1997年1⽉
In Britain, the old Road Traffic Act restricted speeds to 2 m. p. h. (miles per hour) in towns and 4 m. p. h. in the country. Later parliament incread the speed limit to 14 m. p. h. But by 1903 the development of the car industry had made it necessary to rai the limit to 20 m. p. h. By 1930, however, the law was so widely ignored that speeding restrictions were done away with altogether. For five years motorists were free to drive at whatever speeds they liked. Then in 1935 the Road Traffic Act impod a 30 m. p. h. speed limit in built-up areas, along with the introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossings.来源：
Speeding is now the most common motoring offence in Britain. Offences for speeding fall into three class: exceeding the limit on restricted road, exceeding on any road the limit for the vehicle you are driving, and exceeding the 70 m. p. h. limit on any road. A restricted mad is one where the street lamps are 200 yards apart, or more.
The main controversy (争论) surrounding speeding laws is the extent of their safety value. The Ministry of Transport maintains that speed limits reduce accidents. It claims that when the 30 m. p. h. limit was introduced in 1935 there was a fall of 15 percent in fatal accidents. Likewi, when the 40
m. p. h. speed limit was impod on a number of roads in London in the late fifties, there was a 28 percent reduction in rious accidents. There were also fewer casualties (伤亡)in the year after the 70 m. p. h. motorway limit was impod in 1966.
In America, however, it is thought that the reduced accident figures are due rather to the increa in traffic density. This is why it has even been suggested that the prent speed limits should be done away with completely, or that a guide should be given to inexperienced drivers and the speed limits made advisory, as is done in parts of the USA.
Questions:
1. During which period could British motorists drive without speed limits?
2. What measures were adopted in 1935 in addition to the speeding restrictions?来源：
3. Speeding is a motoring offen a driver commits when he __________.
4. What is the opinion of British authorities concerning speeding laws?
5. What reason do Americans give for the reduction in traffic accidents?
⽂章导读
为什么会产⽣交通事故？是不是因为车辆的速度太快了？本⽂第⼀段借英国公路交通法有关速度限制⽅⾯的发展与变更来影射这个回答。第⼆段指出超速是现在英国最普遍的机动车违规，并列举了三种违规现象。那么在多⼤程度上限速能减少交通事故呢？第三段列举了不同历史时期的数字加以佐证。⽂章最后⼀段提出了另⼀种看法，即在美国，事故数字的减少被归因于交通密度的增加。
第⼀题 During which period could British motorists drive without speed limits?
题解这⼀题要求综合第⼀段的第3、4、5三句来解答。第三句说到1930“speeding restrictions were done away with altogether”，接下来⼜说，“For five years motorists were free to drive at whatever speeds they liked”，因此可知，⽆速度限制的时间是从1930年起（包括1930年），延续了5年，即是1930、1931、1932、1933、1934这五年。最后⼀句“Then in 1935 the Road Traffic Act impod a 30 m. p. h. speed limit in built-up areas”，说明到了1935年，speed limit⼜实⾏了。
要点：提问是“during which period”，答案中只要给出⼀个时间的表达式就可以了，没有必要以整句作答，以免⾔多有失。有⼀位考⽣这样回答：During 1930 and 1935 could British motorists drive without speed limits. 姑且字数多了⼀个不说，这个倒装也有点问题。松⼀点的评委给1.5分，严⼀点的给1分，你说亏不亏？来源：
答案： From 1930 to 1935.
或between 1930 and 1935
或1930、1931、1932、1933、1934。
第⼆题 What measures were adopted in 1935 in addition to the speeding restrictions?
题解题⼲中的1935是寻找答案的明确线索，明显应在第⼀段的最后⼀句话“Then in 1935 the Road Traffic Act impod a 30m. p. h. speed limit in built-up areas, along with the introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossings”。题⼲中的speed restrictions对应于这句话中的a 30 m. p. h. speed limit in built-up areas，剩下的⾃然就是the introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossings。
要点本题只要回答出what measures即可，没有必要再加上谓语部分。来源：
答案 Driving tests and pedestrian crossings.
或 The introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossings.
第三题 Speeding is a motoring offen a driver commits when he __________.
题解从题⼲中的“motoring offen”出现在第⼆段的第⼀句话。这句话也就是第⼆段的主题句。它总领了后⾯对三种speeding的描述，在这三种情况中，speeding都是exceeding the … (speed) limit。
要点空格中要求填的是谓语，⽤动词来解释speeding这个词，因此必须填动词的形式。同时要注意第三⼈称单数和时态。
答案 exceeds the speed limits. 或 drives over the speed limit 或 breaking the speeding laws.
第四题What is the opinion of British authorities concerning speeding laws?
题解题⼲中的British authorities即是指第三段第⼆句话中的the Ministry of Transport，⽽这句话中的maintain⼀词则是引述中常⽤的⼀个词，常表⽰“……认为”的意思，那么它后⾯的内容就是本题的答案了。
要点（1）本题较好回答，但要注意避免原⽂照抄，否则会被扣掉0.5分。其实只要将“The Ministry of Transport maintains”改成“They maintain”（注意单复数）就⾏了。
（2）简练作答的话，要注意把宾语从句的引导词“that”舍掉，否则显得有些多余，弄不好会丢分。
答案 Speed limits reduce accidents. 或Speed limits help reduce accidents.
第五题 What reason do Americans give for the reduction in traffic accidents?
题解在四级考试中，也有很多送分的题。本题中的“Americans”告诉我们它的答案肯定在最后⼀段。其实，只要⼤体上读懂第四段的第⼀句话，看出其中的“due（rather）to”是表⽰原因的即能做出正确答案，即“the increa in traffic density”。
要点注意与问题所问的⽅式⼀致，否则要扣分。
