Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Passage One
　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

　　 A recent study, published in last week's Journal to 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 authors 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 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 or 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.

　　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 night.
　　B) their improper way of driving.
　　C) their lack of driving experience.
　　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 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 been 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
　　B) is about to be set up
　　C) has been put into effect
　　D) has been perfected

　　Part II Reading Comprehension

　　Passage 1

　　21. B 本题题干中的 "dangerous"将本题的答案信息圈定在第一段第一句，因为该句中的 "risky"一词与题干中的 "dangerous"一词相呼应。该句强调 "how risky it is to get a lift from a teenage driver（搭青少年司机的车非常危险）"，故只有选项B是正确答案，因为只有该选项表达的内容是青少年驾车。选项A和C均是成年人(adults)驾车，选项D是青少年搭陌生人的车。

　　22. C 本题题干中的人名 "Robert Ross"将本题的答案信息圈定在第三段第一句。该句强调青少年司机的高死亡率更多地与缺乏驾驶经验有关(a lack of driving experience)，故选项C是正确答案。

　　23. D 本题题干明确指出该题的答案在第三段。在回答完第22题之后，第三段只有尾句能够提供答案。本段尾句强调：青少年司机高死亡率的根本问题是负责颁发驾照的成年人没有认识到驾车是一项非常复杂和技术性较强的工作。故选项D是正确答案，因为只有选项D涉及到了有关颁发驾照的成年人(the licensing)的问题。

　　24. D 本题题干中的 "reduce teenagers' driving accidents"将本题的答案信息圈定在第四段第一句，因为本句中的 "mitigate the problem"与题干中的 "reduce teenagers' driving accidents"相呼应。第四段第一句强调：让美国各州制定一种新的颁发驾照体系(a so-call graduated licensing system)，即在原有的基础上将颁发驾照的过程细化为若干阶段(stage)，每个阶段均有不同的要求。综上所述，选项D是正确答案，因为只有该选项涉及颁发执照系统(licensing system)，而选项D中的 "improved"一词恰好反映了原文中表达的"在原有系统基础之上的细化--将颁发执照细分为若干阶段"。

　　25. C 本题题干中的 "present"一词将本题的答案圈定在本文尾段的第二句，因为该句中的 "now"一词与题干中的 "present"相呼应。该句强调：目前在美国有大约一半的州施行了新的颁发驾照系统(graduated licensing system)，故只有选项C是正确答案。原文中的 "have …in place"等于 "put … into effect"，其含义是"到位""施行"。