1 . Parents usually teach their children how to cross the street safely by looking both ways for cars. But do they also teach them to put away their cell phones?
Texting while crossing the street will soon be forbidden in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii. Beginning on October 24, you could be fined from $15 to $99 if you step into a Honolulu street while looking at your phone. Honolulu is the first major U.S. city to forbid what is called "distracted (分心的) walking." It recently passed a law in a seven to two vote. The law says: "No pedestrian (行人) shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device (设备)." In other words, do not look at a screen when you cross the street or you could be fined.
The law’s creators hope it will lower the number of people hit and killed by cars in the city. Mayor Kirk Caldwell told Reuters news agency, "We hold the unfortunate distinction (区分) of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors (老年人), than almost any other city in the country."
The law includes all electronic devices with screens: cell phones, tablets, gaming devices, digital cameras and laptop computers. The law does permit an exception. Pedestrians may use such devices in the street to call emergency services and rescue workers, such as firefighters and police officers.
Pedestrian deaths have been increasing as the use of cell phones rises. The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths in the United States increased 25 percent between 2010 and 2015. That trend (趋势) continued in 2016 with the number of pedestrian deaths rising to almost 6000, 11% higher than in 2015.
If you still want to text while walking, you could avoid being fined in Honolulu (and be safer, in general) by using a voice-controlled digital assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant. Or you could just wait until you are again, safely, off the street.
1. What is the new law about in Honolulu, Hawaii?A.Pedestrians must follow traffic rules while on the street. |
B.Texting is not allowed while crossing the street. |
C.Cell phones cannot be used for the sake of safety. |
D.Ways to reduce deaths caused by traffic accidents. |
A.He will be grounded. | B.His electronic device will be taken away. |
C.He will receive a fine. | D.His identity will be made public online. |
A.Only voice-controlled digital assistants can be used while walking. |
B.Only police officers can use such devices when emergency arises. |
C.Only one such device can be allowed to use when crossing the street. |
D.Only in case of emergency can a pedestrian be allowed to use a cell phone . |
A.To cut down on accidents caused by "distracted walking". |
B.To make sure electronic devices will be properly used. |
C.To make the city as safe as the other ones while walking. |
D.To force parents to teach their children to walk with care . |
2 . Children experiencing frequent family violence in Guangdong Province will be regarded as victims, according to a local draft against family violence. The draft will be handed in for consideration and agreement by the People’s Congress.
“It will help to improve people’s understanding of family violence and provide a better family environment for the development of children’s mental health.” said Chen Yongkang, deputy director of the social construction committee of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress, “More detailed and exact measures against family violence will be made in the near future to better protect children’s health. Although they are not victims of physical hurt, children will be living under huge psychological shadows for quite a long time.”
The Guangdong Women’s Federation said the province recorded 14,172 cases of family violence between 2016 and 2018. Nearly 30 percent of China’s 270 million families have family violence problems, which cause 100,000 families to fall apart every year. About 90 percent of family violence victims are women.
“Family violence not only causes broken marriages, but also brings great harm to the development of children’s mental health,” Chen said. “The new draft will also help offenders realize they are doing something harmful to children. It will also make governments and social organizations pay more attention to the problem.”
According to the draft, mental violence will also be seen as an aspect of family violence. “Family violence is not all about physical hurt. Mental violence, including frequent shouting, does harm to family members, especially children,” Chen said.
