1 . New York factories in the early 1900s were busy and dangerous places to work. Most factories were housed in brick buildings that were overly hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. Workers at the time often worked more than 12 hours each day, receiving few breaks and no overtime pay. The floors were crowded with people and equipment, and the doors were often locked to prevent employees from leaving early. In fact, most factory owners and managers mistreated those who asked for changes or directly fired them. The people in charge believed that they did not owe anything more than a paycheck to their workers.
Everything changed when a fire broke out at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in 1911. During that tragic event, about a quarter of the workers (mostly young immigrant women) lost their lives. The factory workers, located on the ninth floor of the building, could not get the door open. The fire escape led only to flames below. The fire truck ladders were not long enough, nor were the water hoses (水管). Fire nets were inadequate.
After the fire, people marched and protested in order to change conditions in factories. Many large protests took place in New York. Eventually, politicians took up the cause, and legislators (立法者) passed workplace laws regulating child labor and the number of workers allowed on a floor. They also called for sprinkler systems (自动喷水系统) to be placed in all factories. The rights of workers were important and valuable.
Today, working in a factory is still a demanding, difficult, and often dangerous job. The victims of the Triangle shirtwaist factory did not die in vain, however. Because of their experience, the workplace was forever changed for the better.
1. Which best explains the cause of the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire?| A．The quality of the factory building. |
| B．The lack of worker safety at the factory. |
| C．The involvement of politicians. |
| D．The inexperience of the workers. |
| A．employers were given more control |
| B．sprinkler systems were invented |
| C．many laws were passed to protect workers |
| D．factories in New York closed |
| A．The women who died were wealthy. |
| B．Factories were the best places to work. |
| C．Shirtwaists were hard to find after the fire. |
| D．The tragedy could have been avoided. |
| A．brought the reform in the working conditions |
| B．caused little damage to the factory |
| C．became a turning point for politicians |
| D．took place on the ninth floor of the building |
2 . An abandoned car in Chicago worth about $600 has been issued more than $100, 000 in parking tickets (罚单) over the past three years. Now Jennifer Fitzgerald, 31, is stuck with the bill but says the 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo actually belongs to an ex-boyfriend who registered (登记注册) the car in her name without informing her.
The Expired Meter ( 停车计时器) reports that from May 23, 2009 to April 30, 2012, the Chicago Department of Finance (DOF) issued 678 tickets against the car, totaling $105, 761.80. It set a Chicago record both for the total number and amount of parking fines issued. In fact, it blew past the previous record holder, which was $65,000 from about 400 tickets.
But Fitzgerald says she doesn’t owe the city a dime (10 分硬币) and has filed a lawsuit (诉讼 ) in Cook County Circuit Court against the city of Chicago, United Airlines and the ex-boyfriend. Fitzgerald has two main arguments in her case. First, she says her ex-boyfriend, Brandon Preveau, is the actual owner of the car, having bought it from her uncle for $600 in 2008. In fact, Brandon paid for the car’s title (所有权), registration and insurance, but it was registered in Fitzgerald’s name. “Brandon used his 2007 income tax refund ( 退 款 ) to pay Patrick $600 for the car,” reads Fitzgerald’s complaint. “For reasons not recalled by Patrick, however, Patrick signed the title to the car over to Fitzgerald.”
Second, Fitzgerald’s lawyer is arguing that the city should have simply towed (拖走) the car after 30 days from O’Hare Airport, where it was parked and where Brandon worked at the time. According to Fitzgerald’s complaint, on or before November 17, 2009, Brandon drove the car into the parking lot and never drove it out again. And as the Expired Meter reports, Chicago law does state exactly that an abandoned vehicle is to be towed 30 days after being illegally parked.
1. After the Chicago Department of Finance noticed the car, it _______.| A．wanted to break a record |
| B．tried its best to find its owner |
| C．kept issuing tickets against the car |
| D．decided to play a joke on its owner |
| A．sold the car to her ex-boyfriend long ago |
| B．received the car from her ex-boyfriend |
| C．didn’t know anything about the car |
| D．wasn’t the real owner of the car |
| A．didn’t inform her as soon as it found the missing car |
| B．didn’t tow the vehicle after 30 days from O’Hare Airport |
| C．didn’t state exactly that an abandoned vehicle was to be towed |
| D．didn’t help her find the car when it was missing in the beginning |
| A．doesn’t want to pay any money |
| B．thinks Patrick should pay the fines |
| C．isn’t trying to find her ex-boyfriend |
| D．has never been to O’Hare Airport |
3 . It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the pictures were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday. “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private(私人的) information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion（侵犯）, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to deal with problems. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider law ways.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.
1. The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.| A．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to ask them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
| A．causes privacy invasion to happen frequently |
| B．causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information |
| C．can be used if permitted |
| D．causes personal information to be posted online without permission |
| A．The senators will turn to law ways |
| B．The companies will be closed |
| C．The companies will be fined |
| D．The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy |
| A．In a travel brochure. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
