Question

There is no question that fewer teenagers are on the roads in the US.

In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licences. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%. The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been declining since 1978, when 11,989,000 had licences. In 2010, it was 9, 932,441, or 4.1% of American drivers.

In the UK, 683,273 teenagers have driving licences—just 1.85% of total licence holders, according to Department of Transport figures from September 2010.

But the decline in the US may have more to do with tougher tests and the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.

In recent years, the annual number of journeys being made by American drivers of all ages has declined clearly for the first time ever. Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $ 4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.

But there are signs that it is getting back to normal and America remains a country on wheels. It has a higher number of cars per head of population than any other country in the world.

“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don’t have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around,” says Kristin Nevels. This makes driving necessary in some rural states, where about twice as many teenagers are on the road than in big cities.

1.The underlined word “declining” in the second paragraph most probably means “   ”.

A. rising    B. dropping

C. improving    D. holding

2.In recent years cars are used less than before mainly because of       .

A. traffic jams    B. harder tests

C. expensive petrol    D. worst economy

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Kristin Nevels       .

A. doubts the popularity of the car use in the future

B. thinks American people cannot live without Cars

C. holds a confident attitude to the cars’ future in America

D. believes America should build up its public transportation

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A. The UK has more teenager drivers than the US.

B. A 15-year-old boy cannot drive alone in the US.

C. The US has very developed bus transportation systems.

D. Big cities have more teenager drivers than rural areas in the US.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文，现在美国获得驾照及开车的人的数量比以前有所减少，文章分析了出现这一现象的原因可能是经济恶化和法律趋严。同时还介绍了人们对此现象的态度。

1.猜测词意题。根据横线前两句“In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licences. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%.”可知现在相比1978年，16岁获得驾照的年轻人的数量减少了，本句“The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been declining since 1978”中“also”说明19岁及以下的获得驾照的人的数量也减少了，可知该词意为“drop”。故B项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第五段最后两句“Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $ 4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.”可知美国人使用汽车变少可能是由于汽油价格的上升和经济并差。故C项正确。D项“worst”表述不够准确。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一句“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don’t have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around,”可知Kristin Nevels认为汽车将一直是美国最流行的交通方式，美国的很多对方是公共交通无法到达的，只能通过汽车才可以到达。可以推断Kristin Nevels对于美国汽车的未来持乐观态度。故C项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据第四段最后一句“…which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.”可知在美国16岁以下的司机必须要在有21年以上驾龄的司机的陪同下才可以开车，B项中提到的“15岁的男孩是不能单独开车”是正确的。故B项正确。