Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.

A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared   with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) advise that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of  time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears.

FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.

Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006, Bur among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) says.

1.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70

B．Old people are more likely to meet with accidents happened per hour.

C．Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people

D．About seven traffic accidents happened per hour.

2.What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?

A．Fixing more traffic lights

B．Providing more crosswalks

C．Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets.

D．Drivers don’t give way

3.What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test?

A．There’re many cars and buses on the road.

B．Pedestrians are careless.

C．Crosswalks are crowded.

D．Drivers don’t give way.

4.The report from NHTSA suggests that

A．fewer people were injured in crosswalks

B．crosswalk safety has been greatly improved

C．much has been done to reduce traffic accidents

D．pedestrian deaths in crosswalks remain a serious problem

 

第二節(jié)完形填空（20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

My father enjoys bike riding．Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved going biking with my dad．36 , as I became a teenager, other things began to draw my    37 ．It was important to do things with friends  38   ．I saw my dad every evening at home．Why did I have to  39  my Sundays to all-day bike trips with him , too? If my indifference（冷漠） hurt him, my father kept  40  , but he would always let me know when he was planning a bike trip  41  I wanted to come．

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in low  42 ．Two of my friends had gone to the movies without inviting me．Just then my father  43 my room．“It’s a beautiful day．Want to go for a  44  today, Beck?”  “Leave me alone! ” I impatiently  45 ．Those were the last words I said to him before he left the house that  46   ．

Several hours later, the police called us,  47  us that Dad had a traffic accident．My father’s injuries were serious．It took several days before he could 48  speak．Beside his bed I held his hand gently,   49  of hurting him．

“Daddy … I’m sorry …”

“It’s OK, sweetheart．I’ll be OK．”

“No,” I said, “I  50  what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t  51  anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident．I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though．” He 52  a weak smile．

I felt regretful for my thoughtless remark, for I   53  wanted him to leave me alone．My teacher once told me that  54  have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they can heal．And we all have the  55  to choose our words．I intend to do that very carefully from now on．

36．A．There fore       B．Instead            C．Besides       D．However

37．A．a(chǎn)ttention      B．sight            C．effort             D．energy

38．A．once again    B．a(chǎn)ll of a sudden      C．in time      D．on one hand

39．A．start         B．save               C．devote       D．waste

40．A．silent          B．busy            C．a(chǎn)sleep          D．a(chǎn)wake

41．A．unless       B．in case            C．so that         D．a(chǎn)s if

42．A．spirits      B．conditions          C．emotions      D．hopes   

43．A．left            B．checked          C．entered       D．knocked

44．A．ride         B．walk            C．picnic       D．game

45．A．whispered       B．warned            C．a(chǎn)nnounced    D．shouted

46．A．moment      B, morning           C．a(chǎn)fternoon      D．evening

47．A．convincing   B．reminding        C．informing     D．phoning

48．A．eventually     B．generally        C．strictly            D．broadly

49．A．tired           B．a(chǎn)fraid           C．a(chǎn)ware         D．sorry

50．A．discuss        B．think             C．care         D．mean

51．A．hate        B． forget           C．remember      D．like

52．A．got          B．expressed         C．exchanged    D．managed

53．A．often        B．never           C．even         D．once

54．A．a(chǎn)pologies      B．promises          C．smiles       D．words       

55．A．experience     B．honor             C．power          D．desire

 

Lisa was running late.Lisa,25，had a lot to do at work，plus visitors on the way: her  parents  were  coming  in   for Thanksgiving from her hometown.But as she hurried down the subway stairs，she started to feel uncomfortably warm.By the time she got to the platform，Lisa felt weak and tired－maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before，she thought.She rested herself against a post close to the tracks.

Several yards away，F(xiàn)rank,43，and his girlfriend，Jennifer，found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop.They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying.

But when he heard the scream，followed by someone yelling，“Oh，my God，she fell in！” Frank didn’t hesitate.He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails.“No! Not you! ”his girlfriend screamed after him.

She was right to be alarmed.By the time Frank reached Lisa，he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming.The train was about 20 seconds from the station.

