When I was growing up, 16 was always a magical age, a symbol of maturity, responsibility and of course more independence and freedom.  I sat through the hours of Driver’s Ed classes eager to get out on the road. I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license.
But it’s a different story for today’s teens. In January, the U.S. Department Transportation released 2012 data that showed only 30.7 percent of U.S. teens got their license at age 16, Twenty years before, that number was almost 45 percent.
There are numbers of reasons for the fall – off. The growing responsibilities like paying for insurance and high gas prices discourage teens from getting behind the wheel. Plus, many teens today are so busy with homework, endless hours of activities and part-time jobs, that finding the time for Driver’s Ed classes may be more difficult that ever.
In addition, many states have raised the driving age, or restricted when teens can drive and who they can have in the car. Parents may also be making their own personal restrictions until they feel their teens are responsible enough to drive safely.
Driving is part of the American culture, but it’s not the central focus like it was 25 years ago. They have so many other things to do now. One of the more interesting factors delaying teens driving might be the change of their social life. Today, teens need to look no further than Face book or other social networking sites to connect with their friends. There is simply less need, maybe less desire, to be able to grab the keys and go.
Michelle Wei got her license as a senior in high school because her digital social life made it easy not to drive. “If I couldn’t get a ride to see my friend who lives a town over,” the 19-year-old said, “I could talk on IM or Skype.”
Research has shown that these online relationships can lead to higher quality friendships, so it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, it’s important to find a balance. If old face-to-face friendships are good, why not drive to find them?
小題1:We can infer from the first paragraph that _______ .
A．Driver’s Ed classes allowed teens to know what maturity was
B．getting a driving license at 16 was a must for American teens
C．16 was considered an age when one could get his driver’s license
D．teens could drive on the road without taking Driver’s Ed classes
小題2:What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Desire to drive on the road declines among American teens.
B．Getting a license costs much more than ever before.
C．Social networking sites are changing the life of American teens.
D．American teens are becoming more responsible than ever.
小題3:Michelle’s Wei’s example is used to explain ________.
A．why American teens are crazy about digital social life
B．what social networking websites are bringing to American teens
C．to what degree the Internet is affecting the American car culture
D．what the Internet does to help teens to get a driving license
小題4: The last paragraph is reminding the readers that _______ .
A．the Internet has a bad effect on the teen’s social life
B．teens should keep a balance in choosing their lifestyle
C．a(chǎn)ctual contacts can be replaced by talking on line
D．face-to-face friendship is always the best choice

