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 . |
The center of American automobile innovation
In a bid to take production back to Detroit, Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation that could make their state
“Michigan’s role in auto research and development is under attack from several states and countries which desire to take
If all four bills pass as
Lawmakers in Michigan clearly want to make the state ready for the commercial use of self-driving technology.
3 . "What kind of rubbish are you?" This question has brought about complaints over the past months in Shanghai. On July 1st, 2019, the city introduced strict trash-sorting rules. Residents must divide this waste into four separate groups and throw it into specific public bins.
Shanghai is faced with an obvious environmental problem. It produces 9 million tons of rubbish a year, and the number is rising quickly. Like other cities in China, it has relied on trash pickers to pick out whatever can be reused. But as people get wealthier, fewer of them want to do such dirty work. The waste, meanwhile, just keeps piling up.
Many people appear to be bothered by the rules. Rubbish must be divided according to whether it is food, recyclable, dry or hazardous （有害的）, the differences among which can be complex and confusing. Some have complained that they must put food waste straight in the required public bin, forcing them to tear open plastic bags and throw it by hand. Most annoying is the short scheduled time for throwing trash, typically a couple of hours, morning and evening. This means that people all go at the same time and anyone can keep an eye on what is being thrown out; no one wants to look bad.
People who fail obey the rules could be hit with fines of up to 200 yuan. For repetitive violators, the city can add black marks to their credit records, making it harder for them to get bank loans or even buy train tickets. However, citizens support the idea of recycling in general and say a tough campaign is necessary. "Slowly people will get used to it," says Li Chongjin of Fudan University.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To amuse the readers with a question |
| B．To introduce a hot topic about trash dividing |
| C．To present a social problem in Shanghai |
| D．To offer a way to deal with the complaints |
| A．trash-pickers | B．waste-throwers |
| C．law-makers | D．rule-breakers |
| A．Being forced to keep plastic bags open. |
| B．Being required to tell different kinds of rubbish apart |
| C．Being seriously punished for improper behavior |
| D．Being asked to throw trash at the short scheduled time. |
| A．Hopeful | B．Dissatisfied. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Uncaring |
4 . When your alarm clock rings and you drag yourself out of bed, you probably wonder: Why on earth does school have to start so early?
Fortunately, there is a new law to back you up—or better still, science. A law in California requires that public middle schools begin classes no earlier than 8:00 am and that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am. The law will go into effect by July 1, 2022.
Starting school at 8:00 or 8:30 in the morning may not sound like a big change, but it could mean one more hour of sleep for students who used to start school at 7:30 or even earlier. “The effect of that one hour is something they will be feeling as 40-year-old adults,” Sumit Bhargava, a sleep expert at Stanford University, told The New York Times. He said that not having enough sleep can affect students’ mental health and increase the risk of fatness and diabetes.
In the short run, students’ school performances should improve almost immediately. Kyla Wahlstrom, a researcher at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, found that students who have enough sleep are more active in class and get better grades.
Some might say that urging students to go to bed earlier could have been a much easier solution than changing the school timetable across an entire state. But according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers go through biological changes when they enter adolescence, which makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 pm. So when school starts at 8:00 or earlier, they can hardly get the ideal 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep that experts suggest they need to do their best in the daytime.
This is why when the new law came out, its author, Anthony Portantino, said, “Generations of children will come to appreciate this historic day and our governor for taking bold action.”
1. What does the first paragraph serve as?| A．A background. | B．An explanation. | C．An introduction. | D．A definition. |
| A．The new law is of lasting benefit to students. |
| B．Lack of sleep affects adults more than children. |
| C．Enough sleep guarantees students’ mental health. |
| D．The amount of sleep people need changes with age. |
| A．Less sleep easily makes for health problems. |
| B．California is pushing back school start times. |
| C．A law to start the school day later takes effect. |
| D．Teenagers’ biological changes affect their sleep patterns. |
5 . Texas has been one of the most restrictive gun-rights states in America.Thanks to a new law,however,the state will be one of the most relaxed,to the degree that police are discouraged from even asking about someone's guns. And if they do, they may not have much power to do anything if the person refuses to show a license.
To be sure, the law is strict in its own way,offering a model for regulation. Under the law, open-carry citizens have to be licensed, a process that includes safety and shooting tests. They also have to show no prior psychological problems, and they have to be at least 21 years old.
It is true that gun violence dropped sharply after restrictive laws were put in place in countries like Great Britain and Australia. However,the US public seems more interested than ever in weapons and the power they convey,despite gun control groups' concern over the increase of violence. Most states in America have steadily expanded gun rights since the end of a 10-year assault(攻击)weapons ban in 2004. Black Friday this year saw the biggest gun cache(贮存)ever purchased in one day.
Considering those trends,there's a heated debate about whether the new Texas law is a model piece of legislation(立法)for a changing America,or a walking disaster just begging for trouble. As the law doesn't provide any punishment for those who refuse to show a license to a police officer, critics fear that officers may find it tough to handle potentially deadly situations. After all, armed citizens will no longer be considered suspicious, even though a lot of people might be alarmed by the sight. Most police in Texas have been told to not engage gun carriers unless they are doing something questionable or appear drunk.
For sure,New Year's Day will be an exciting one for Texas gun owners. What's not yet known is how the rest of Texas will respond.
