单选题 A study by Dr. David Lewis from The University of Sussex, who coined the term "road rage," found that motorists face a hidden mental health impact from the stresses of driving, while bus travel can produce long-term health benefits.
For the experiment, the heart rate and EDR (Electro-Dermal Response) of 30 commuters was measured when taking similar journeys by car and bus. The findings reveal a vast difference in EDR, a form of biophysical measurement that indicates mental stress. The EDR results suggested that taking the car produced significantly more stress than taking the bus, which was 33% less stressful.
"EDR can be a hidden stress-it's not as visible as intensely nervous driving or audible as road rage. This type of stress can have long-term physiological and emotional implications," said Dr. Lewis, who finds three key factors that increase the stresses of driving a car.
Driving in heavy traffic-especially against a deadline-requires a high level of attention. This requires the brain to work especially hard processing a myriad of incoming information and making, often split-second, decisions.
Congestion and delays can raise blood pressure and physical tension which may manifest itself as "road rage," having serious long-term health consequences and causing drivers sometimes to take reckless and foolish decisions. Driving in congested traffic now outweighs any previous benefits car-driving once gave.
A sense of frustration of "wasting one's life" behind the wheel of the car, unable to do anything more productive than casual conversations or listening to the radio. On a bus it is possible to Fill the time more profitably by doing some work or reading.
He also notes that highly trained, professional bus drivers are skilled in negotiating the challenges of the road, and the relief of trusting someone else to be in charge of the journey is a key part of what makes taking the bus less stressful.
He encourages people to get out of their cars and on to the bus for trips where it makes sense-such as shopping in town or heading to a restaurant-- so that you don't need to battle traffic or find parking. Switching simple journeys can help achieve the goal of taking a billion car journeys off the road. All it will take is everyone shifting around a trip a month.
单选题 The finding of the study mentioned in this passage is that ______.
  • A. cars cause more traffic accidents than buses
  • B. driving a car is more stressful than taking a bus
  • C. high blood pressure is harmful to human's health
  • D. car driving is accompanied by many distractions
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第二段最后一句说,实验结果表明,开车引发的紧张情绪远远超过乘坐公交车,两者相差33%。
单选题 The term "road rage" probably refers to ______.
  • A. the sudden heart attack that drivers suffer from
  • B. the explosive outbursts of anger shown by motorists
  • C. traffic accidents arising from bad-tempered drivers
  • D. the panic caused by traffic congestions
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第三段第一句讲,EDR不像过分紧张开车那样显而易见,也不像路怒症(road rage)那样能听得到。这就意味着路怒症是有声音的。此外,rage这个词的含义就是“恼火”,因此road rage很可能指“路上发火”。路怒症是指在交通阻塞情况下开车时,压力与挫折所导致的愤怒情绪。
单选题 All of the following are considered a source of stress during car driving EXCEPT ______.
  • A. heavy traffic
  • B. traffic jams
  • C. unfamiliar roads
  • D. a sense of waste of time
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第三段到第六段说,使小车司机更加紧张的因素包括车辆多、交通堵塞和感觉浪费时间,没有提及路线不熟。
单选题 One of the advantages of a bus ride is that ______.
  • A. you can do something productive on the road
  • B. there is no fear of taking the wrong road
  • C. no passenger suffers from high blood pressure
  • D. you can get to your destination quickly
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 第六段最后说,公交车的乘客可以充分利用这个时间做点事或看书。
单选题 This passage is intended to ______.
  • A. urge the public to stop using cars altogether
  • B. advise people to take a bus instead of a car when possible
  • C. tell people how to ward off stress while driving a car
  • D. highlight the causes of stress in a city
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章最后一段建议人们从自己做起,在可能时尽量乘坐公交车。如果人人能这样做,每天开车的人就少多了。其他选项没有证据。
单选题 Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
  • A. Car Driving: A Demanding But Exciting Job
  • B. Traffic Jams: A Source of Diseases and Conflicts
  • C. Road Rage: A Frequent Occurrence on the Way
  • D. Bus Travel: One Third Less Stressful Than the Car
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 文章主要介绍一个实验结果。通过列举了开车令人紧张的原因,说明开车对身体不利。根据实验结果,实验人员建议人们少开车,尽量乘坐公共汽车。文章的主题不是交通堵塞或路怒症,而是比较开车和乘坐公交车对身体的影响。