Believe it or not, optical illusion(錯覺) can cut highway crashes.

Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.

Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金會) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.

Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards (danger) are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.

Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.

Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.

1. The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. a new way of highway speed control

B. a new pattern for painting highways

C. a new way of training drivers

D. a new type of optical illusion

2. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________.

A. they should avoid speed-related hazards

B. they are driving in the wrong lane

C. they should slow down their speed

D. they are coming near to the speed limit

3. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________.

A. can keep drivers awake     B. can cut road accidents in half

C. will look more attractive   D. will have a longer effect on drivers

4. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.

A. try out the Japanese method in certain areas

B. change the road signs across the country

C. replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons

D. repeat the Japanese road patterns

5. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?

A. They are suitable only on broad roads.   

B. They are falling out of use in the United States.

C. They are ignored in a long period of time.

D. They cannot be used successfully to traffic circles.

A new study has found that the best way to make yourself feel happier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before.

Volunteers who were asked to remember a pleasant event from past 24 hours began to feel happier right away. Other activities such as saying “Thank you” and smiling also made volunteers feel happier, but not as much.

Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University planned the study. He got 26,000 people to go online to try out a few different activities to make them feel happier. They were told to be nice, remember a pleasant event from the day before, give thanks or smile for 15 seconds twice a day. The volunteers did these activities for one week.

The result showed that thinking about one good thing that had happened the day before worked the best for making people happier.

The text may probably be taken from _____.

A. a personal anecdote(軼事)   B. sports news   

C. a history novel              D. brief news

Volunteers who _____ began to feel happier right away.

A. thought of something good that happened the day before

B. were asked to remember a pleasant event from the past 24 hours

C. did other activities like saying “thank you” and smiling

D. went online to try out a few different activities

From the text we know that Richard Wiseman is a(an) _____.

A. worker           B. artist           C. professor        D. director

The volunteers gave thanks or smile _____ a week.

A. 15 seconds       B. 3.5 seconds  C. 15 minutes   D. 3.5 minutes

 閱讀表達(dá)（共5小題；每小題3分，滿分l 5分）

Do you want to work with people or animals or machines or tools? Do you want to work indoors or outdoors, directly serve people in need or serve people behind the scenes? These are the typical questions that a volunteer service agency would ask.

   Every year, thousands and thousands of people in the west offer volunteer services. Volunteering greatly strengthens the community partly because it helps the old, the young, the weak, the sick, the disabled and the injured to overcome difficulties.

   Volunteers usually help in many different ways. They may give people advice, offer friendship to the young, drive the elderly to church, counsel kids against drugs. Work as an assistant in a school or nursing home, raise funds, plant trees, help out in local libraries and do many other things.

Volunteering can be a few hours a week or a few hours a month, time during the day, evenings or weekends, either part time or full time. Anybody __________ can become a volunteer.

The art of volunteering is a process of both giving and receiving. Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people and make new friends and mix with people from all walks of life. Volunteering is an excellent way to experiment, practice and try out new techniques and skills. It is much more effective to practice a skill than to read about it or study it in a classroom. Volunteering is a great way to develop good teamwork skills, discover your individual talents and explore career choices. Being a volunteer takes individuals on a wonderful journey and helps them learn many important things beyond their school.

76. What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words)

_______________________________________________________________________77. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

Volunteer service can provide chances for volunteers to make acquaintance of all kinds of people.

_______________________________________________________________________78. Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words, phrases or sentences to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.)

______________________________________________________________________

79. What kind of volunteer jobs would you like to take? Why? (Please answer within 30 words)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

80. Translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The letter was a great disappointment to me. It was from Holy Cross, the only school I really wanted to  41  . I scanned the page, “…. We had a great applicant pool this year. …We can’t offer spaces to   42   … and place you on our waiting list.”

“What does it say, honey?” my dad asked, his voice full of   43   for me.

“I didn’t get in, but I’m on the waiting list.”

