1 . As in other countries, road safety is always a concern in America. Studies show that in 2022, 7,485 pedestrians (行人) were killed by vehicles in the U.S. That’s an increase of more than 65% since 2012. Even during COVID-19, when fewer people were driving, more pedestrians were hit and more died.
Researchers found that drivers took advantage of empty streets and pay little attention to traffic rules. Another factor is the increasing popularity of SUVs, pickups (皮卡) and vans. These kinds of vehicles are up to three times more dangerous than smaller cars when hit pedestrians. The more fault drivers believe they could bear for the hitting, the more likely they are to leave without giving any help. Younger male drivers are more likely to run away. So are those who get drunken or lack a driving license. Other factors include the age of the victim, as children and elderly people are less likely to be left alone. Also, with more witnesses around, the drivers are less likely to hit and run.
In the U.S. drivers run away from serious crashes with pedestrians about 20% of the time, and the rate is very different among different states.
In 2020, 6,519 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. Speeding driving were a major cause. While Florida “wins” the least number of deaths caused by speeding. These following states were reported to have the most dangerous road accidents.
Ten most dangerous states for pedestrians
| A．Road security worries Americans. |
| B．Pedestrian are on the rise over time. |
| C．COVID-19 caused more road accidents. |
| D．Vehicles have doubled since 2012. |
| A．Cars. | B．SUVs. | C．Pickups. | D．Vans. |
| A．Young drivers are more likely to be honest. |
| B．Drunken driving is now allowed in America. |
| C．Children and the old are well protected in the U.S. |
| D．Drivers are more honest if witnessed by more people. |
| A．New Mexico. | B．New York. |
| C．Florida. | D．South Carolina. |
Individuals (个人) should pay for their higher education.
A university education is of huge and direct benefit to the individual. Graduates earn more than non-graduates. Meanwhile, social mobility is ever more dependent on having a degree. However, only some people have it. So the individual, not the taxpayers, should pay for it. There are pressing calls on the resources (资源) of the government. Using taxpayers' money to help a small number of people to earn high incomes in the future is not one of them.
Full government funding (资助) is not very good for universities. Adam Smith worked in a Scottish university whose teachers lived off student fees. He knew and looked down upon 18th-century Oxford, where the academics lived comfortably off the income received from the government. Guaranteed salaries, Smith argued, were the enemy of hard work; and when the academics were lazy and incompetent, the students were similarly lazy.
If students have to pay for their education, they not only work harder, but also demand more from their teachers. And their teachers have to keep them satisfied. If that means taking teaching seriously, and giving less time to their own research interests, that is surely something to celebrate.
Many people believe that higher education should be free because it is good for the economy (经济). Many graduates clearly do contribute to national wealth, but so do all the businesses that invest (投资) and create jobs. If you believe that the government should pay for higher education because graduates are economically productive, you should also believe that the government should pay part of business costs. Anyone promising to create jobs should receive a gift of capital from the government to invest. Therefore, it is the individual, not the government, who should pay for their university education.
1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.
| A．taxpayers | B．pressing calls | C．college graduates | D．government resources |
| A．teachers are less satisfied |
| B．students are more demanding |
| C．students will become more competent |
| D．teachers will spend less time on teaching |
| A．argue against free university education |
| B．call on them to finance students' studies |
| C．encourage graduates to go into business |
| D．show their contribution to higher education |