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:B

試題分析：本文敘述了美國年輕人考駕照比例的下降，文章分析了具體的原因。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第一段16 was always a magical age, a symbol of maturity, responsibility and of course more independence and freedom.  I sat through the hours of Driver’s Ed classes eager to get out on the road. I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license.可知16歲是可以考駕照的年齡。故C正確。
小題2:主旨大意題。根據(jù)文章第二段But it’s a different story for today’s teens. In January, the U.S. Department Transportation released 2012 data that showed only 30.7 percent of U.S. teens got their license at age 16, Twenty years before, that number was almost 45 percent.可知現(xiàn)在美國年輕人取得駕照的比例在下降，并分析了具體的原因。故A正確。
小題3:推理題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第二段Michelle Wei got her license as a senior in high school because her digital social life made it easy no to drive. “If I couldn’t get a ride to see my friend who lives a town over,” the 19-year-old said, “I could talk on IM or Skype.”可知現(xiàn)在很多的年輕人都是通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)進行交流的，這對考駕照也有一定影響，他們不必要開車去見朋友了，通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)交流就可以了。故C正確。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)Research has shown that these online relationships can lead to higher quality friendships, so it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, it’s important to find a balance. If old face-to-face friendships are good, why not drive to find them?說明作者建議我們有平衡的生活，故B正確。
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Recently, an almost literal case of lifeboat ethics(倫理) occurred. On Aug. 4, Graham and Sheryl Anley, while boating off the coast of South Africa, hit a rock. As the boat threatened to sink the husband got off, but his wife was trapped in the boat. Instead of freeing his wife and getting her to shore, Graham grabbed Rosie, their pet dog. With Rosie safe and sound, Graham returned for Sheryl. All are doing fine.
It's a great story, but it doesn't strike me as especially newsworthy. News is supposed to be about something fairly unique, and recent research suggests that, in the right circumstances, lots of people also would have grabbed their Rosie first.
We have strange relationships with our pets. We lavish our pets with adoration and better health care than billions of people receive. We speak to pets with the same high-pitched voices that we use for babies. As an extreme example of our feelings about pets, the Nazis had strict laws that guaranteed the humane treatment of the pets of Jews being shipped to death camps.
A recent paper by George Regents University demonstrates this human involvement with pets to an astonishing extent. Participants in the study were told a situation in which a bus is out of control, bearing down on a dog and a human. Which do you save? With responses from more than 500 people, the answer was that it depended: What kind of human and what kind of dog?
Everyone would save a brother, grandparent or close friend rather than a strange dog. But when people considered their own dog versus people less connected with them—a distant cousin or a hometown stranger—votes in favor of saving the dog came rolling in. And an astonishing 40% of respondents, including 46% of women, voted to save their dog over a foreign tourist.
What does a finding like this mean? First, that your odds aren't so good if you find yourself in another country with a bus bearing down on you and a cute dog. But it also points to something deeper: our unprecedented(史無前例的) attitude toward animals, which got its start with the birth of humane societies in the 19th century.
We prison people who abuse animals, put ourselves in harm's way in boats between whales and whalers and show sympathy to Bambi and his mother. We can extend empathy to an animal and feel its pain like no other species. But let's not be too proud of ourselves. As this study and too much of our history show, we're pretty selective about how we extend our humaneness to other human beings.
小題1:What is the function of the first paragraph?
A．To create a relaxing mood for readers.
B．To present the theme of this essay straightly.
C．To lead in the main topic of this essay.
D．To raise problems that will be solved later.
小題2:The author mentions Nazi laws in the third paragraph _______________.
A．to show how cruel the Nazis were to the Jews
B．a(chǎn)s an example to persuade people not to love pets
C．to illustrate the strange relationship between human and pets
D．a(chǎn)s an example to display the humaneness of the Nazis
小題3:Which of the following is true according to the article?
A．The story of the Anleys and their dog was too unique to be newsworthy.
B．Most people surveyed choose to save their own dog rather than a human.
C．It was in the 19th century that human beings started to love their pets.
D．Human beings are more and more concerned with animals nowadays.
小題4:What does the author mainly argue for?
A．Pets are of great significance to us human beings.
B．We should rethink about our attitude towards animals and mankind.
C．It is kind of human beings to extend humaneness to animals.
D．We should be selective when showing attitude toward other human beings.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In countries around the world, food has been used to celebrate at our holidays, our rituals and our family gatherings. The food eaten at holiday time has made the deepest impact on our culture and memories. Different holidays bring different types of food. Much of the food we eat during the holidays comes from old traditions handed down for hundreds of years.
New Year's Eve always brings parties and get-togethers, but where you live in the world may determine what food graces your table. In the southern US, partiers eat black eyed peas, which are thought to bring good luck and prosperity(繁榮). The Japanese also eat food for good luck on New Year's, but their choice is red snapper, the color red being considered good luck in Japan. The Jewish celebrate New Year by eating apples dipped in honey and in Madrid, Spain the last minutes of the New Year are counted down with the popping of grapes into the mouth. A pet is a cake prepared by the Greek with a coin baked into it. The person who gets the slice of cake with the coin in it should have good luck in the upcoming year.  
In the United States, a typical Christmas feast can contain a variety of foods ranging from turkey to chicken, from ham to goose, but other countries celebrate this holiday differently. Perhaps these choices have been taken from the traditions of our heritage(遺產(chǎn)). In Denmark, a traditional Christmas meal is roast goose, Greece, leg of lamb. Traditionally, Italians keep their Christmas Eve meal meatless. The traditional Christmas dinner in New Zealand is a picnic eaten on the beach.  
Though holidays around the world are celebrated in different ways, it is food, feast and family that bring us together.
小題1:According to the passage, in different holidays people usually ______.
A．have different kinds of food to eat
B．recall the interesting life when they were young
C．have a wide variety of parties.
D．get together to play games.
小題2:All the following can bring people good luck except_____.
A．a(chǎn) cake with a coin
B．red snapper
C．black eyed peas
D．a(chǎn)pples dipped in honey.
小題3:We can know from the third paragraph that ______.
A．roast goose is American’s favorite food during Christmas
B．people in Denmark and Greece share the same food during Christmas
C．Italians don’t have meat during Christmas
