1 . When you are sitting in the car, do you ever notice the drivers looking over their shoulders or side to side in the car? Well, they are doing this to check their blind spots! Blind spots make driving extremely difficult and increase the potential for car accidents.

Fourteen year old Alaina Gassler from Pennsylvania noticed her mother struggling with blind spots while driving their family car. So she came up with an ingenious solution that won the first place and $ 25,000 in the Broadcom Masters Competition.

Blind spots are the areas around the car that cannot be directly observed by the driver.There are two kinds of blind spots- on the back of the car that cannot be seen with mirrors, and blind spots at the front of the car as well.

When a driver is changing lanes, he has to look over his shoulder through the side windows to make sure that there is no vehicle in the blind spot. This invisible area is big enough to hide a car!

The other blind spot is created in the front by the A-pillar (柱子)- the material on either side on the windshield (挡风玻璃) that holds the glass and forms the frame of the car. In some cars, this pillar can be quite thick. Usually, people or cyclists can be hidden by this pillar.

Alaina's design was to get rid of the blind spot created by the front A-pillar of the car,the one that helps hold up the windshield.

She put a camera on the outside passenger side of the car which then sent the photos to a projector above the driver's head. Then, she covered the inside of the pillar in a reflective fabric onto which the image was projected, Basically, her device made the pillar ''see through'' and removed the blind spot on that side of the car.

Alaina's solution is very creative and could be improved by using LCD displays that will make it easier to see during day time as well.

1. What can be learned about blind spots during driving?

A．They cannot be get rid of.	B．They make driving thrilling.
C．They call for careful driving.	D．They cannot be indirectly seen by drivers.

2. What does the underlined word ''ingenious'' in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Interesting.	B．Creative.
C．Ridiculous.	D．Invisible.

3. How did Alaina solve the problem?

A．By improving the A- pillar.	B．By using a camera to capture images.
C．By replacing LCD displays in the cars.	D．By using a mirror on the outside of the A-pillar.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．An Introduction to Blind Spots.	B．A Warning About the Road Safety.
C．Scientific Research on Blind Spots.	D．A Teen's Creative Solution to Blind Spots.

2 . Special Hotels For Christmas

Spending Christmas at a hotel does hold a certain travel attraction. Whether you stay for a week or drop in for tea,there are some special ones for you for the holiday:

The Ritz: London

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners will be held in the Michelin-starred Ritz Res-taurant, with a live band and professional dancers. Traditional Christmas afternoon tea is available in the Palm Court during the holiday season. December room rates start at $ 800 per day for a Superior King.

Montage Laguna Beach: Laguna Beach, California

Montage Laguna Beach offers Christmas festivities on a surprising Pacific Ocean back-ground. A 35- foot tree was decorated on the Pacific Lawn, which sets the tone for a splendid California Christmas. Bread decorating workshops and holiday afternoon tea will also get guests into the spirit of the season. Rates start at $ 945 per day during Christmas week.

The Lygon Arms: Broadway, England

Drinks and good cheer will be abundant this Christmas season at The Lygon Arms. The charming hotel is hosting a three-night Christmas house party from December 24 to 27. Cock-tails and canapes, traditional afternoon tea, cream tea and a four course Christmas lunch are among the scheduled snacks, The cost for the three night party and your room is about $2,100 in total.

Four Seasons Chiang Mai: Chiang Mai, Thailand

At the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, guests can experience northern Thailand's famous culture. Located in the mountains of Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district, the resort is famous for its natural setting. The resort's Rim Thai Kitchen hosts its annual Christmas Day brunch, which includes classic holiday dishes as well as international favorites. Room rates start at $ 300 per day during Christmas week.

1. What makes The Ritz special?

A．A 35-foot tree.	B．A live band and dancers.
C．Classic Thai holiday dishes.	D．Abundant drinks and good cheer.

2. What will you enjoy in The Lygon Arms during Christmas?

A．A three -night Christmas party.	B．Natural setting and famous culture.
C．Traditional Christmas afternoon coffee.	D．Celebrations based on the Pacific Ocean.

