阅读理解

　　Road research experts, puzzled by“motorway madness”, are to make an attempt to discover why drivers continue to take deadly risks in mist and fog．Studies of motorway accidents have given us surprising fact that 98% of drivers ignore all warning of coming danger, particularly fog．

　　After two years of computerized research into driving and crashes, Dr Peter Lewis, a lecturer at Birmingham University Department of Transportation, says：“the positive fright of a crash appears to be the only thing that will make a driver more careful．”

　　His findings agree with those of experts in the Department of the Environment, who have persuaded R．John Gilbert, Minister of Transport, to give the right to the latest of a series of projects to stop the killer resulting from many crashed on motorways．

　　Next month, a 5000-pound American automatic speed-recording machine that photographs vehicle exceeding a set speed will be installed on a stretch of the M4 near Reading．The machine, called Orb is takes a photograph of the vehicle and its number plate, and records its speed, the time and the date．It can record up to 900 vehicles an hour in a 24-hour period．

　　Similar machines are used in Germany and the USA as speed traps, but Dr Gilbert is determined that Orb is will be used only for experiment by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory．

　　Dr Gilbert said last week,"We shall use the machine to identify drivers who drive fast in fog．"The department will then write to them and invited them to complete a questionnaire and perhaps take part in some physical tests．He added,"One of the most interesting aspects of the research so far is that some motorists can see better than others in fog．”

　　It is already known that the driver who can see best is not necessarily the fastest, but a well-sighted driver frequently gathers behind him a group of vehicles whose drivers are madly trying to keep his tail lights in view, despite the advice which states,"Don’t hang on to someone else’s tail light．It gives a false sense of security．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出最佳选项。

　　Whitney Houston, who died on February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California, is being remembered across the globe as a trailblazer(开拓者)．Among all of Houston's outstanding achievements, including a total of more than 400 career a wards , her most significant achievement was her record-setting string of seven Number One singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart．It broke the previous record of six set by The Bee Gees and The Beatles．The string began on October 26 , 1985 with her Grammy-winning hit “Saving All My Love For You,” and ended on April 23, 1988 with her R＆B ballad “Where Do Broken Hearts Go．” It was the fourth single from her album“Whitney”to go to Number One, also a record for a female artist．She sold more than 170 million albums worldwide and co-produced and recorded songs for one of the best-selling soundtracks(声带)of all time, The Bodyguard．

　　Whitney Houston was born the daughter of famed gospel(福音)singer Cissy Houston in Newak , New Jersey．Dionne Warwick was her cousin and Aretha Franklin her godmother．She began as a gospel singer and pianist in her mother's church and sometimes performed alongside her in nightclubs．At age 15 , Whitney sang backup on Chaka Khan's “I'm Every Woman,” a tune she later performed on The Bodyguard soundtrack．

　　Whitney signed with Arista in 1983 and released her self-titied debut album two years later．The New York Times called her first effort, “an impressive, musically conservative showcase(展示)for an exceptional vocal talent(声乐天才)．” She continued to achieve similar praise for subsequent albums, while her fast-growing fan base put her into the world-class entertainer．In 1998, she released her most musically-diverse album to date, “My Love Is Your Love．” The title track became her third best-selling single ever．

　　The past 10 years were filled with highs and lows．While Whitney's contract at Arista Records was renewed for ＄100 million, album sales began to slide．Her 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown ended in 2007 , she canceled concerts and interviews , and accusation arose of drug abuse．Her final album “I Look To you,” sold more than two million copies and reached the Number One spot in 2009．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)