1. What does Chen Yongkang say about family violence?A.It is difficult to solve the problem. | B.It is the main reason for broken marriages. |
C.It greatly influences children’s mental health. | D.It hurts children more than other family members. |
A.By listing data. | B.By giving examples. | C.By studying cases. | D.By comparing facts. |
A.It aims to protect women victims. |
B.It mainly focuses on children’s physical hurt. |
C.It has been carried out in Guangdong Province. |
D.It will make the public more concerned about family violence. |
A.A law book. | B.A news report. |
C.A lifestyle program. | D.A science magazine. |
Do you know the UK government has
The motivation behind this
A similar law
As of January 2015, 22% of adult men and 17% of adult women smoke in Great Britain. The possibility of smoking in the UK increases with age so that by 15 years of age 8% of school children
Smoking is one of
First it was pets, then fish.Now it's poultry(家禽)and pigs. The list of animals
Since a ban on processed animal protein was imposed in 2001 in the wake of the“mad cow”crisis, soy and fishmeal
The one thing going against them is price: insect protein is two to three times
Poultry and pig feed are by far
The White House on Tuesday announced new actions,
The FBI will also publish a new interactive page
The Department of Health and Human Services is providing nearly $50 million from the American Rescue Plan
The COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force,
The White House has faced pressure to take more concrete
6 . Are you the only child in your family? If so, do you enjoy it or do you want more siblings(兄弟姐妹)?
On May 31, a key meeting of the Communist Party of China unveiled a policy that would allow all couples to have up to three children.
The move is expected to maximize the population's role in driving economic and social growth, since this is a critical time for China to transform the world's most populous country into a powerhouse(强国)with a quality workforce, according to the National Health Commission.
The three-child policy is also expected to prevent the decline in the nation's birthrate and address the challenge of a rapidly aging population, China Daily reported.
China's annual number of newborns has fallen for four years in a row. The country's total birthrate—the average number of children born to each woman—stood at 1.3 in 2020. The number is below the rate of 2.1 that would maintain a stable population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The declining birthrate has also brought a sharp increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 or above, rising from 10.3 percent to 18.7 percent in the past decade. An increasingly elderly population will increase the cost of labor and the pressure on the social security net. It also means there will be a lack of young labor force. Therefore, it's not good for economic growth, according to Chen Youhua, a professor at Nanjing University.
In fact, the new birth policy is a step to further relax the family planning policy. The one-child policy was introduced in the 1970s and aimed to control the fast-growing population. Then in 2013, China allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child, and in 2016, all couples were allowed to have two children.
However, not all people have shown their support for this latest policy. Many couples complained about the rising costs of raising a child. A netizen named Qinfeng commented, "High cost of education and both the physical and mental exhaustion stopped me from having more than one child." Also, many women are reluctant(不情愿的)to give birth because that could mean sacrificing their career prospects, according to Mu Guangzong, a professor at Peking University.
In that case, Mu noted that it is better to implement supporting measures with the three-child policy, such as more preferential(优惠的)policies for couples that would ease their parental burden.
1. What might NOT be the main cause for the new policy?A.To increase the population's role. |
B.To stop the declining birthrate. |
C.To improve the child- care service system. |
D.To address the challenge of the aging population. |
A.China's annual number of newborns has fallen for decades. |
B.The government will protect the legal rights of women in employment. |
C.Measures will be taken to improve the high-quality education. |
D.The new policy allows couples to have up to three children. |
A.To carry out. | B.To get along with. |
C.To make use of. | D.To have a command of. |
A.To show his love of children healthcare. |
B.To introduce the new family size policy. |
C.To share his concerns about birthrate. |
D.To emphasize the physical and mental exhaustion. |
7 . Las Vegas city in Nevada is built in a desert. The city may be known to the outside world for its partying. But officials have found that there are 21 square kilometers of useless grass. The grass is never laid on, played on or even stepped on. The grass is only there to look nice.
Now, the city is asking the Nevada state legislature (立法机构) to ban useless grass. It is trying to become the first place in America to ban that kind of grass often seen between streets, in housing developments and in office parks.
It is estimated that useless grass makes up 40% of all the grass in Las Vegas and it needs a lot of water to survive. Grass needs four times more water than dry climate plants like cactus. By tearing out the grass, the city could reduce yearly water usage by 15%.
In 2003, the Southern Nevada Water Authority banned developers from planting grass in front of new homes. It also offered homeowners $30 for each square meter of grass they tear out. But fewer people are now using the program. Water usage has increased in southern Nevada by 9% since 2019. And last year, Las Vegas set a record of 240 days without major rainfall. The Colorado River provides much of Nevada’s drinking water. The river could lose more water as climate change affects it.