3. Which hotel would be the most expensive for a single day?

A．The Ritz.	B．Montage Laguna Beach,
C．The Lygon Arms.	D．Four Seasons Chiang Mai.

3 . Los Angeles is always a popular holiday destination. To fully enjoy your travel there, you should know its food, weather, and also traffic. While driving in L. A. is similar to that in other areas, there are a few specific rules to note.

HOV lanes (车道)

On many L. A. freeways, one or more lanes at the far left are used as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. They usually have limited access and you can only enter or exit where there is a break in the double yellow line. Most HOV lanes require a minimum of two people in the car; some require three. Vehicles towing trailers (拖车) are NOT allowed in the HOV lane, regardless of how many people are in them.

Toll (收费) lanes

On certain freeways, the HOV lanes are double-purposed as toll lanes for people driving alone who have a FasTrak, an electronic toll collection system. Therefore, you also have to have one in that lane as a HOV, which is inconvenient if you’re just visiting. FasTrak is in effect on parts of the 110 freeway between the 405 and 10 freeways, and on parts of the 10 freeway east of Downtown L. A.

Cell phones

It is against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving without using a hands-free device. Holding a cell phone to your ear while driving will land you with a ticket.

Alcohol

Driving under the influence is taken seriously in L.A. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, but you can be charged with lower levels if they show you can’t function normally. Placing an opened bottle of alcohol in the passenger area while driving (or sitting) is illegal. Any opened container of alcohol has to be transported in the trunk.

1. What do you know about HOV lanes?

A．They encourage people to share cars.

B．They are on the far right of freeways.

C．They are intended for larger vehicles.

D．They allow cars to enter over the double yellow line.

2. Which is surely against the road rules in L. A.?

A．Driving on the 110 freeway with a FasTrak.

B．Putting the cell phone in the car while driving.

C．Riding with an opened bottle of alcohol in back seats.

D．Going below the blood alcohol limit of 0. 08%.

3. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A traffic law.	B．A road map.
C．A guidebook.	D．A report.

4 . If you go to any college in the United States, you will find most students carrying the same items：books, laptops, cell phones and their official school identification cards, or IDs. These small plastic cards do more than showing the names and pictures of students.

In recent years, IDs in some colleges can also buy things. The schools enter into agreements with banks so students can link their cards to private financial accounts. This way, students can use their cards to pay for things like food on campus and school supplies. In other words, their IDs become debit cards(借记卡）. However, new research suggests that the way these card programs operate can harm students.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group(U.S. PIRG) aims to use research to support and protect people's financial interests. The organization has been looking into agreements between colleges and banks for several years.This April, Kaitlyn Vitez, higher education campaign director for U.S. PIRG, released their latest findings."Students with campus debit cards paid over $ 24 million in fees during the last contract year. For example, students may be charged fees if they use another bank to withdraw money. Or, they may be charged fees if they spend more money than they have in their bank accounts , " she said . " Any large fee can create unexpected problems for students , however , banks do not make possible fees clear enough to students."

U.S.PIRG noted that some banks pay colleges for permission to advertise their debit card programs on campus. The advertising can appear to be part of official school programmes and students may feel pushed towards opening accounts.U.S.PIRG also found a connection between colleges with paid agreements and student fees. Students at colleges that received money from banks ended up paying up to 2.3 times more than students at colleges with unpaid agreements. U.S. PIRG contacted several of the colleges in their latest research, yet they seem not to give satisfying comments.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about ?

A．Potential harm of IDs.	B．Additional use of IDs.
C．Students consuming habits.	D．Students' financial condition.

2. What does the PIRG study find?

A．All banks pay for their bank card ads on campus.

B．Campus debit cards present high fees for students.

C．Many students like to use debit cards at college.

D．Colleges have signed illegal agreements with banks.

3. What do Kaitlyn Vitez's words imply?

A．Colleges benefit a lot from working with banks.

B．Most students fall into heavy debts at college.

C．Banks give away students' financial privacy somehow.

D．Students lack enough information on their campus debit cards.

4. What will the author probably talk about in the following paragraph ?

A．Solutions to the phenomenon.	B．Future of school IDs.
C．Details of debit card programs.	D．Response of some schools.