Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.

Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.

That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted(分心) driving was “only increasing, unfortunately.”

“Big change requires big ideas.” he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.

An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York’s hands-free driving laws.

“We need something on the books that can change people’s behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state’s 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, “people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone.”

1.Which of the following best describes the ban on drivers’ texting in the US?

A Ineffective.

B Unnecessary.

C Inconsistent.

D Unfair.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据第一段中“Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.”以及第二段中“Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse.” (然而，无论以何种标准衡量，这个问题似乎都在恶化。)可知，大多数州使用了各种各样的方法说服司机们在开车的时候放下手机，可是情况却越来越糟糕。所以各种方法是无效的。A选项ineffective意为“无效的”，与此相符。故选A。

2.What can the Textalyzer help a police officer find out?

A Where a driver came from.

B Whether a driver used their phone.

C How fast a driver was going.

D When a driver arrived at the scene.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York’s hands-free driving laws.”可知，Textalyzer能够确定的是司机是否使用了手机发短信、邮件以及是否产生了其他驾驶法不允许的行为。B项“是否司机使用了手机”与此相符，故选B。

3.What does the underlined word “something” in the last paragraph refer to?

A Advice.

B Data.

C Tests.

D Laws.

解析：选D。D 词义猜测题。根据句中的“We need something on the books that can change people’s behavior.” 可知，something是能够改变人们的行为的东西。根据下文的“If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, ‘people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone.’”可知，人们的行为会改变的条件是当Textalyzer法案成为法律。受到法律的约束和惩罚，司机们才不会在开车的时候使用手机。故something指代的是法律。故选D。

4.What is a suitable title for the text?

A To Drive or Not to Drive? Think Before You Start

B Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer

C New York Banning Hand-Held Devices by Drivers.

D The Next Generation Cell Phone: The Textalyzer

解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。纵观全文，第一段和第二段阐述的是“虽然大多数州已经尝试了各种各样的方法来说服人们在开车时放下手机。可是问题却越来越严重”。第三段中“That is partly because people are driving more.”解释了该行为产生的部分原因。第四段至第五段讲述的是为了解决该问题，纽约立法者提出了一个新的想法，即利用Textalyzer技术来监控司机在开车的时候是否使用了手机。最后一段讲述的是：相关人士呼吁该项技术能够成为真正的法案，这样才能真正的改变人们的行为。B项Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer适合文章的标题。故选B。