2 . What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．A holiday.

B．The coast.

C．A flight.

3 . Foreign drivers will have to pay on the spot fines of up to￡900 for breaking the traffic law to be carried out next month.

If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card, their vehicles will be clamped (扣留) until they pay — and they will face an additional fee of ￡80 for getting back their vehicles.

The law will also apply to British citizens. The fines will be described officially as “deposits” when the traffic law takes effect, because the money would be returned if the driver went to court and was found not guilty. In practice, very few foreign drivers are likely to return to Britain to deal with their cases.

Foreign drivers are rarely charged because police cannot take action against them if they fail to appear in court. Instead, officers often merely give warnings.

Three million foreign registered vehicles enter Britain each year. Polish vehicles make up 36 percent, French vehicles 10 percent and German vehicles 9 percent.

Foreign vehicles are 30 percent more likely to be in a crash than British registered vehicles. The number of crashes caused by foreign vehicles rose by 47 percent between 2003 and 2008. There were almost 400 deaths and serious injuries and 3,000 slight injuries from accidents caused by foreign vehicles in 2008.

The new law is partly intended to settle the problem of foreign lorry drivers ignoring limits on weight and hours at the wheel. Foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a crash than British lorries. Recent spot checks found that three quarters of lorries that failed safety tests were registered overseas.

The standard deposit for a careless driving offence — such as driving too close to the vehicle in front or reading a map at the wheel — will be￡300. Deposits for speeding offences and using mobile phones will be￡60. Foreign drivers will not get points as punishment added to their licenses, while British drivers will.

1. The first paragraph serves as a(n) _______.

A．explanation	B．introduction
C．comment	D．background

2. The foreign drivers who break the traffic law and do not pay on the spot are likely to be fined up to _______.

A．￡60	B．￡300
C．￡900	D．￡980

3. The new traffic law is mainly intended to _______.

A．limit the number of foreign vehicles entering Britain

B．increase the British government’s additional income

C．lower the rate of traffic accidents and injuries

D．get foreign drivers to appear in court

4 . A crew of six teenage girls completed a nine-day sailing trip in the US recently, after braving seasickness and strong winds.

For the past three years，the Sea Cadet teenagers who set sail were all male. Roger Noakes, who captained the boat，said this was the first time he’d taken out an all-female crew.

The girls asked for an a11-girls trip in August this year.The crew set sail along with three adults, Noakes and two Sea Cadet representatives.The original plan was for the girls to sail 24 hours a day in rotating shifts(轮流换班)along the coast and then return.Things turned out differently，however. “The first night was rough because the wind was really hard.The waves were going up and down，”said Abby Fairchild，16. “Everybody got seasick.” Noakes gave the girls the option of just sailing in the bay and not going into open water. “But they decided they were going.”

The teenagers then sailed a long way overnight and slept in shifts. “We’ve learned everything from steering(掌舵) the boat itself to putting up the sails to cooking while we have rough seas，”said 15-year-old Olivia Wilcox.

The teenagers stopped on land in Massachusetts. They didn’t make it to their original destination in Maine，where they were supposed to have a celebratory dinner，due to the weather and winds. They said they weren’t disappointed，however，as they’d learned a lot. “They learned about boating，and above all，they built confidence and character，” said Noakes.

1. What was special about the US Sea Cadet trip this year?

A．It was the longest sailing trip ever.

B．It was the first all-female-crew sailing trip.

C．It was the most dangerous sailing trip ever.

D．It was the first sailing trip for teenagers.

2. What happened on the crew’s first day of the trip?

A．They all got seasick.	B．They regretted taking the trip.
C．They decided to stay in the bay.	D．Some of them were injured.

3. Which of the following best describes these young sailors?

A．Determined and cooperative.	B．Hard-working and talented.
C．Understanding and creative.	D．Adventurous and skillful.

4. According to Noakes，what was the sailors’greatest benefit from the trip?

A．They acquired excellent sailing skills.

B．They learned to work in teams.

C．They built confidence and character.

D．They knew the sea better.