D．people in New Zealand like playing games on the beach
小題4:Which of the following can be the main idea of the passage?
A．Holiday foods vary from culture to culture.
B．Different countries have different cultures.
C．People have a good appetite during holiday.
D．Different foods are served during Christmas.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.
Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (僑民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.
American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.
A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (龐然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.
小題1:The passage suggests that Americans__________.
A．a(chǎn)re rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances
B．a(chǎn)re very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space
C．would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off
D．enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other
小題2:Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?
A．Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years.
B．Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors.
C．Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets.
D．Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it.
小題3:The underlined phrase in the passage means________.
A．filling a battery with electrical power
B．recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while
C．changing your batteries again
D．obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out
小題4:According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.
A．will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene
B．will be invited to a party which is well-prepared
C．will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually
D．will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the Netherlands，cycling isn't seen as eccrfriendly exercise; it's part of everyday life, as it's people's top choice to school and work. There are more bicycles than residents in the Netherlands. In cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, up to 70 percent of all journeys are made by bike.
So how did cycling become such a popular means of transportation in the European country?
In the 1970s, the Dutch government began to improve its cycling infrastructure（基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施）due to both a social movement demanding safer cycling condition for children and the oil crisis in the Middle East, when oil producing countries stopped their exports to Western Europe.
To make cycling safer and more appealing, the Dutch have built the widest cycling net- work in the world. The country has over 40，000 kilometers of bicycle lanes and paths，which are clearly marked. They have smooth surfaces，separate signs and lights for those on two wheels. The lanes are wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and passing.
In many cities the bike lanes are completely segregated（隔離的）from motorized traffic. And in many traffic situations cyclists are given priority（優(yōu)先權(quán)）over drivers. Sometimes， where space is limited and both must share, you can see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by the words "Bike Street：Cars are guests".
As young people aren't allowed to drive alone until they are 18，cycling offers Dutch teen- agers an alternative form of freedom. The government also makes cycling training lessons a compulsory part of the Dutch school curriculum（課程）．
Bike parking facilities are ubiquitous in the country. Cyclists are accommodated in the way motorists are elsewhere. Take Groningen, a city in the northeastern part of the Netherlands，for example. The city's central train station has underground parking for 10，000 bikes.
小題1:We can conclude that in the Netherlands cycling is____．
A．regarded as eco-friendly exercise
B．thought of as part of people's life
C．looked on as a way to lose weight
D．considered as a way to entertain
小題2:What can we learn about the Netherlands from the first paragraph?
A．Most vehicles the Dutch use are buses.
B．The native people cycle the best in the world.
C．Everyone has one bike on average in the Netherlands.
D．The number of bikes is larger than the population there.
小題3:Which of the following made the government improve the cycling infrastructure?
A．A large number of bikes.
B．Hope for healthy life style.
C．People's preference to bikes.
D．Children's safety demand and lack of oil.
小題4:The underlined word "ubiquitous" in the last paragraph means“＿，，．
A．high qualityB．uniqueC．very commonD．special
小題5:What does the Dutch government do about teenagers cycling?
A．It makes cycling covered by school education.
B．It encourages teenagers to cycle alone.
C．It will watch over teenagers who ride bikes.
D．It suggests teenagers cycling before driving.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Remains of ancient civilization are places which were designed and built as a lasting tribute(致敬）to some individuals or events. By visiting these ______ monuments, you are sure to be amazed by how ____ the ancient civilization that existed centuries before you was. Some of the facilities which could be dated back hundreds of years ago are still in use today. Besides, you will also ______ at the mysterious stories behind it. The Great Wall, _____, is probably the best-known monument of China, which consists of a network of walls and towers through which the attack warnings could be received within minutes. _____ then had enough time to prepare. Estimates (估算）of the total length of the monument ______, depending on which sections are included and how they are measured. One of the _____ mysteries is that, although some of the wall is _____ in special radar images taken by satellites, astronauts have confirmed that the existing wall is not several thousand years old, nor is it, as many people had _____ visible to the human eye form outer space.
Even older than the Great Wall of China is the Great Pyramid(金字塔）of Giza. Over a 20-year period, thousands of workers made the vision become ____ with numerous blocks, each weighing more than two tons. It’s still a(n) _____ to modern people how ancient men handled_____ of these giant stones in a time when cars or boats never existed some 4500 years ago. The pyramid served not only as a tomb for King Khufu, but also a place of _____ activity. The number of the God’s servants at that time showed the importance of such activities. After Khufu died, his body was carefully treated with various medicines and materials and was wrapped in order to be ____ for long. According to ancient Egyptian belief, the pyramid, where the mummy was placed, provided a place for the king to pass into the afterlife. Then his servants performed rituals(儀式）to bring _____ to the dead king’s soul, removing all the unrest and pain from his next life.
小題1:
A．modernB．historicC．officialD．commercial
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)dvancedB．technicalC．overlookedD．energetic
小題3:
A．stareB．wonderC．a(chǎn)imD．call
小題4:
A．in additionB．in other wordsC．howeverD．for example
小題5:
A．MechanicsB．WorkersC．AstronautsD．Soldiers
小題6:
A．extendB．remainC．varyD．progress
小題7:
A．long-standingB．widely-usedC．carefully-chosenD．clearly-stated
小題8:
A．recognizableB．reasonableC．reliableD．responsible
小題9:
A．provedB．claimedC．threatenedD．requested
小題10:
A．realityB．traditionC．mansionD．civilization
小題11:
A．burdenB．secretC．solutionD．fortune
小題12:
A．financeB．storageC．transportationD．production
小題13:
A．sportsB．religiousC．fightingD．family
小題14:
A．preservedB．recoveredC．buriedD．restored
小題15:
A．leadershipB．peaceC．honourD．inspiration

