On April, 15th, France’s world-famous Notre-dame de Paris Cathedral caught fire. Flames could be seen rising through the top of the monument.
The Cathedral,
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter Monday, “A
After the fire, workers soon got down
2 . Most people agree that being a good driver means being safe and not aggressive on the road. One debate some people still argue, however, is who drives better: men or women? Although it’s impossible to say that one gender drives better than another definitively, there are some noteworthy trends.
Male drivers tend to have more accidents
Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that male drivers tend to have more total accidents than females. The IIHS, an independent non-profit devoted to reducing car accidents, also found that 71 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2017 were males. Although the gap has narrowed, almost every year from 1975 to 2017, the number of male crash deaths was more than twice the number of female crash deaths, per the IIHS.
Women might be less-confident behind the wheel
Although male drivers have more accidents, other research shows women aren’t “perfect” drivers, either. Researchers from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute studied traffic accidents over 20 years and found that female drivers are more likely to run into a car driven by another woman than a man. The study, however, doesn’t explain possible reasons for this pattern.
One that they might consider testing in the future is that some research also shows women are less-confident behind the wheel than men. A study from UCLA exploring the relationship between new drivers’ skills and different variables, including gender(性别), shows female students were less confident drivers than men.
So are men better drivers than women?
Gender is just one factor when it comes to safe driving, along with others such as age, and even the time of day people drive. One study shows that both genders have a greater accident risk when driving at night, but males still have a higher risk at all times of the day. Driving quality also changes based on location, too, as some states are more dangerous than others. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that Wyoming, Mississippi, and Montana have high accident death rates, without regards to gender. It goes to show that everyone should learn and practice safe driving habits instead of worrying about who drives better.
1. According to the data from the IIHS, what is the percentage of males among car accident victims before 2017?| A．Bigger than 71% | B．Smaller than 71% | C．Exactly 71% | D．Not clear. |
| A．In recent years, the number of car accidents caused by males is twice as much as that that by females. |
| B．Researchers have found out why there's higher possibility for women drivers to run into each other. |
| C．While driving in the daytime, male drivers have a greater accident risk than female drivers. |
| D．Many studies have shown that females are better and safer drivers than males. |
| A．factors | B．varieties | C．phenomena | D．consequences |
| A．Science | B．News | C．Culture | D．Traffic |
3 . Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30, and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I’ve got no time for you now, but I’ll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医). When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I’m really in a rush to get to a meeting-can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I’ll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure,” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor’s voice. “I’m coming round fight away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s free, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now.”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God,” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar,” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat; it turned out to be three human fingers.”
1. What was Joanne supposed to do at 6: 30?| A．To walk her dog. | B．To see her doctor. |
| C．To attend a club meeting. | D．To play tennis with her friends. |
| A．to dress up for the meeting |
| B．to phone the police station |
| C．to catch the badly hurt burglar |
| D．to wait for her dog to be cured |
| A．Sheba fought against the burglar |
| B．the police found the burglar had broken in |
| C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting |
| D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog |
| A．clever | B．friendly |
| C．frightening | D．devoted |
1. How many children are injured every year in Britain?
| A．About 10,000. | B．Less than 100,000. | C．More than 1,000,000. |
| A．By using mats. |
| B．By fitting safety gates. |
| C．By accompanying the children all the time. |
| A．The kitchen. | B．The bathroom. | C．The living room. |
| A．A writer. | B．A TV host. | C．A radio host. |
