【推荐1】Hundreds of new drivers have been given bans (禁令) for using their mobile phones at the wheel, as part of stricter new laws introduced. In March, the punishment for driving while on the phone was doubled to six points — meaning drivers with less than two years’ experience faced a ban.

New laws meant the punishment for being caught on a mobile phone at the wheel was increased to six points. The new rules were introduced in England, Scotland and Wales. Drivers who get six points within two years of passing their test will lose their licence, creating a one-strike rule for mobile phone users. To get back behind the wheel, new drivers have to retake both the theory and practical parts of the driving test.

Mr Williams in the RAC said, “These people have spent hours and hours and hundreds of pounds learning to drive to gain their personal freedom only to throw it all away through this foolish behaviour. The only comfort is that they won’t be drawn into some terrible crashes caused by the distraction (使人分心的事物) of a hand-held mobile phone.”

When the new laws were introduced, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said they would act as a strong warning to mobile phone users. However, the numbers suggested a total of 15,752 drivers received the punishment of six points for using a mobile phone between March and August. This is an increase from 15, 237 drivers in the same period of last year.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead on roads Policing, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, said the police took the offence (违法行为) seriously. “This is not a small offence and is never a risk worth taking because a moment’s distraction behind the wheel can change lives forever.” “Our message is simple — don’t do it,” he added.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph1?

A．The new laws have not been passed.

B．The new laws are not strict enough.

C．Drivers with less than two years’ experience won’t be affected.

D．Punishment for driving while phoning used to be three points.

2. What will happen if a Welsh citizen who got a licence last year gets six points?

A．He will be fined a lot.

B．He must learn the new rules.

C．He will lose his driving licence.

D．He will be given a warning.

3. When the new laws were first introduced, _________.

A．traffic accidents were cut down

B．there were still many drivers who broke them

C．drivers thought the laws were unfair to them

D．fewer people broke them compared

4. What does Anthony Bangham mean?

A．The police didn’t take the new rules seriously.

B．The roads policy should be improved for safety.

C．A moment of carelessness may cause big accidents.

D．The laws need to be improved a lot and retested.

【推荐2】New Zealand plans to bar foreigners from purchasing existing homes. The ban is expected to become law this year. It aims to slow the rising housing prices and protect New Zealanders interested in buying a home.

The Labour Party government believes that foreign investors have pushed many possible first-time home buyers and families out of the housing market. Last year, median housing prices across the country rose by 5.8 percent, to over $405,000. Housing prices rose even more in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Price there rose by more than 18 percent over a 12-month period that ended in June 2017.

The rising prices have pushed home ownership outside the reach of many possible buyers. One home owner told VOA he feels sorry for the younger generation. “I just believe the market has made it impossible for them to get into the housing. ’’ Just 25 years ago, three out of every four New Zealanders lived in their own homes. Now the rate is 64 percent —and falling.

The plan to ban foreigners from buying existing homes has yet to be approved. But the measure, called the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, passed its first reading in parliament in December. Restricting foreign ownership of housing has been tried in other countries, including Switzerland, “If foreign investors are looking to put their cash into New Zealand, if it then forces up the price of property, people cannot afford to live anymore.” says Norman Gemmell, chair of public finance at Victoria University.

Critics say foreign investors have had only a small effect on the cost of housing. Low interest rates, limited supply and immigration have also driven up house prices.

Housing prices continue to make solid gains across the country. And for many New Zealanders, the dream of owning a home is as distant as ever.

1. Which is the main factor of the high housing prices, according to the Labour Party government?

A．Low interest rates.	B．Domestic investors.
C．Immigration.	D．Foreign buyers.

2. What is true about the housing condition in New Zealand?

A．Housing prices rose by over 18 percent over a year.

B．The housing prices of the capital city rose the least.

C．The rate of New Zealanders living in their own houses is decreasing.

D．The country has witnessed the highest rise of housing prices up to now.

3. What do we know about the ban against housing buying of foreigners?

A．It has been approved in New Zealand so far.

B．It has won the support of people from all walks of life.

C．Similar bans have been adopted in some other countries.

D．It will definitely make New Zealanders harder to own a home.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．It is hard for the locals to buy a house in New Zealand.

B．A ban on stopping foreign home buyers will take effect in New Zealand.

C．The prices of houses have been rising sharply in New Zealand.

D．There are many reasons for high housing prices in New Zealand.

【推荐3】Smoking in your own home in Thailand may now be considered a crime, if the smoke is considered harmful to other people in the house.

The new law, Family Protection and Development Promotion Act, aiming at controlling smoking at home which might be hazardous for others’ health living under the same roof, was initiated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and was announced in the Royal Gazette on May 22, 2019. It came into force on August 20.

According to the center for research and knowledge management for tobacco control, at the Faculty of Medical Science of Mahidol University, there are about 4.9 million households where one or more family members smoke. An average of 10.3 million people have unwittingly (不知不觉地) become passive smokers because they’ve been breathing smoke at home. Scientific studies show that passive smokers are at greater risk of being affected by cancer. Of 75 child patients from houses where smoking is practiced, 76% of them were found to have nicotine traces in their urine (尿液), with 43% of them having nicotine content exceeding (超过) permissible levels.

Smoking at home also “may lead to physical or emotional violence” because of aggressiveness when there is a lack of smoking, and might as well ruin relationships between smokers and non­smoking family members.

According to the new law, anyone who thinks they are affected by domestic smoking can report to government departments concerned so that officials will be sent to investigate and take legal action against the smokers. Once convicted (证明有罪的), the court may order a person to receive treatment to quit smoking in an attempt to protect the person’s family.

1. What does the underlined word “hazardous” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Guilty.	B．Beneficial.
C．Influential.	D．Dangerous.

2. How does the author organize Paragraph 3?

A．By listing figures.

B．By giving examples.

C．By comparing the differences.

D．By explaining the reasons.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Smoking anywhere in Thailand is considered a crime.

B．Passive smokers are more likely to have lung cancer.

C．76% of the children in Thailand have nicotine traces in their urine.

D．Smoking at home may hurt other family members both physically and emotionally.

4. What may be true according to the new law?

A．Anybody must report to the officials once they are affected.

B．Officials will take legal action against all the people concerned.

C．Smoking in one’s own home in Thailand may now be considered a crime.

D．The court may order a smoker to stop smoking to protect all non­smokers.