1 . Foreign drivers will have a 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 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 |
| A．￡60 | B．￡300 |
| C．￡900 | D．￡980 |
| A．many foreign drivers have been fined by Britain police |
| B．300,000 German vehicles enter Britain every year |
| C．25 percent of foreign vehicles entering Britain have failed safety tests |
| D．British drivers will be punished with points and fines for breaking the traffic law |
| A．limit the number of foreign vehicles entering Britain |
| B．increase the Britain government’s additional income |
| C．reduce the rate of traffic accidents and injuries |
| D．get foreign drivers to appear in court |
Starting with the top row, we have a:
yield sign — This sign indicates (标示) that you need to slow down, but you may not have to come to a full stop.
Crosswalk — This is a sign that indicates people have the right of way to cross the street, so cars have to stop when they see a person waiting next to one of these signs.
Second row:
do not enter — This sign indicates you are not allowed to enter a road at that point.
Buckle up! — There are often signs on roads in the United States reminding people that wearing seat belts (安全带) is mandatory (强制的) (seat belts laws differ depending on what state you are in, but all US states have seatbelt laws).
Third row:
be alert (警惕的) for bears — This is another sign that is used to indicate to drivers and pedestrians (行人) that they should be alert for wildlife in the area.
Playground — This is the sign used to alert drivers that there is a playground nearby, so it is a good idea to slow down and watch for children.
1. Where can you often see the signs?
| A．In a factory |
| B．On a farm |
| C．On the road |
| D．In the class. |
| A．Slow down. |
| B．Enter a road at that point. |
| C．Have to come to a full stop |
| D．Should be alert for wildlife in the area. |
| A．US states have the same law about seat belts |
| B．All the people in a car should buckle up in US |
| C．Pedestrians should walk slowly at a crosswalk |
| D．Drivers should stop the car at the sign of playground |
| A．See |
| B．Look at. |
| C．Look for |
| D．Pay attention to |
3 . Next year marks the 150thanniversary of when large numbers of Chinese started working on a huge project in the United States. They help to build America’s first transcontinental railroad between 1863 and 1869, connecting the East Coast with the West.
People know little about the Chinese railroad workers and what happened to them after the project was finished. Stanford University in California wants to learn more about the lives of these men by reaching out to their families.
Bill Yee’s ancestors came from southern China. He said, “My great-great-grandfather came to America during the‘gold rush’days and he returned to China as a wealthy man. And then my great-grandfather came to work on the railroad and died there.”
But that did not stop his grandfather from coming to the US on false papers. He operated a laundry. Bill Yee’s father continued to run the business and has never returned to China.
“Things were pretty bad in some parts of China in the 1860’s. They came to America at all costs in order that they no longer had to bear hunger,” Bill Yee said.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin is helping to direct the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University. She said, “Many of the Chinese workers who came to work on the transcontinental and other railroads returned to China after their work was done and created families there. Some of them settled in America and created new families, but they had families who they left when they came here and they may have descendants in China.”
There is a need to create a record of the object and spoken history from the families of the railroad workers.
“The US could not have become the modern industrial nation without the railroads. And the railroads would not have come together without the work of these Chinese workers,” said Shelley Fisher Fishkin.
1. What do you know about Bill Yee?| A．His family was rich in the 1860’s. |
| B．His father settled in the USA. |
| C．He knows little about his ancestors and hopes to know more. |
| D．His grandfather came to America with his great-grandfather. |
| A．to run their own businesses |
| B．to find their ancestors |
| C．to make a living |
| D．to dig gold |
| A．the descendants of the Chinese railroad workers all live a good life |
| B．they expect to find all the descendants of the Chinese railroad workers |
| C．some Chinese railroad workers hope they can find their descendants in China |
| D．some Chinese railroad workers have descendants both in China and the US |
| A．Because they want to help the Chinese railroad workers’ descendants to get together. |
| B．Because they want to show the importance of America’s first transcontinental railroad. |
| C．Because they want to learn more about how to build a railroad in the past in America. |
| D．Because they want Americans to remember the Chinese railroad workers’ role in US history. |
第二节：补全对话（共5小题；
—Excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest restaurant is?
— 61
—Where is the nearest restaurant, please? .
—Oh, the restaurant? The nearest one is the City Restaurant. 62 .
—I’m --er-- I’m afraid I don’t quite ...you see, 63 .
—I see. Simply walk two blocks straight ahead, then turn left, and the City Restaurant is about 10 metres ahead. 64 .
—Can I take a bus?
—Of course you can, but 65 It’s only a few minutes’ walk.
—Thank you very much.
—Not at all.
| A．What did you say? . |
| B．I’m a total stranger here. |
| C．You can’t miss it. |
| D．I beg your pardon? |
E. It’s just opposite the No. 5 Department Store.
F. I don’t think it is necessary.
G. It’s not very far.
