About ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way. Women are luckier; only about one in two hundred is affected (影响) in this matter. Perhaps, after all, it is safer to be driven by a woman!

There are different forms of color blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shadows of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man may see everything in shades of green － a strange world indeed.

Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called “cones”. These help us to see in a bright light and to tell difference between colors. There are also millions of “rods”, but these are used for seeing when it is near dark. They show us shape but no color.

Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes prefer blue to yellow. A red light will not attract insects, but a blue lamp will. In a similar way human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the aid of the cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day, and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us.

16. The passage is mainly about _____________.

   A. color and its surprising effects.

   B. women being luckier than men

   C. danger caused by color blindness

   D. color blindness

17. According to the passage, with the help of the “cones”, we can_______________.

   A. tell different shapes                    B. see in a weak light

   C. kill mosquitoes                        D. tell orange from yellow

18. Why do some people say it is safer to be driven by women?

   A. Women are more careful.

   B. There are fewer color-blind women

   C. Women are fonder of driving than men.

   D. Women are weaker but quicker in thinking.

19. Which of the statements about the color- blind is true?

   A. Not all of them have the same problem in recognizing color.

   B. None of them can see deep red.

   C. None of them can tell the difference between blue and green.

   D. All of them see everything in shades of green.

      As my dad unwrapped(打开) the new bicycle helmet（头盔）that I got him for his birthday, I realized that a number of people ride their bicycles every day without the protection of a helmet.

    Due to cold winters across the country, riding has become increasingly dangerous as many roads have potholes and are torn-up (磨损的). Not everyone realizes that there are laws requiring the wearing of helmets in many places.

    Where I live, there has been a law in place since October 1, 1992 stating that cyclists of all ages are required to wear helmets. Unfortunately, accidents can happen to the best of riders. My dad has been a cyclist for many years, and he often rides around my county and to Rockland Lake State Park.

    One afternoon, as he was just entering the park, he lost control of his bicycle and flew off and landed on a nearby patch of grass, breaking his helmet into pieces and losing consciousness(知觉). When he was just awakening, a lovely couple found him and brought him back to our house, where he attempted to recap the events leading up to his fall. Later that day, a CAT scan showed that he had a concussion (脑震荡). That evening, while my dad was showing me the pieces of his broken helmet, we both came to a shocking realization.

    If he had not worn his helmet, he probably would have cracked his skull and perhaps died. Today, when my dad and I go out cycling, the wearing of our helmets is not even a question. Regardless of age, everyone should wear a helmet whenever they get on a bicycle.

20. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TURE?

   A. Young men needn’t wear helmets.

   B. The writer’s father didn’t wear a helmet until the writer bought him one.

   C. People don’t have to wear helmets on smooth surface roads.

   D. Accidents do not happen to the best cyclists.

21. In the writer’s opinion, why should people wear bicycle helmets?

   A. Because a law requires them to do so.

   B. Because many people like wearing bicycle helmets.

   C. Because people have realized the importance of wearing helmets.

   D. Because the conditions of roads are very poor and it is dangerous to ride on them.

22 The underlined part “we both came to a shocking realization” in Paragraph 4 means “_______”. 

   A. we understood how lucky the dad was to have worn a helmet

   B. we were shocked to see the broken helmet

   C. we realized that young people needn’t wear helmets

   D. only old people should wear helmets

23. From the accident that happened to the writer’s dad, we can infer that ___________.

   A. the cyclists should follow the law

   B. his dad was not worried about this accident

   C. it is necessary for cyclists to wear helmets

   D. everyone should care about life

     Bob was born in Cambridge.  When he was in elementary school, he asked his mother to take him to parks in their community so he could collect empty soda cans (罐) to recycle.  His mother agreed, as long as he saved part of the money he earned for college.

Bob’s mother remembers Bob as the most determined of her seven kids.  Bob’s hard work paid off.  On Friday, he will become the first person in his family, originally from El Salvador, to graduate from college.  And he’s graduating with university honors.

     For his honors thesis（毕业论文）he researched unmanned solar-powered(太阳能) airplanes, which BYU students have been building and testing for about 10 years.  Bob’s study helps discover the best way to fly a solar-powered airplane so that it uses the least amount(数量) of power.  The goal is to design and build an airplane that flies uncertainly.  Bob’s thesis helps lay the basis for this work.

     “My parents were always hard-working,” Bob said.  “They often tell us hard work leads to success.” Bob’s father taught him to read at the age of 3, and his mother is currently a student at Utah Valley University in a way to becoming a dentist.

