Most of us are neither pilots nor astronauts. We are not trained to steer large hulks of steel and gasoline while manipulating small computers. So there's something blindingly obvious about the risks of texting while driving. Yet research is beginning to show that driving while simply talking on a cell phone-including using hands-free technology—can prove dangerous, even deadly. In late July, the Center for Auto Safety released hundreds of pages of a study that identified the cell phone as a serious safety hazard when used on the road. And though it's impossible to accurately calculate how many car accidents nationwide are cell phone related, David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, estimates that only 2% of people are able to safely multitask while driving. Strayer, who for more than a decade has been studying the effects driving and cell-phone use have on the brain, says those 2% are probably the same people who would be really good fighter pilots. Rarities. Some of Strayer's other findings show that most drivers tend to stare straight ahead while using a cell phone and are less influenced by peripheral vision (周边视觉). In other words, "cell phones," he says, "make you blind to your own bad driving." And even though the common assumption is that hands-free technology has reduced the more dangerous side effects of cell-phone use, a series of tests conducted by Strayer seems to indicate the opposite. A passenger acted as another set of eyes for the driver in the test and even stopped or started talking depending on the difficulty of conditions outside the car. Meanwhile, half the drivers talking on a hands-free phone failed, bypassing (绕过) the rest area the test had called for them to stop at. Part of the problem may be that when people direct their attention to sound, the visual capacity of their brain decreases, says Steven Yantis, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University. It can be as if a driver is seeing the image in her head of the person she is talking to, thereby decreasing her ability to see what's actually in front of her.

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic The Prevalence of Western Holidays. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words following the outline given below:1．我国某些传统节日受到冷遇，而西方节日却日益升温。2．形成这种现象的原因。3．你对这种现象的看法。

随着中国国际地位的日益增强，中文、中国文化以及其他与之相关的事物开始在全球流行。世界上有超过3000万的外国人在学习中文。就读于中国高等学府的外国人数量也相当可观。越来越多的中国文学作品被翻译成外语。有外文 配音 (dub)的中国电影，常在欧美影院上映，吸引着越来越多的观众。有些电影甚至在国际电影节上赢得大奖。

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一些学者担心年轻人过分崇尚西方节日，而对中国传统节日的热情逐渐降温。

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中国是一个农业大国，也是世界农业起源地之一。水稻和小麦等农作物都原产自中国。新中国成立后，政府十分重视农业生产，不断加大农业投入，加速了农业生产的现代化进程。因此，中国农业取得了辉煌的成就。中国各种农产品的产量增长很快，谷物、棉花、 花生 (peanut)的总产量均居世界首位。依靠占世界不足10％的 耕地 (cultivatable land)，中国养活了世界1／5以上的人口。

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White pollution refers to plastic pollution. Unrecyclable plastic lunch boxes are all along roads. Plastic shopping bags dance in the wind. If we continue using them, what would happen? One day they might bury us in an ocean of white rubbish. Then the earth, our common homeland, would be a dustbin. To prevent this nightmare from coming true, governments need to work closely with each other and back up their verbal commitment by actions. We, as individuals, should start from ourselves to help protect the green environment.

{{B}}Part Ⅳ Translation{{/B}}

西安居于“中国古都”之首，在中国历史上建都时间最长、影响力最大。

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每逢寒暑假、节假日，总会出现“一票难求”的现象。

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在中国，烹饪不仅被视为一种技能，而且也被视为一种艺术。

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Topic On Personal Privacy in Cyberspace For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay-entitled On Personal Privacy in Cyberspace following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. 1．网络上个人隐私受侵犯的问题频出 2．产生这种问题的原因 3．解决的办法

{{B}}Section A{{/B}}

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Barack and Michelle Obama understand the heavy burden of student loan debt. The Obamas did not pay off their student loans until Obama's best-selling books earned them millions of dollars. With the cost of a college education【C1】______ , more than 60% of students take out loans to fund their undergraduate education. On average, students who borrow graduate with debts of $22,700—a【C2】______ of more than 18% from 2000. But some of those with a newly acquired bachelor's degree are restrained with debts of $40,000 or more. You think this economy's tough? Try finding a job with the【C3】______ of repaying tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Now, a new federal program—Income-Based Repayment—is making it【C4】______ to pay back these loans. If a student chooses to repay her or his loan with this plan, payments are then readjusted—based on their income to something they can【C5】______ afford. All debt will be forgiven after 25 years. A graduate who earns less than 150% of the【C6】______ line won't have to make any payments. This is in addition to the year-old Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for those【C7】______ in jobs such as law enforcement, public health and social work. Their loans will be forgiven after 10 years. This【C8】______ isn't perfect; the loans have to be federal loans, not【C9】______ . But students with more than one federal student loan can combine them under the program. In some cases, borrowers with large debt and low-to-moderate incomes may benefit at the end of 25 years, with the【C10】______ of their debt forgiven. Others with higher incomes, though, will pay more.A) earning E) pressure I) balance M) easierB) state F) initiative J) raising N) workingC) rising G) poverty K) private O) reasonablyD) jump H) public L) barely