Believe it or not, optical illusion can cut highway crashes. Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons (人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest-curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted a cross roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.
1. The passage mainly discusses ________.
2. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________.
3. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________.
4. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.
5. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted a cross roads?
问题1选项
A.a new way of highway speed control
B.a new pattern for painting highways
C.a new way of training drivers
D.a new type of optical illusion
问题2选项
A.they should avoid speed-related hazards
B.they are driving in the wrong lane
C.they should slow down their speed
D.they are coming near to the speed limit
问题3选项
A.can keep drivers awake
B.can cut road accidents in half
C.will have a longer effect on drivers
D.will look more attractive
问题4选项
A.try out the Japanese method in certain areas
B.change the road signs across the country
C.replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons
D.repeat the Japanese road patterns
问题5选项
A.They are falling out of use in the United States.
B.They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C.They are applicable only on broad roads.
D.They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.
第1题:A
第2题:C
第3题:C
第4题:A
第5题:B
第1题:
【选项释义】
The passage mainly discusses ________. 这篇文章主要讨论________。
A. a new way of highway speed control A. 一种控制高速公路速度的新方法
B. a new pattern for painting highways B. 一种绘制公路路标的新模式
C. a new way of training drivers C. 一种训练驾驶员的新方法
D. a new type of optical illusion D. 一种新型的视觉错觉
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】第一段提出通过人字形的视觉错觉（optical illusion）降低开车速度（drivers slow down），从而减少交通事故，并且以日本为例；第二、三段讲美国采用这个方法（repeat Japan’s success）来降低司机速度的具体情况；第四段解释人字形的视觉错觉如何降低司机的开车速度。综上所述，本文讲的是通过视觉错觉降低车速，因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“一种绘制公路路标的新模式”和D选项“一种新型的视觉错觉”：文章主要不是在讲绘制公路路标的模式或者视觉错觉，而是通过这种方法降低司机车速，从而减少交通事故，属于曲解原文；
C选项“训练驾驶员的新方法”：文中没有提到，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________. 在画着人字形条纹的道路上行驶，司机往往会觉得________。
A. they should avoid speed-related hazards A. 他们应该避免与速度有关的危险
B. they are driving in the wrong lane B. 他们开错车道了
C. they should slow down their speed C. 他们应该放慢速度
D. they are coming near to the speed limit D. 他们快到限速的速度了
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干中信息词chevrons定位到第一段最后一句，该处讲到“但是，涂在路上的人字形条纹（chevrons）会让司机觉得他们开得比实际速度快，因此司机会减速（thus drivers slow down）。”，可知司机往往会觉得自己应该放慢速度，因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“他们应该避免与速度有关的危险”：文中提到的是放慢速度，而不是避免风险，属于偷换概念；
B选项“他们开错车道了”和D选项“他们快到限速的速度了”：文中没有提到，属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________. 相对水平直线条的标志而言，人字形条纹的优势在于________。
A. can keep drivers awake A. 可以让驾驶员保持清醒
B. can cut road accidents in half B. 可以将交通事故减少一半
C. will have a longer effect on drivers C. 对司机的影响时间更长
D. will look more attractive D. 看起来更具吸引力
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干中信息词straight, horizontal bars定位到第四段第一句，该处讲到“一些研究表明，画在十字路上的水平直线条（straight, horizontal bars）一开始（initially）可以把司机的平均速度减半。”，这是水平直线条标志的作用，在最初使用时有效；结合该段最后一句“其结果是高速公路速度和交通事故数量的持续下降（lasting reduction）。”，这里讲的是人字形条纹标志的作用，其作用可以持续。综上所述，人字形条纹的有效时间比水平直线条更长，因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“可以让驾驶员保持清醒”和D选项“看起来更具吸引力”：文中没有提到，属于无中生有；
B选项“可以将交通事故减少一半”：对应第四段第一句，该处讲到“水平直线条一开始可以把司机的平均速度减半（cut the average speed of drivers in half）”，可知这里说的是速度减半，而非交通事故减半，属于偷换概念。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________. 美国汽车协会交通安全基金会计划发布________。
A. try out the Japanese method in certain areas A. 在某些地区试行日本的方法
B. change the road signs across the country B. 改变全国各地的路标
C. replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons C. 用人字形条纹取代水平直线条
D. repeat the Japanese road patterns D. 重复日本的道路模式
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干中信息词American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety定位到第二段，该处讲到“位于华盛顿特区的美国汽车协会交通安全基金会正计划复制日本的成功案例（repeat Japan’s success）……该基金会将在全国选定的道路上（on selected roads）绘制人字形和其他条纹图案”，可知美国汽车协会交通安全基金会计划在某些地区试行日本的方法，因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“改变全国各地的路标”：根据解题思路可知只是在部分路段尝试，而不是全国，属于偷换概念；
C选项“用人字形条纹取代水平直线条”：根据解题思路可知不只绘制人字形条纹，还有其他图案，属于以偏概全；
D选项“重复日本的道路模式”：根据解题思路可知只是参考日本的方法，还有自己开创新的方法，想要达到和日本交通管理一样的效果，属于偷换概念。
第5题:
【选项释义】
What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted a cross roads? 关于画在十字路口水平直线条标志，作者的说法是什么？
A. They are falling out of use in the United States. A. 它们在美国已经不再使用了。
B. They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time. B. 它们容易在短时间内被司机忽略。
C. They are applicable only on broad roads. C. 它们只适用于宽阔的道路。
D. They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles. D. 它们不能成功地应用于交通圈。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干中信息词straight, horizontal bars定位到第四段第一句，该处讲到“一些研究表明，画在十字路上的水平直线条一开始（initially）可以把司机的平均速度减半。”，可知水平直线条标志一开始有用，可以引起司机重视，但是一段时间后司机就习以为常，不会在意，因此B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“它们在美国已经不再使用了”，C选项“它们只适用于宽阔的道路”和D选项“它们不能成功地应用于交通圈”：文中没有提到，属于无中生有。
