2003年09月英语四级试题（阅读1）
第1页：2003年09月英语四级试题（听力） 第2页：2003年09月英语四级试题（阅读1） 第3页：2003年09月英语四级试题（阅读2） 第4页：2003年09月英语四级试题（阅读3） 第5页：2003年09月英语四级试题（阅读4） 第6页：2003年09月英语四级试题（词汇） 第7页：2003年09月英语四级试题（问答） 第8页：2003年09月英语四级试题（写作）
Part ⅡReading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C)and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single ling through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
A rectal 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 autboes 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.” Be 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 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 leenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passcager restrictions, before graduating to full driving privileges.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced leenage driver crashes, according to recent studies, About half of the states now have some sort of graduated Hcensing 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.
21. Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?
A) Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m.
B) A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car.
C) Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.
D) A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.
22. According to Robert Foss. The high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly due to ________
A) their frequent driving at nightC) their lack of driving experience
B) their improper way of driving D) their driving with passengers
23. According to Paragraph 3. which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive.
B) Driving is a skill too complicated for teenagers to learn.
C) Restrictions should be imposed on teenagers applying to take driving lessons.
D) The licensing authonties are partly responsible for teenagers' driving accidents.
24. A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers' driving accidents is that ________ .
A) driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule
B) they should be prohibited from taking on passengers
C) they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p.m.
D) the licensing system should be improved
25. The present situation in about half of the states is that the graduated licensing system ________.
A) is under discussion C) has been put into effect
B) is about to be set up D) has been perfected