      Bob recognized he overcame some obstacles(障碍)to get where he is.  For starters, English is his second language. He also faced stereotypes（模式化的形象）.  Although Bob never doubted that he would be a college graduate, other people believed he wouldn’t because he didn’t come from a family of high income.  There were other obstacles as well, but Bob viewed them all as opportunities.

     Bob’s mother says she feels very happy and proud that her son is about to graduate with honors, and remembers the effort he’s made to get there.  “He has worked very hard.  He started something, and now he has finished it,” Cathy says.  “I have always told him, ‘If this is your dream, then you can get it! Keep working hard and you can get it!’”

  24. From the passage we can know that Bob’s honors thesis _____     .

     A. makes his mother feel surprised

     B. helps to save the power of flying a solar-powered airplane  

  C. is done with BYU students

     D. doubts the way of flying a solar-powered airplane

  25. According to the passage, Bob    _____  .

     A. researched unmanned solar-powered airplanes for 10 years

     B. paid for all his study by collecting empty soda cans

     C. worked hard and has graduated from college  

  D. was affected by his family and has made some achievements

  26. People thought Bob couldn’t graduate from college because  _____    .

     A. his parents had little money to support him  

  B. his teacher didn’t think he could graduate

     C. he didn’t work hard on his study  

  D. he didn’t dare to face the obstacles for short of confidence

  27. It can be inferred that    _____  .

      A. Bob’s mother is on the way to becoming a dentist

      B. Bob’s mother works in their community.

      C. Bon’s father will graduate from Utah Valley University on Friday

   D. Bob’s father learnt to read at the age of 3

   Ever since Jonathan had set up a house in Compton Street, he had looked after it very carefully. He worked hard in the garden every Sunday and set out to impress the neighbours with his flower beds and lawn. (草地) Before he left the house in the mornings, he carefully closed all the doors downstairs, opened some windows to let the air in and locked the front gate. Everything Jonathan did was tidy and systematic.

    One summer evening Jonathan returned home as usual at five minutes to seven precisely (正好). When he opened the front gate, he immediately noticed something strange. There was a heavy footprint in the earth in one of the flower beds. Jonathan was just going to blame the milkman or the postman when he noticed that one of the curtains in the front room downstairs was out of place. Jonathan never left anything out of place.

    He walked up to the front door and opened it quietly. The front-room door was half-open. Jonathan studied it thoughtfully, wondering if he had forgotten to close it that morning. He had never forgotten before. He stepped silently across the hall to the door and looked inside the room. The shadow of a man was clearly reflected (反射)on the far wall in the evening sunlight. He had obviously been standing behind the door since Jonathan’s return. Jonathan grasped the door-handle, slammed(猛推) the door and turned the key. Then he calmly picked up the telephone in the hall and set about calling the police.

    Three minutes later the police arrived. Jonathan was a little annoyed that he had to have dinner later than usual, but on the whole he felt quite pleased with himself.

28. The first paragraph mainly tells us that Jonathan was ___.

    A. a hard-working man             B. a kind person  

    C. rather set in his living ways   D. very clever

29. What made Jonathan feel strange immediately he opened the front gate?

    A. He couldn’t open the door.  

    B. There was a heavy footprint in the earth in one flower bed.

    C. The curtain was broken.    

    D. The front-room door was half-open.

30. In the end Jonathan was a little annoyed because ____.

    A. he had to change his habits a little       

    B. he caught the thief finally

    C. the thief stole many of his flowers       

    D. the police came too late

    Do you have a spare room in your house? Do you like to share your driveway  (私人汽车道) in front of your garage with others? 31_ Many people are benefiting from this new business of renting(租借).

Perhaps the best-known company in this field is Airbnb----an American web business which allows you to rent out your spare room to holidaymakers. It says it operates in 34,000 cities and it has 800,000 listings of rooms and apartments. _32_ .

A British company is doing something with parking spaces. Just Park’s founder, Anthony Eskinazi, says, “When I had the original idea, I spotted a driveway close to a sports stadium. It would have been so convenient if I could have just parked in that driveway rather than in a commercial(商业的) car park. ” _33_ . Around 20,000 people have advertised their spaces on the website, and he says around half a million drivers use it.

_34_ . They are people who run things like traditional hotels and commercial car parks. They are afraid of ending up losing money.

_35_. Rules for these new businesses are unclear. How will renting out your driveway affect your neighbour? Because this is a new business world, those rules aren’t there yet. 

A. they seem to have occupied the majority（大多数）of the market.

B. Both of these can help you make money.

C. And there is another problem

D. And his great idea has proved a success.

E. But the new business of renting has its competitors.

F. There are many ways to earn money.

G. A commercial car park is inconvenient.