4.　　　 One way the writer of this letter tries to convince the reader is by _____.

A.　　　 complaining that someone has to drive him to Parkersburg

B.　　　 getting an after-school job in fast-food restaurant himself

C.　　　 suggesting that many businessmen have the same opinion

D.　　　 giving specific examples of the high costs in Brockingham

　　　　　　　　　　　B

A recent study, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a fatal accident as a teenager driving alone. By contrast, the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger.

The author also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased dramatically after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight, with passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.

Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue.” he says, “is that adults who are responsible for issuing licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled a task driving is.”

Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使……缓解)the problem is to have states institute so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a multistage process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passenger restrictions, before graduating to full driving privileges.

Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies, About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have restrictions on passengers, California is the strictest, with a novice(新手)driver prohibited from carrying any passenger under 20(without the presence of an adult over 25)for the first six months.

3.　　　 The underlined word “counterproductive” in paragraph 6 of the letter probably means _____.

A. cheap, not expensive　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. surprising, not expected

C. harmful, not helpful 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. doubtful, not sure

2.　　　 From the letter we can infer that _____.

A.　　　 the writer used to buy a lot of ice-cream soda

B.　　　 the students refuse to work in fancy food restaurants

C.　　　 the government’s ban benefits local merchants much

D.　　　 discount stores usually offer a discount of 40%

1.　　　 Why does Wes Woodrow write this letter to the editor?

A.　　　 Because the government bans all fast-food restaurants and discount stores in Brockingham.

B.　　　 Because the writer can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2.

C.　　　 Because a family of four can’t find a restaurant in Brockingham to eat dinner for less than $100.

D.　　　 Because the writer has to travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store.

8.　　　 It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A.　　　 a baby orangutan has his own intention though following his mother

B.　　　 many animals in the wild can learn symbolic languages to express their thoughts

C.　　　 the cleverer the animals are, the more knowledge they would like to learn

D.　　　 orangutans can form mental images in their minds when they see objects

第10天 　　　　　　　　　　　　A

Dear Editor,

Brockingham is run by people who are more interested in tourists than its residents. The problem is that the people running the government refuse to accept new ideas. By banning(禁止) all fast-food restaurants and discount stores, they take away all the places kids can afford to shop.

These people forget that when they were young, they could go to the South Street Soda Fountain and get an ice-cream soda for 25 cents. Today you can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2! Where can kids go for a snack?

There is not a single restaurant in Brockingham where a family of four can eat dinner for less than $100. Add a 15% tip and sales tax and you have spent nearly $125 to eat a meal you could prepare at home for about $12. Have you noticed that Brockingham families never dine in Brockingham?

Fast-food restaurants are also a good place for school kids to get an after-school job. Fast-food restaurants are busiest during the early supper hours when students are able to work, whereas the fancy food restaurants cater to late-night diners. Working in one of these establishments requires working shifts that are too late for most students.

The City Council claims that local merchants, rather than national chains, should benefit from the tourist business. I agree that it is important to support local businesses, but I think the fast-food restaurants would encourage more people to shop in Brockingham.

Another thing that disturbs me is that we must travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store. If I need a tire for my bike, I have a choice of buying one at Surf and Peddle Sport Shop for $15 or driving to Parkersburg Discount Center where I can buy the same kind of tire for $9. Again, I think the ban on all food chains and discount houses is counterproductive for our city.

Wes Woodrow

9th-Grade Student at Brockingham High School

7.　　　 According to the passage, scientists use a system of symbols to help _____.

A.　　　 find out which orangutan can learn the symbolic language fast

B.　　　 attract all the orangutans to live together at Think Tank

C.　　　 communicate with the orangutans and understand them better

D.　　　 understand whether animals can learn a language and express themselves by using it

6.　　　 The Orangutan Transit System refers to _____.

A.　　　 a way that can teach animals to learn things and communicate quickly

B.　　　 a place for various animals in the National Zoo to participate in the study

C.　　　 a walkway for the orangutans to travel to different sections of the zoo

D.　　　 a line for the orangutans to travel between the Great Ape House and the Think Tank

5.　　　 What is the main idea of the passage?

A.　　　 Scientists are doing research on whether animals can think and how they think.

B.　　　 Biologists have found that orangutans are more intelligent than other animals.

C.　　　 Orangutans at the National Zoo can be taught to communicate with humans easily.

D.　　　 Animals are being taught by scientists to speak to one another at the National Zoo.

4.　　　 The message of the passage is that _____.

A.　　　 action speaks louder than words

B.　　　 perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders

C.　　　 God helps those who help themselves

D.　　　 many hands make light work

B

　　 Amazed zoo visitors watch as an orangutan(猩猩) named Bonnie swings along cables way above their heads. She’s not making a great ape escape; she’s taking a “highway” to higher learning.

Bonnie is traveling on the Orangutan Transit System, called the O-Line, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The O-Line stretches from the Great Ape House, where Bonnie lives, to an exhibit called Think Tank. There she and other orangutans participate in a study trying to answer the questions: Do animals think? 　If so, 　how?

　　 Think Tank scientists look for clues that an animal is thinking. A baby orangutan following its mother is probably not thinking. But an orangutan using a stick to reach honey in a beehive probably is thinking. It’s figuring out how to obtain a sweet treat.

　　 To learn more about what the orangutans are thinking, Think Tank scientists are teaching orangutans a language of symbols. The apes don’t actually speak. They point to the symbols to show their thoughts.

　　 Each symbol stands for a word. Different categories of the symbols have their own shapes. Food symbols, for example, are rectangles(矩形); object symbols are circles; and verbs are diamonds.

　　 Computers help the orangutans learn the symbolic language. After the apes are shown an apple, for example, their task is to touch the apple symbol on a computer screen. They can do so. All six orangutans have learned a few symbols, but only Azy and Indah have learned eight symbols and can use the computer.

　　 Azy and Indah choose to live at Think Tank. The others commute(往返) from the Great Ape House on the O-Line. All attend Think Tank sessions, though none are made to do so. “They’re eager to learn”, one of the scientists says. “They never turn me down!”

3.　　　 What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

A.　　　 That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

B.　　　 That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

C.　　　 That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

D.　　　 That he had to keep everything he did secret.