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

2 . Imunek narrowly avoided a disaster last year. At that time, Imunek already had a 1 year old and was eight months pregnant with her second kid. She was still working her job as a bus driver for local ________.

The day was fairly ________ until a strange smell began to fill the ________. “I had the driver window down and thought the ________ was coming from another car at first, but then smoke ________ coming through my heater, so I ________,” Imunek recalled.

She ________ to use her radio phone to discuss the problem, but it didn’t take long for her to ________ that she didn’t have time for a ________. Instead, she gathered the 37 kids she ________, ranging from primary to high school, and got them off the bus as quickly and ________ as possible. Fifteen to thirty seconds after the ________ child got off the bus, the bus was on fire.

Although Imunek breathed in a good amount of smoke, she and her baby were found to be ________, as were all the children on her bus. To express their ________, all of the children’s parents wrote thank you notes for the ________ bus driver.

4 . Just a few hours ago, the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.

At about 11:00 P.M., another ship, the Stockholm, suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.

Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.

Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea.The captain did not sit at his table that night, though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.

When Linda went to bed, everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.

What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family, no one answered. Both her knees were broken.

Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria, it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.

Right now, the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side, glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.

On 28 July 1976, the city’s one million people were asleep as usual. One of the most deadly earthquakes of the 20th century     1    (strike) the city. In less than one minute, the large city lay in ruins.     2     seemed as if the world were coming to an end. The number of people who were killed or badly     3     (injure) in the quake was more than 400,000. Nearly everything in the city    4     (destroy). But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, a rescue team     5     (consist) of more than 10,000 doctors and nurses came to provide medical care. Soldiers were sent to Tangshan to dig out those     6     were trapped in the quakes. Water and food were brought into the city and     7     (shelter) were built for survivors. The city began     8     (breathe) again.

    9    the help of the government and the efforts of the city’s people, Tangshan started to revive itself and get back up on its feet. In times of disaster, people must unite and stay positive to rebuild for     10    brighter future.

7 . Three lifeguards were hailed as (被誉为) heroes last night after they rescued dozens of teenagers from the sea. The quick action and bravery of the lifeguards saved several of the youngsters from certain death.

The group of thirty-six youngsters were on an outdoor activity holiday in West Wales. On Saturday afternoon, the group, accompanied by four adults, went down to the sea. Some of them did not know how to swim and had never seen the sea before the trip. They were taking part in an exercise to help build confidence and teamwork. As part of the exercise they were walking backwards into the sea. At the time the tide (海潮) was out and the water was not deep. The tide began to come in and the group started walking back to dry land. Suddenly the sandbank underneath them collapsed (坍塌) and the sea flooded in. Some of the teenagers were soon in dangerous waters.

Fortunately, three lifeguards were nearby and came to the rescue. David Miller, manager for the local coastguard, said that although the sea was fairly shallow, it was still very dangerous in that sea. “It is just fortunate that the brave lifeguards were quickly on the scene and lucky that lives were not lost,” he added.