“Well, at least it isn’t   44  ,” he said brightly.

“Yeah, but   45  , I don’t want to be on the waiting list; I want to be   46  . No one gets in off the waiting list. It’s a way of saying ‘Thanks for   47  ’.”

“Then let’s go out there and tell them so.”

“That sounds   48  , dad.” I said sadly, “It doesn’t work.”

Upset and annoyed, I   49   myself in my room. However，my father’s advice kept   50   in my head. I thought about it for a few days, finally coming to the   51   that he was right. And the next day I seated myself across from Mr. Luis Soto, my admissions officer.

“What can I do for you, Nacie?” he asked pleasantly.

“Well, sir, I am here to tell you that I love this school and would love a   52   to be here. I just wanted to tell you how much going here would   53   to me—it is my only dream college— and that I would use my time here to the best   54  . I wanted to let you know that if you gave me a chance and reconsidered my application, you wouldn’t   55   it.” The words had poured out  56  I could stop them or check their desperate tone.

Mr. Soto looked me over for a minute before he smiled broadly.

“OK, that is the kind of thing we love to hear. Congratulations, you’re in.”

It was so   57   and I asked, “I’m sorry?”

“We want people in the class who want to be here, who will   58   the best of this education. I’m glad you came to talk   59   to me. I’m happy to offer you a position in the Class of 2009.”

The whole experience taught me a lesson: if you truly want something, never, ever   60  .

1.A. attend                   B. study                       C. admit                      D. visit

2.A. everyone          B. anyone                  C. someone        D. no one

3.A. trust             B. pity                    C. anxiety          D. curiosity

4.A. admission          B. imagination             C. restriction        D. rejection  

5.A. ever              B. again                 C. also              D. still

6.A. recognized          B. received                 C. accepted          D. permitted

7.A. writing            B. trying                   C. replying           D. waiting

8.A. lame             B. reasonable               C. painful         D. practical 

9.A. enjoyed            B. comforted            C. stayed             D. buried 

10.A. saying         B. ringing               C. showing          D. reminding

11.A. point            B. conclusion              C. agreement         D. arrangement

12.A. chance                B. motivation         C. degree         D. change  

13.A. refer            B. turn                    C. mean            D. stick

14. A. contribution      B. condition                       C. advantage        D. result 

15.A. suspect                   B. disappoint               C. refuse              D. regret

16.A. as             B. when                 C. until           D. before    

17.A. unbelievable       B. unforgettable           C. unbearable     D. favorable

18.A. take                    B. get                          C. make                D. receive

19.A. patiently                 B. openly                     C. carefully           D. calmly

20.A. get through          B. give up                 C. keep on            D. try out

 

A new study has found that the best way to make yourself feel happier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before.

Volunteers who were asked to remember a pleasant event from past 24 hours began to feel happier right away．Other activities such as saying “Thank you” and smiling also made volunteers feel happier, but not as much.

Professor Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University planned the study．He got 26,000 people to go online to try out a few different activities to make them feel happier．They were told to be nice, remember a pleasant event from the day before, give thanks or smile for 15 seconds twice a day．The volunteers did these activities for one week.

The result showed that thinking about one good thing that had happened the day before worked the best for making people happier.

The text may probably be taken from _____.

       A．a(chǎn) personal anecdote(軼事)          B．sports news   

       C．a(chǎn) history novel                    D．brief news

Volunteers who _____ began to feel happier right away.

       A．thought of something good that happened the day before

       B．were asked to remember a pleasant event from the past 24 hours

       C．did other activities like saying “thank you” and smiling

       D．went online to try out a few different activities

From the text we know that Richard Wiseman is a(an) _____.

       A．worker     B．a(chǎn)rtist C．professor  D．director

The best title may probably be _____.

       A．Thinking about yesterday’s happiness to be happy today

       B．Making a study to make people happier and younger

       C．Letting out a secret to live a longer life

       D．Doing experiments to make people happier