① One of the biggest challenges in keeping unsafe aging drivers off the road is convincing them that it’s time to turn over the keys. “It’s a complete life-changer” when someone stops—or is forced to stop—driving, said former risk manager Anne M. Menke.
② “The American Medical Association advises physicians that ‘in situations where clear evidence of substantial driving impairment implies a strong threat to patient and public safety, and where the physician’s advice to discontinue driving privileges is ignored, it is desirable and ethical to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles,’” Menke wrote. “Some states require physicians to report, others allow but do not mandate reports, while a few consider a report a breach of confidentiality. There could be liability and penalties if a physician does not act in accordance with state laws on reporting and confidentiality,” she counseled.
③ Part of the problem in keeping older drivers safe is that the difficulties are addressed piecemeal by different professions with different focuses, including gerontologists, highway administration officials, automotive engineers and others, said gerontologist Elizabeth Dugan. “There’s not a National Institute of Older Driver Studies,” she said. “We need better evidence on what makes drivers unsafe” and what can help, said Dugan.
④ One thing that does seem to work is requiring drivers to report in person for license renewal. Mandatory in-person renewal was associated with a 31 per cent reduction in fatal crashes involving drivers 85 or older, according to one study. Passing vision tests also produced a similar decline in fatal crashes for those drivers, although there appeared to be no benefit from combining the two.
⑤ Many older drivers don’t see eye doctors or can’t afford to. Primary care providers have their hands full and may not be able to follow through with patients who have trouble driving because they can’t turn their heads or remember where they are going—or have gotten shorter and haven’t changed their seat settings sufficiently to reach car pedals easily.
⑥ As long as there are other cars on the roads, self-driving cars won’t solve the problems of crashes, said Dugan. Avoiding dangers posed by all those human drivers would require too many algorithms, she said. But we need to do more to improve safety, said Dugan. “If we’re going to have 100-year lives, we need cars that a 90-year-old can drive comfortably.
1.1. According to Paragraph 1, keeping unsafe aging drivers off the road _____________.
A is a new safety measure
B has become a disputed issue
C can be a tough task to complete
D will be beneficial to their health
解析：选C。C 细节理解题。第一段①句指出防止危险驾驶的高龄司机上路会有诸多挑战,并介绍了其中一个最大的挑战,即“说服他们主动交出车钥匙”。选项是对句意的同义转述,其中atoughtask对应①句中的 One of the biggest challenges.故选C。
2.2. The American Medical Association’s advice _________________.
A has won support from drivers
B is generally considered unrealistic
C is widely dismissed as unnecessary
D has met with different responses
解析：选D。D 细节理解题。第二段②句指出,一些州要求医生提交报告,另一些州同意但不强制要求报告,而少数几个州则认为报告违反了保密规定。由此可见,各州对美国医学协会的建议的回应各不相同,选项是对该句句意的合理归纳。故选D。
3.3. According to Dugan, efforts to keep older drivers safe __________________.
A have brought about big changes
B need to be well coordinated
C have gained public recognition
D call for relevant legal support
解析：选B。B 推理判断题。第三段①②句表明杜根的看法:确保高龄驾驶员安全的部分问题在于,难题的解决方案零散且不成体系:不同的专业人员各有其侧重点,我们需要一个全国性高龄驾驶员研究所来解决问题。句中 piecemeal,different professions,different focuses集中体现当前解决方案的问题所在:碎片化特征明显,选项中的 well coordinated 是对②句中aNational Institute 的合理解读。故选B。
4.4. Some older drivers have trouble driving because they tend to ___________________.
A stick with bad driving habits
B have a weakened memory
C suffer from chronic pains
D neglect car maintenance
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。第五段①句指出高龄司机的问题:不会主动去医院检査视力(侧面说明其视力不好,驾驶有困难)。②句借其家庭医生忙得不可开交的情形进一步指出其存在驾驶困难,因为他们无法转头或不记得自己要去哪里,抑或是身体已经向偻了但又没调整好座椅位置。可见记忆力衰退是高龄司机出现驾驶困难的原因之一。故选B。
5.5. Dugan thinks that the solution to the problems of crashes may lie in ____________.
A upgrading self-driving vehicles
B developing senior-friendly cars
C renovating transport facilities
D adjusting the age limit for drivers
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。末段全段援引杜根话语提出解决方案:①②句否定“自动驾驶汽车方案:无力解决车祸问题,因为预测人类驾驶的风险需要太多代码,难度极高”,③④句提出自己的方案“需要采取更多措施以提高安全性,需要开发让90岁老人也能放心驾驶的汽车”。可见,杜根认为当前解决车祸问题的办法在于开发老年人友好型汽车。故选B。
