Fumbling with the buttons to find a good song while driving has been linked to increased risk of crashes, but is listening to music risky? "It depends on the music," says a report published in the October issue of Accident Analysis & Prevention. The study found teenage drivers who played their own music had significantly more traffic violations compared with background music designed by the researchers to minimize driving distractions, or no music. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Israel recruited 85 drivers about 18 years old; just over half were male. The _ were each assigned to drive six challenging road trips that were about 40 minutes long, accompanied by an experienced driving instructor. Music was played on four trips, two with selections from the drivers' playlists, mostly fast-paced vocals, and two with background music, which was a mixture of easy listening, soft rock and light jazz designed to increase driver safety. No music was played on two trips. Subjects rated their mood after each trip and in-car data recorders analyzed driver behavior and errors. All 85 subjects committed at least three errors in one or more of the six trips; 27 received a warning and 17 required steering or braking by an instructor to prevent an accident. When the music was their own, 98% made errors; without the music, 92% made errors; and while listening to the safe-driving music, 77% made errors. Speeding, following too close, inappropriate lane use, one-handed driving and were the common violations. The male subjects were more aggressive drivers and made more serious errors than female subjects. The teens played their own music at a very loud volume but significantly decreased the sound level when listening to the safe-driving music, researchers said. Mood ratings were highest on trips with driver-preferred music. In the research, soft rock and light jazz are likely to _ . A) increase drivers' safety B) add to the pleasure of driving C) change drivers' idea of safe driving D) lower drivers' guard against danger
A
(Question)
It's not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other's lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children. The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter. The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay's son. On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change - she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay's stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families? Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires ; it's just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit? According to the Los Angeles Times, its "presentation of contemporary US society" contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical "nuclear family" is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there's a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the "cool dad" while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying "an eye for an eye". She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker. The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as "by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics..." BBC pointed out. In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects... Which of the following is TRUE about the characters in Modern Family? A) There are always fights between Phil and Claire because of their different ways of raising kids. B) Jay, Claire and Mitchell make up a typical American family. C) Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple and they adopted a boy. D) Jay and his wife are often not thought of as a couple because their ages are so far apart.
(Answer)
D
Question: There is an English saying that goes,"he who laughs last,laughs the hardest."High School Musical star Zac Efron is laughing a lot these days. As a young boy,Efron was _ in school because he was always the smallest in his class and teased because he had a big space between his teeth. In sixth grade,Efron's basketball team made it to the league championships. In double overtime ,with three seconds left,he rebounded the ball and passed it--to the wrong team! They scored and his team lost the game. But history, as they say, is a thing of the past. Now at 21,Efron is one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People,appears on the cover of Entertainment Weekly,Hollywood's most influential magazine,and is traveling the world promoting the third High School Musical film. Director Adam Shankman described Efron as "arguably the biggest teen star in America right now."Simply geogle"Zac Efron"and you get more than 14 million responses. Yes,it seems Efron has a lot to smile about these days. Efron was born and raised in California. He took school seriously. According to Efron, "he would go mad if he got a B and not an A in school, and that he was a class clown."It was his father who encouraged him to act. He took part in school performances and with a local theater group. He also took singing lessons. He graduated high school in 2006 and was accepted at the University of Southern California to study film. But he postponed it-why study movies when you can star in them. Now he has signed on to star in the romantic comedy Seventeen Again and to play in the remake of the hugely popular movie,Footloose.Efron is also earning more than $3 million for his role in High School Musical 3.Not bad for a 21-year-old. But Efron still remembers those bullies . "You always have to remember that bullies want to bring you down because you have something that they admire,"Efron said."Also,when you get made fun of, when people point out your weaknesses, it's an opportunity for you to rise above". Efron has risen all the way to the top of... Why did Efron put off his university study? A) Because he didn't want to lose the chance to star in films. B) Because he had learned all the things about film. C) Because he wanted to make more money. D) Because he showed no interest in it.
Answer:
A