Water officials in other dry cities said water usage needs to be reduced. But they fear the reaction to reforms like the ones in Las Vegas if their communities do not accept them. Cynthia Campbell is the water resources adviser for the city of Phoenix in Arizona. “There might come a point when city restrictions get too severe (苛刻的) for some residents (居民). They’ll say that is the point of no return for them,” Campbell said. “For some people, it’s a pool. For some people, it’s grass.”
1. Why does Las Vegas city try to ban useless grass?A.To protect the local people. | B.To beautify the city. |
C.To reduce water usage. | D.To reduce waste. |
A.Allowing planting grass before new houses. |
B.Encouraging the residents to tear out grass. |
C.Praising those who signed on the program. |
D.Awarding those who reduced water usage. |
A.Many residents will never follow the ban. |
B.Influence and reaction from the reform will be different from person to person. |
C.Other measures should be taken to protect water. |
D.Water officials should take many factors into consideration. |
A.Las Vegas Plans to Ban Useless Grass | B.A Method Is Adopted to Save Las Vegas |
C.Choices between Beauty and Practice | D.Grass Is Important but Useless in Las Vegas |
1. 骑行者缺乏安全意识;
2. 说明佩戴头盔的好处;
3. 呼吁同学们在骑电动车时佩戴头盔。
注意:1. 词数100左右,可以适当增加细节,行文连贯;
2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear fellow students,
A regulation has been issued recently that all citizens shall wear a helmet while riding an electric bicycle.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you!
The Student Union
9 . The local government killed more than 34,000 stray dogs (流浪狗) several months ago because those officials were afraid that the dogs would spread rabies (狂犬病).
This caused a debate across the country. Some people said that it was very cruel to kill dogs. There might be a better way to prevent the disease.
In the future, killing stray dogs might be seen as a crime. The Chinese government published a draft of animal rights law. It says that a person who kills a stray dog without good reason will be put in prison.
The draft also says that animal abuse and abandoning animals will be considered crimes under the criminal law.
The government published the draft so that the public could read it and discuss their thoughts. People share different opinions. Some think the law is good. They say other countries like Britain and Japan have similar laws. They say we will do better at protecting animals if there is one. But others say it’s not necessary to fight animal abuse with a new law. Criticisms and fines can do the job.
Some people also say that the draft doesn’t deal with the biggest issues facing the country’s development. The country should make progress to give all people equal rights, they say, before turning attention to animals.
Another part of the draft is causing discussion. It says that people should not force animals to do something dangerous, like jumping through a ring of fire. But many people enjoy watching this kind of performance at the circus, especially kids. They say that if the animal does it properly, it will not get hurt.
1. Which of the following is acceptable according to the draft of animal rights law?A.Killing a dog with rabies. |
B.Beating an animal for fun. |
C.Abandoning a blind pet dog. |
D.Forcing a cat to jump through a ring of fire. |
A.all people agree with the law |
B.criticisms and fines can protect animals |
C.protecting animals is the biggest issue in China |
D.people have different opinions towards the law |
A.people can’t kill stray dogs any longer |
B.the country won’t have human right problems |
C.kids may not be able to watch animals’ performances in a circus |
D.animals will not be killed |
10 . Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy alcohol (酒) in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful!The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossings (人行横道) and do not take any chances when crossing the road.
My next point is about litter. It is against the law to throw. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a litter bin.
Finally, regarding something, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco (烟草) if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact your local police station, who will be pleased to help you.
Now, are there any questions?
1. The main purpose of this speech would be to________.A.give advice to travelers to the country. |
B.declare the laws of different kinds. |
C.prepare people for international travel. |
D.inform people of the punishment for breaking laws. |
A.Three. | B.Four. |
C.Five. | D.Six. |
A.keep in touch with. | B.join. |
C.report. | D.get in touch with. |
A.in this country, if you are under 18 years of age, you may not buy alcohol, but your friend can buy it for you. |
B.you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age. |
C.because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian crossings when crossing the road. |
D.you can’t make noise except at night. |