What causes traffic jams? That’s easy: too many cars. No, wrong. Think again. What causes much of the jamming on our streets are traffic lights.

Think of all the hours in your life wasted as your car journey is stopped by lights to let non-existent traffic through, and then ask yourself this: who is the better judge of when it’s safe to go-you, the driver at the time and the place, or lights programmed by an absent regulator (控制器) ? Traffic lights exist as a “ease” for a man-made problem—the priority rule(優(yōu)先通行法則).

This rule gives superior rights on main-road traffic at the expense of minor-road traffic and pedestrians. To interrupt the priority streams, lights are “needed”.

Before 1929 when the priority rule came into force, a sort of first-come, first-served rule had been common. All road users had equal rights, so a motorist arriving at a crossing gave way to anyone who had arrived first. Motorists had a simple responsibility for avoiding accident, and a duty of care to other road users.

  In other walks of life the common-law principle of single queuing applies, but the law of the road, based on the priority rule that licenses queue-jumping and bad temper, creates battlegrounds where we have to fight for gaps and green time.

But when lights are out of action-when we’re free of outer controls and allowed to use our own judgment-harmonious attitudes become common. We approach slowly and find our way in turn. People are kind to each other, but when lights start working, traffic jams return.

The traffic lights encourage us to take our eyes off the road to watch the signals, rather than do the safer thing: weigh up what other motorists, cyclists or pedestrians are intending to do.

Not only do traffic lights help to lengthen journeys pointlessly, but also the UK’s large number of 24-hour traffic lights amounts to GPH(嚴(yán)重的全球性危害). About 30 percent of our CO2 output is from traffic. Professor David Hegg, the influential transport expert, admits that 40 percent of that comes from traffic: waiting. Every litre of fuel burnt produces 2.4 kg of our CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Multiply the minutes of forced waiting at controlled lights by the hours in the day and night, by the days in the year, by the number of vehicles, and the environmental effect becomes clear.

1．In the writer’s opinion,         are the better judges to decide when it’s safe to drive through.

       A．traffic lights         B．pedestrians          C．policemen            D．drivers

2．Before 1929,         .

       A．the priority rule started to be in use

       B．the pedestrians often gave way to motorists

       C．the motorists often gave way to the pedestrians

       D．whoever came to the crossing first had the right to go past first

3．In the passage, the writer seems to disagree with          .

       A．the law of road based on the priority rule

       B．the equal rights shared by all road users

       C．the common law of single queuing

       D．the first-come, first-served rule

4．In the last paragraph, we can learn          .

       A．traffic lights make the journey shorter

       B．the number of the cars should be lessened

       C．traffic lights help to worsen the environment

       D．40% of the CO2output is from the traffic waiting

5．The purpose of the passage is to           .

       A．call out to stop the traffic lights

       B．complain about the heavy traffic

       C．explain how cars pollute the environment

       D．call on drivers to give way to other road users

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.

Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.

“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.

They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.

The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(脛骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(橈骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.

Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (鈣) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.

The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.

French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.

A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts

B. they were not interested in their own astronauts

C. the Russian government invited them to do their research

D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time

Scientists have found that _______.

A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts

B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies

C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss

D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel

What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?

A. The food they eat in space.                     B. The drinks they take in space.

C. The temperature in space.                D. The gravity in space.

In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.

A. unusual             B. simple               C. weak                 D. slow

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2010—2011學(xué)年新疆烏魯木齊市第八中學(xué)高二上學(xué)期第一次月考英語(yǔ)卷 題型：閱讀理解

Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.
Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.
“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.
They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.
The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(脛骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(橈骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.
Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (鈣) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.
The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.
【小題1】French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.

A．they only cared for the Russian astronauts
B．they were not interested in their own astronauts
C．the Russian government invited them to do their research
D．the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time
【小題2】 Scientists have found that _______.
A．the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts
B．the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies
C．a(chǎn)stronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss
D．a(chǎn)stronauts should take some calcium before space travel
【小題3】 What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?
A．The food they eat in space.B．The drinks they take in space.
C．The temperature in space.D．The gravity in space.
【小題4】In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.
A．unusualB．simpleC．weakD．slow