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won’t be of much use to you.
Actually I don’t care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can.
小題1: In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to           .
A．describe the contents of the bag in detail
B．tell the thieves hardly any money was available
C．state the fact that she was careless with the money
D．give some suggestions to the three thieves
小題2:Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?
A．The cash in her bag.
B．The handbag itself.
C．The papers and notes in the bag.
D．The check book in the bag.
小題3:What can we conclude about the police?
A．They are unable to find the thieves.
B．They show sympathy to the woman.
C．They have doubts about human nature.
D．They think the case quite common.
小題4: Why does the author write the letter?
A．To give the thieves a serious warning.
B．To express her affection for her valuable bag.
C．To call people’s attention to their belongings.
D．To complain about the fall of morality.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

An old problem is getting new attention in the United States—bullying. Recent cases included the tragic case of a 15-year-old girl whose family moved from Ireland. She hanged herself in Massachusetts following months of bullying. Her parents criticized her school for failing to protect her. Officials have brought criminal charges against several teenagers.
Judy Kuczynski is president of an anti-bullying group called Bully Police USA. Her daughter Tina was also the victim of severe bullying starting in middle school in the state of Minnesota. She said，“Our daughter was a very outgoing child. She was involved in all kinds of things and had lots of friends. And over a period of time her grades fell completely. She started having health issues. She couldn't sleep. She wasn't eating. She had terrible stomach pains and didn't want to go to school.”
Bullying is defined as negative behavior repeated over time against the same person. It can involve physical violence, or it can be verbal—for example, insults or threats. Spreading lies about someone or excluding a person from a group is known as social or relational bullying.
And now there is cyber-bullying, which uses the Internet, e-mail or text messages. It has easy appeal for the bully because it does not involve face-to-face contact and it can be done at any time.
The first serious research studies into bullying were done in Norway in the late 1970s. The latest government study in the United States was released last year. It found that about one-third of students age twelve to eighteen were bullied at school.
Susan Swearer is a psychologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network. She says schools should treat bullying as a mental health problem to get bullies and victims the help they need. She says bullying is connected to depression, anxiety and anti-social behavior and bullies are often victims themselves.
小題1: From the case of Tina, we can know that ________.
A．bullying is rare
B．victims suffer a lot
C．schools are to blame
D．personalities are related
小題2:Which of the following is NOT bullying?
A．To beat someone repeatedly.
B．To threaten someone verbally.
C．To isolate someone from friends.
D．To refuse to help someone in need.
小題3:Why is cyber-bullying appealing to the bully?
A．Because it can involve more people.
B．Because it can create worse effects.
C．Because it is more convenient.
D．Because it can avoid cheating.
小題4:According to Susan Swearer, ________.
A．bullies are antisocial
B．bullies should give victims help
C．students are not equally treated
D．bullies themselves also need help

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事實）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑聞) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.
小題1:The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.
A．its dishonesty in businessB．its previous images
C．its bad managementD．its poor service
小題2:Why did some famous people fall from grace?
A．Their images were not well built up.
B．They failed to live up to their images.
C．They felt much pressure from the public.
D．They paid little attention to fame and fortune.
小題3:The structure of the passage is ___________.
A: Argument   P: Point   C: Conclusion

小題4:The author tries to argue that ___________.
A．image creates everything
B．image is the key to success.
C．truth is unlikely ever to be equaled
D．truth and image are equally important

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案