It was hard to lift her.She was just out.But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge.That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness，felt herself being pulled along the ground，and saw someone else holding her purse.

Lisa thought she’d been robbed.A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head.And she tried to talk but she couldn’t，and that was when she realized how much pain she was in.

Police and fire officials soon arrived，and Frank told the story to an officer.Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40?minute train ride downtown－just as he had been seconds after the rescue，which made her think about her reaction at the time.“I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die，”  she explained.

1.What was the most probable cause for Lisa’s weakness?

A．She had run a long way.

B．She felt hot in the subway.

C．She had done a lot of work.

D．She had donated blood the night before.

2.Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?

A．Because they would miss their train.

B．Because he didn’t see the train coming.

C．Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift.

D．Because she was afraid the train would kill him.

3.How did Frank save Lisa?

A．By lifting her to the platform.

B．By helping her rise to her feet.

C．By pulling her along the ground.

D．By dragging her away from the edge.

4.The passage is intended to ________.

A．warn us of the danger in the subway

B．show us how to save people in the subway

C．tell us about a subway rescue

D．report a traffic accident

 

 She handed me a five dollar bill through the car window, then turned and walked away. I don’t know her name, nor where she was going ,but I know I will never forget that stranger who generously saved me from a lot of frustration（挫折） and prevented me from walking a mile or more to my destination.

That day My husband, Leo, and I were already a half hour late for an important conference . We had taken the wrong fork in the expressway, and found ourselves stuck in traffic that was blocked for four miles due to a serious accident.

Just then, one tapped on the window on the passenger side. It was a short, medium-built woman, who was all bundled up in jacket and scarf, wearing jeans and boots. Surprised, I was reluctant, at first, to roll the window down. What could she possibly want? I lowered the window just enough to hear what the woman had to say. Through the window, she shoved a five dollar bill. “I don’t have change,” she said, “but here is an extra five dollar bill. Use it to pay for your parking spot.” I was floored! Was this woman, whom I’d never seen before, actually giving me this much money? Yes, that was exactly what she was doing! She wouldn’t take the check I offered her for the cash. She just walked away.

1.What kept the author and her husband from arriving on time?

A. They had a traffic accident.    B. They took a wrong turning.

C. Their car broke down half way. D. The traffic was heavy on the freeway.

2. The problem the author had in parking their car was that              .

A. they couldn’t pay for parking by check

B. neither of them had money with them

C. they had no five-dollar bill         

D. there was no parking lot near the conference

3.The underlined word “dejected” probably means        .

A. embarrassed   B. confused    C. disappointed    D. worried

4..Why was the author unhappy to roll down the window?

A. She was frustrated for coming too late.

B. She feared the woman would beg for money.

C. She didn’t expect to be disturbed（打擾）by strangers.

D. She didn’t know what the woman would do.

5. The author writes the text to         .

A. warn readers of the difficulty with parking  

B. express her gratitude to the stranger

C. talk about her bad experience   

D. call on readers to lend a helping hand if possible

 

Driving cars, trucks and motorcycles is an important part of our lives. We do it every day to get to work, to school or to friends' houses.
Traffic accidents declare millions of lives every year worldwide. In Taiwan alone, over seven people are killed in accidents every day. The annual death rate from traffic accidents in Taiwan is twice that of Japan.
To allow traffic to move smoothly and safely, everybody must follow the rules. Before you drive, learn all the traffic laws. That way of driving is safe, convenient and even fun!
【小題1】The underlined sentence “Traffic accidents declare millions of lives worldwide” in the passage means “_______”.

A．Traffic accidents make some people become millionaires

B．Many people die from traffic accidents

C．Millions of people say they themselves have had traffic accidents

D．Millions of people remain healthy after traffic accidents

【小題2】According to the passage, driving can be safe if _______. 

A．you are patient	B．you obey all the traffic rules
C．you don't cut another car off	D．you wait in line at a red light

【小題3】Which of the following may be the best title for this passage? _______.

A．Traffic Safety	B．A Careful driver
C．How To Drive A Car	D．A Traffic Accident