1. All of the following are required in the new Texas law for open carry EXCEPT| A．age limit |
| B．mental condition |
| C．online registration |
| D．gun-operating skills |
| A．The reason for putting forward the new Texas law. |
| B．The present situation of gun possession in America. |
| C．The impact of the assault weapons ban in 2004. |
| D．The inaction of the US government as to gun control. |
| A．Heavier workload for policemen. |
| B．Disrespect for officers. |
| C．Lack of trust among citizens. |
| D．Difficulty in crime prevention. |
| A．Negative. |
| B．Cautious. |
| C．Indifferent. |
| D．Approving. |
Rules help us live together in a community. At my local park, there is a sign that reads, “Keep off the grass.” Because our community has a need for a nice green space
7 . California will be the first state to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products.
California’s fur law was one of several bills designed to prevent cruelty to animals. “California is a leader when it comes to animal protection and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur, ” said Governor Newsom in a news report. “
Many retailers are also ending fur sales. In mid-October, Macy’s (American’s department store) announced it will stop fur from all its stores by the end of 2020. The stores will also close all fur vaults and salons. Other fashion brands such as Prada, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry have taken similar steps in recent years.
| A．But we are doing more than that. |
| B．California is taking the lead in protecting animals. |
| C．Similar laws have been carried out globally already. |
| D．And that in turn will leave many people unemployed. |
| E．Two other California cities had already banned fur sales. |
| F．Not surprisingly, the ban is welcomed by animal rights activists. |
| G．The ban applies to clothing, shoes, handbags and other things that contain fur. |
8 . Fear, anxiety, panic — those are the words Elaine Peng used to describe the state of her service’s recipients (接受者) who are fighting mental health problems through lectures and support groups on WeChat. President Donald Trump’s transaction (交易) ban on the social networking app has worsened their emotional state.
Since Peng founded the organization in 2013 with the mission of raising mental health awareness within the Chinese community, she has gradually built up her network. Now she has two WeChat groups of more than 500 people, including service recipients and volunteers.
Peng said, “WeChat is the organization’s primary communications tool because it is much friendlier than other US-developed apps. We also respond to emergency situations through WeChat. For instance, we recently rescued a patient from a parking lot, using the app’s real-time location feature, where his condition suddenly worsened and he didn’t know where he was,” she said.
Seeing that her group’s mission and operation will be affected in a significant way, Peng joined a legal challenge filed by the nonprofit US WeChat Users Alliance, seeking to block the ban. The presidential executive order does not define the word “transaction”, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has not defined which particular transactions would be illegal. Ross may issue the definitions by Sunday, or he may not say anything for a long time, but the situation is already harming people who depend on WeChat. If the judge does not prevent the order from taking effect, then the law goes into effect Sunday, and no one knows exactly what it means.
We Chat has roughly 19 million daily active users in the US, most of them of Chinese descent, according to the complaint filed by the plaintiffs (原告) last month. The lawsuit argues that the order is illegal because it violates (侵犯) users’ free speech rights. It also argues that the ban targeted Chinese Americans, who rely on the app for work, worship and staying in touch with relatives in China.
1. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?| A．Entertainment. |
| B．Science. |
| C．Education. |
| D．News brief. |
| A．To arouse mental health awareness. |
| B．To build up her network. |
| C．To provide service for recipients. |
| D．To keep in touch with relatives. |
| A．Subjective. |
| B．Objective. |
| C．Indifferent. |
| D．Doubtful. |
| A．Wechat ban-users’ expectation |
| B．Wechat ban-users’ demand |
| C．Wechat ban-users’ concern |
| D．Wechat ban-users’ disaster |
China’s two sessions( 两 会 ), a key event on the country’s political calendar,
Apart
First and the foremost, the world will keep an eye on how China builds a prosperous society and achieve
In 2019, China achieved a GDP
In the two sessions, national lawmakers and political advisers will be discussing how to make advances in economic development while implementing regular epidemic prevention,
Meanwhile,
10 . Almost every community has some form of rules and some way of enforcing them. So why do we have rules, and what makes people follow them?
Studies have suggested that the reason we don’t like rule-breaking is because fairness is programmed into our brains. Scientists have found that the brain reacts in a particular way when we feel we are being treated unfairly. A fair situation makes us feel comfortable and even happy, but unfairness causes our brains to respond with negative feelings. The study found that this so happened when subjects saw others being treated unfairly. They concluded that fairness is one of basic human needs.
Arriving at a feeling of fairness means considering different, often conflicting, points of view. Regardless of the disagreement, people almost always need to compromise. But it can be difficult to arrive at a compromise when there are conflicting interests. This is why communities have rules that everyone must follow.
Social controls are an important factor in setting and following rules. They influence the way we behave, and can be internal (内在的) or external. Internal controls come from within and are based on our values and fears. Most of us don’t steal, for example, because we believe that theft is unfair and wrong. We don’t want to disappoint our family and friends, either. In other words, our internal controls keep us from behaving in ways that cause conflict.
External controls include rewards and punishments. Rewards, such as job promotions and praise, are designed to encourage people to behave and act in the interest of the whole community.
Punishments, such as public embarrassment, fines, and even imprisonment can prevent people from acting against the community’s best interests.
People need their communities to function smoothly. If there were no rules, most people would probably still behave positively. However, there would always be a minority who would not. This is why a society without rules is unlikely to exist.
1. What does the underlined word ‘‘this’’ in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A program in human brains. | B．A comfortable situation. |
| C．The response with bad feelings. | D．The requirement off fairness. |
| A．To punish illegal activities. | B．To prevent disagreement. |
| C．To promote fairness. | D．To meet various demands. |
| A．Take exams honestly because cheating is shameful |
| B．Park in the right place so as not to get a parking ticket. |
| C．Pay the electricity bill on time in order not to get a late fee. |
| D．Cooperate with your classmates to win a prize for your class. |
| A．Living by the rules | B．Following rules with punishments |
| C．Reaching a compromise | D．Calling for fairness |
