The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “DriveLAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(隔绝) and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”
“But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.” Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The DriveLAB is helping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.
“For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.
“We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”
1.What is the purpose of the DriveLAB?
A. To explore new means of transport. B. To design new types of cars.
C. To find out older driver’s problems. D. To teach people traffic rules.
2.Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe?
A. It keeps them independent. B. It helps them save time.
C. It builds up their strength. D. It cures their mental illnesses.
3.What do researchers hope to do for older drivers?
A. Improve their driving skills. B. Develop driver-assist technologies.
C. Provide tips on repairing their cars. D. Organize regular physical checkups.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. A new Model Electric Car B. A Solution to Traffic Problem
C. Driving Service for elders D. Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
It’s common for parents to feel emotional when the moment comes for their child to leave home and go to university. Even parents who don’t speak about the event are likely to feel a sense of sadness because it’s the end of an era when you and your family were at the centre of your child's world. As a parent you’ll probably continue to support your child in different ways, but the main job of raising your child is over. It's a huge change for everyone involved.
There are a few things that you can do to make the transition easier. Plan carefully for your child's departure and think about how you can help. Many parents take their child to university for the first time. If you decide to do that, be ready to feel a real wrench when the time comes to say goodbye. Your child will probably be as nervous as you are about the moment when you finally say goodbye – but that might not show!
Be positive and cheerful about the choice your child has made to continue studying, and plan to leave once you’ve unpacked the car and looked around your child’s new living accommodations. If you can, you’ll make things easier on your child and yourself.
The more you’ve invested in being a parent, the more you'll feel a sense of loss, so the sadness you feel now is a sign that you've been a good mom or dad. Remind yourself that parenting is all about raising an independent and confident child who functions well without you. If your child quickly settles and starts enjoying himself, you should congratulate yourself.
It’s also only fair to allow yourself some time to grieve (悲痛). Don't expect to pick yourself up and move on straight away. But you may decide to find a hobby or sport to fill your extra time. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, go to yoga classes or take up swimming. You may decide to spend more time with close friends, who are likely to be feeling the absence of your child as well.
Agree on the best approach to staying in touch before your child leaves, and stick to your agreement. Try not to panic if your child doesn’t respond immediately -- remember, they’re starting a new and busy life.
1.Why do parents feel sad when their child leaves home for college?
A. Because the absence of their child makes them feel lonely.
B. Because their children will start a new life in college.
C. Because it means the end of love between parents and their child.
D. Because they are no longer the main focus of their children’s life.
2.The underlined word “wrench” in Paragraph 2 means a feeling of ________.
A. sorrow B. regret
C. anger D. love
3.What does good parenting consist of?
A. Supporting your child in different ways all the time.
B. Preparing your child to stand on their own feet in the future.
C. Congratulating yourself when your child goes to college.
D. Investing as much as possible in the growth of your child.
4.What can you do after your children leave home for college? Except for ________.
A. Spend more time with close friends.
B. Learn a new language, go to yoga classes or take up swimming.
C. Keep grieving for their leaving.
D. Find a hobby or sport to fill your extra time.
If you have to attend a party or other social events where a lot of people will be present, do you feel confident that you will make a good impression on others? Or do you feel shy? In any case, you should increase your confidence at social events.
Whenever you are meeting new people at any social event, you should wear proper clothes. Before you attend the event, try to find out how other people will be dressing. If everyone else is wearing business clothes, you should, too. If the event is informal, you should wear informal clothes so that you fit in.
If you are going to meet people from a certain business or profession, try looking through a few professional magazines or checking on the Internet ahead of time to get some conversation ideas which are related to their fields of interest. This can prevent you getting tongue-tied at the event.
When you are at the event, don’t worry about whether or not other people you are talking with like you. Instead, try your best to find reasons to like them. When you are making conversation with people, be sure to keep good eye contact, and make your facial expression soft. Nod to show you’re listening. Let your face and body relax so that you can make natural gestures.
After the event is over, take a bit of time to think of your social performance and the conversation you had with people. Tell yourself exactly what you did very well at the event. For example, perhaps you made a big effort to really listen to the people you were talking with, or you may have asked several people some good questions that really got them talking. By doing so, your conversation confidence will gradually improved.
1.What should you find out before attending a social event?
A. how other people will be dressing. B. a few professional magazines
C. some conversation ideas D. reasons to like other people
2.What should you avoid in a social event according to the 4th paragraph?
A. Attending a party with your good friends
B. Ignoring eye contact with others
C. Wearing informal clothes and shoes
D. Caring much about what others think of you
3.After coming back from a social party, we need to form the habit of _____.
A. Looking for the positive things in our performance
B. Calling the host to show that we are thankful
C. Communicating with the people we met once again
D. Thinking about how to improve our social ability
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to take part in social events.
B. How to believe in ourselves in daily life.
C. How to be more confident at social events.
D. How to get along with others at social events.
句子翻译
1.你最好现在出发，在交通变堵塞之前。（had better）
2.自从我六岁开始学习英语，到现在已经10年了。（It…since…）
3.这是我第一次被那家知名公司录用。（…first time…）
4.中国人口众多，其中大部分居住在城市。(非限制性定语从句)
5.随着冬天的来临，春天也不远了。（as conj. ; approach v.）
6.看！唯一的幸存者过来了。（完全倒装句）
7.你学得越努力，就会得到更多知识。（the+比较级…, the+比较级…）
8.我喜欢成都，因为这里的气候和食物特别适合我。（agree v.）
9.聆听朋友对你读过的书的反应会带来额外的乐趣。（动名词短语做主语; hearing n.; added adj.）
10.虽然这位吉他手很悲观，但他仍然相信发行的首支单曲会取得成功。（让步状语从句;hit n.）
下列句子中各有一个错误，请把错处改正。每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；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：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
1.I’m sorry to bother with you, but can you show me how to use the new equipment?
2.Not known the local language, Alice found it difficult to make herself understood.
3.Part-time jobs are usually paid by hour in Britain.
4.Please add upon all these figures and see how much you finally get.
5.The reason why he didn’t come is because he never got the notice.
6.The teacher as well as the students enjoy listening to English songs every Wednesday morning.
7.The traditional approach to deal with complex problems is to break them down to smaller ones.
8.Isn’t it rude for him to talk to his father in that way?
9.What made the kid so upset was that the medal he was proud had been gone.
10.He is the only one of the students who have the same book as you borrowed from Amy.
语篇语法填空
As an old saying goes, “Friends are like wine, the older, the better.” Because of that, nowadays many people think old friends to be 1. (important) than new ones. For example, if two pieces of advice 2.(give) to solve a problem, one from a new friend and the other from an old friend, people always tend to choose the latter one, although the new friend’s advice may be better.
I, however, 3.(agree) with the old saying, believing that new friends are not 4.(necessary) worse than old friends. Why? Because the 5.(long) of time cannot tell whether your friendship is better or not.
Once you call someone friend, he must be a person 6.is reliable and whose interests are in common with 7.(you). Maybe a friend’s outside look 8.(change) all the time, but the inside characters of him and his interests won’t change at all. It is just these unchangeable characters and interests 9.make him a friend to you. 10., on this point, there is no difference between old friends and new ones.
