it may be, let them at least try. If they want to attend college, so be it.Parents should find out all they can, and be involved in every detail. If they want to date and someday marry, so be it. Don't shut them out and from bad or critical opinions about them just because you are afraid.Unite as a family and make it work.
1.What side effect will it have when the parents overprotect their disabled children?
A. Their children will never grow up in the future.
B. Their children will find no shelter when they grow up.
C. Their children will become less confident when facing troubles.
D. Their children will less likely meet with good things.
2.What attitude does the author hold towards the parents who overprotect their disabled children?
A. Supportive. B. Objective.
C. Critical. D. Uninterested.
3.Which of the following arguments does the author agree with?
A. Personal mistakes won't help the disabled children succeed.
B. Parents shouldn't hold their disabled children back but help them.
C. Parents shouldn't let their disabled children lead a normal life.
D. Disabled children won't strengthen their character by mistakes.
4.The suggestions in the last paragraph imply that ________.
A. parents should be a bridge, not a brick wall
B. parents should act as their children's best friends
C. parents should encourage their children to get married
D. parents should live in harmony with their disabled children
Here's something to consider：A recent study conducted by the
University of Michigan's
Transportation Research Institute found more teens are delaying getting their driver's licenses.
Teens and young adults would rather surf the Web and stay connected via smartphones and computers, than get out of the house.
A University of Michigan study found 31 percent of 16yearolds had driver's licenses in 2008, compared to 46 percent in 1983.
The trend was also found in other age groups. For example, among 18yearolds, the percentage with licenses dropped from 80 percent in 1983 to 65 percent in 2008.
Once, the great American teen dream was to own a car and leave mom and dad and hang out with friends. Not so much anymore.
Here's what Michael Sivak, a research professor involved in the university's study said, “It is possible that the availability of virtual contact through electronic means reduces the need for actual contact among young people. Besides, some young people feel that driving interferes with (干扰) texting and other electronic communication.”
Some other reasons young people aren't anxious to get behind the wheel: Many schools no longer offer driver training courses, so getting a license costs more. And graduated license requirements limit how many passengers a young person can carry, and the hours he or she can drive.
Much of this downturn happened before the Great Recession (不景气) began in 2008, so the costs of gas and car ownership cannot be pointed to as a cause.
There's no sign young people will do without car ownership as they get older, but even if deals are delayed a few years, there will be an effect on the economy. America is a country that depends greatly on the car.
And America has always been a country characterized by its willingness to be mobile, to head for places unexplored, to just get up and go.
Now, it seems we're willing to stay in and stare at a display while tapping out thoughts and messages. Inperson interactivity is slowly being exchanged for Webbased interactivity.
What's really been lost is a sense of curiosity and adventure. How sad.
1.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Webbased interactivity is on the rise among teens
B. More young adults seldom get out of the house
C. Getting a license costs much more than before
D. Desire for freedom of road decreases in young
2.Michael Sivak mainly explains ________.
A. the differences between virtual contact and actual contact
B. the harmful effects of using electronic communication
C. why more teens are delaying getting their driver's
licenses
D. why more young people show much interest in driving
3.The trend's influence on America's economy can be described as ________.
A. beneficial B. negative
C. slight D. surprising
4.From the passage, we can infer that in the past Americans generally ________.
A. used mobile phone wherever they were
B. loved to go to unknown places
C. spent more time on the Internet
D. depended less on the car
London taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. Just jump into one of the city's 22,000 distinctive black cars and tell the driver your ______.However small the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble.
The reason why London taxi drivers are so ______ is that they have all ______ a very tough training period to get the special license to drive taxis. During this period, taking two to four years in general, the wouldbe taxi driver has to learn the most direct ______ to every single road and to every important building in London. ______this, most learners go around the city on small motorbikes, ______ how to move to and from different points of the city.
Learner taxi drivers are tested several times during the period by government officers. Most drivers think the exams are a terrible ______.
Learner drivers are not allowed to work—and earn money—as drivers, either. Therefore, many of them keep their ______ jobs until they obtain their taxidriving license. The training period can cost quite a lot because learners have to pay for their own expenses—getting around London using ______ transport, the tests and a medical exam.
Once a new taxi driver has a license, the ______ thing to deal with is the public. Drivers agree that most passengers are very nice, although ______ they can be annoying. ______ , if they're unpleasant to their passenger, they won't get a tip.
But sometimes it's not only the tip that is ______， a taxi driver's job can also be dangerous. To avoid this, more and more drivers are joining radio taxi companies, which only deal with customers who have phoned for a taxi and who often have an account with them. The big ______ of this system is that drivers then know the names and the destinations of their passengers______， which is very useful if anything ______ happens.
London taxi drivers love to talk to people and most of them start a ______ as soon as the passenger steps into their vehicle. Talking and driving at the same time is the art that London taxi drivers have brought to ______. They and their taxis are a ______ of the capital and are ______ throughout the world, along with the Queen, Tower Bridge and Big Ben.
1.A. office B. purpose C. destination D. home
2.A. friendly B. clever C. effective D. efficient
3.A. gone through B. taken on C. taken up D. carried out
4.A. way B. street C. road D. route
5.A. Achieving B. So as to achieve C. To achieve D. Only to achieve
6.A. testing B. practicing C. exercising D. watching
7.A. moment B. time C. experience D. life
8.A. temporary B. fulltime C. parttime D. previous
9.A. public B. private C. alternative D. personal
10.A. only B. next C. another D. remaining
11.A. often B. never C. occasionally D. rarely
12.A. However B. But C. Therefore D. Moreover
13.A. at fault B. at risk C. under threat D. in doubt
14.A. priority B. problem C. advantage D. profit
15.A. in advance B. in turn C. as a result D. later on
16.A. upsetting B. amazing C. interesting D. boring
17.A. speech B. communication C. conversation D. interview
18.A. satisfaction B. memorization C. recognition D. perfection
19.A. milestone B. symbol C. landscape D. signal
20.A. understood B. considered C. recognized D. popularized
The notice came around two in the afternoon ________ the meeting would be postponed.
A. when B. that
C. whether D. how
The boy ________his breakfast in order to get to school on time.
A. choked down B. choked back
C. choked off D. choked up