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：浙江省杭州十四中2009-2010學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期期中考試試卷（英語(yǔ)） 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分：閱讀理解（共2節(jié)，滿分35分）
第一節(jié)：閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑（共15小題，每小題2分,滿分30分）.
ARGENTINA’S new government faced public anger over its recent decision to greatly reduce the dollar value of its citizens’ bank savings. More than two-thirds of Argentine bank savings were in US dollars. The country’s recession (衰退)，which is in its fourth year, has left a third of Argentine’s 36 million people in poverty.
A few angry people took the streets on January 21, beating pots and pans in protest. And a group of unemployed Argentines demanding jobs blocked a major highway into Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires.
Argentines fear they could lose up to half the dollar value of their savings. Some on the street said the country’s fifth president in the past month has already failed them.
After three weeks in power, President Eduardo Duhalde has broken his first and biggest promise. He said he would return people’s savings in the currency in which were deposited(開戶). Duhalde aims to make exports more competitive. But this is expected to have a serious effect on ordinary families, for the simple reason that in Argentine, 80 percent of loans and mortgages(抵押) are in dollars. The government froze all the bank savings made in dollars, worth US$45 billion in total to stop a run on banks. This cause huge street protest earlier this month and contributed to the downfall of two governments. “Most of my life savings were just taken away from me, “ said Jose, a 38-year-old citizen. “I was going to move to Italy but now I can’t because my money is trapped here. Argentina is like a prison.”
The government loosened the new banking rules a little bit on January 17. However, people still don’t have free access to their bank account. They are only allowed to take out rapidly devaluing pesos, even though their savings are in US dollars.
The banking controls will remain in place for about three months, with a few exceptions for the elderly or people with sever illnesses who need crash.
56. How many people have been left in poverty because of Argentina’s economic recession?
A. all Argentines people                             B. 24 million people
C. 12 million people                                 D. 36 million people
57. What cause Argentines to protest in the streets earlier this month?
Argentina’s economic recession.
Argentina’s new government made its people angry.
Argentina’s government froze all the bank savings made in US dollars.
Two of Argentina’s governments failed to make exports more competitive.
58. What does the sentence… my money is trapped here” mean_____?
My bank savings have been frozen by the government.
I don’t want to take my money away.
I don’t have any money in the bank.
My money has been taken by the Italian government.
59. According to the article, which of the following sentences is correct?
people can get their money from the bank freely.
People are only allowed to get US dollars from the bank.
The government will only allow people to get pesos from the bank.
The banking controls will loosen a little in three months’ time.
60. Argentines cannot get US dollars from the bank unless they are_____.
A. ordinary people                             B. rich or government officials
C. poor people                                          D. old or seriously ill

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2012-2013學(xué)年黑龍江大慶高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip. It wasn’t the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way.

As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store. Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper. I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries.

I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry. On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables. It also included a short story about the boy and his efforts to collect food donations since the age of 8. I was really touched that someone so young would be so interested in helping others. I told him it was an awesome idea and that he should be proud of himself. He smiled.

Then, I went inside to get my drink. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have it in stock. But, I wasn’t upset, because by then I felt I had another mission. I went through the store, picking things from the list, then brought them back out to the boy and put them in the cart. I also gave the man the white sheet of paper back to reuse for another customer. They thanked me and offered me a treat (candy, I think) but I said to pass it on to someone else.

As I walked back to my car, the boy’s well-intentioned spirit stuck with me. How inspiring to encounter a young boy with a resolve to do good deeds, and the courage to act on it. It made my day!

1.What do we know from the passage?

A. The author wasn’t a regular customer to the store.

B. The store was owned by the man and the boy.

C. The store didn’t deal in drinks.

D. The author refused their treat because he didn’t need it.

2.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in paragraph 4?

A. He didn’t get his drink

B. He carried out another mission.

C. He got thanks and was offered a treat

D. He wasn’t upset though not getting his drink.

3.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A Day for a Boy.              B. A Young Boy’s Determination.

C. An Inspiring Boy.             D. A Young Boy’s Groceries.

4.We can infer from the description of the author that the boy is _______.

A. noble-minded                   B. hard-working

C. well-educated                   D. open-minded

 

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2012屆新疆烏魯木齊市高二上學(xué)期第一次月考英語(yǔ)題 題型：閱讀理解

Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.

Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.

“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.

They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.

The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(脛骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(橈骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.

Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (鈣) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.

The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.

1.French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.

A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts   

B. they were not interested in their own astronauts

C. the Russian government invited them to do their research  

D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time

2. Scientists have found that _______.

A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts

B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies

C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss

D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel

3. What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?

A. The food they eat in space.          B. The drinks they take in space.

C. The temperature in space.            D. The gravity in space.

4.In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.

A. unusual      B. simple           C. weak         D. slow

 

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