第三部分：阅读理解（共20题；每小题2分，共40分） 阅读下列短文，从每题中所给

题目：

第三部分：阅读理解（共20题；每小题2分，共40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

You have heard the expression “horse sense”. As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.

Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are propelled by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.

In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse.

56. The passage mainly talks about ______.

A. engines    B. safe driving    C. using horses    D. modern machines

57. The underlined word “propel” in the second paragraph means ______.

A. repair    B. raise    C. push forward    D. made

58. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A. a driver must know the rules of safety

B. a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green

C. an eye test is an important part of a driver’s examination

D. greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine

59. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. A driver must be able to see and hear well.

B. The driver of a car must follow the rules of safety.

C. Horses are known to have saved their drivers from injury.

D. It is better for vehicles to be pulled by horse than to be pushed by engine.