Part A: Reading Comprehension

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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 lifechanger” when someone stops—or is forced to stop—driving, said former risk manager Anne M. Menke.

“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.

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.

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 percent 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.

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.

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.”

31. 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. 

32. 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. 

33. 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. 

34. 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. 

35. 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. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

31. [C] can be a tough task to complete.
解析：细节推理题。第一段首句指出：“让不安全的高龄驾驶员离开道路的最大挑战之一是说服他们交出钥匙（One of the biggest challenges... is convincing them...）”。既然是“最大的挑战”，说明这件事做起来非常困难，对应选项 [C] 中的“完成起来可能是一项艰巨的任务（can be a tough task to complete）”。

32. [D] has met with different responses.
解析：细节推理题。第二段引用了美国医学会（AMA）建议医生举报危险驾驶老人的规定。但紧接着指出各州的执行情况：“有些州要求举报，有些州允许但不强制，而少数州认为举报是违反保密规定的（Some states require... others allow... while a few consider...）”。各州截然不同的法律要求说明该建议“遇到了不同的反应（has met with different responses）”，选 [D]。

33. [B] need to be well coordinated.
解析：细节推断题。第三段中 Dugan 指出，保护老年驾驶员安全的问题在于“这些困难被不同关注点的不同专业零碎地（piecemeal）处理了”。并且她指出“没有一个国家老年驾驶员研究中心”，因此“我们需要更好的证据”。“piecemeal（零碎地/各自为政地）”说明目前的努力缺乏统筹，反向推理即“需要被很好地协调（need to be well coordinated）”，选 [B]。

34. [B] have a weakened memory.
解析：细节题。定位到第五段最后一句：“基层医疗提供者可能无法跟进那些开车有困难的病人，因为他们无法转头或者记不住他们要去哪里（remember where they are going）……”。“记不住去哪”直接对应选项 [B] 中的“记忆力减退（have a weakened memory）”。

35. [B] developing senior-friendly cars.
解析：细节题。最后一段中 Dugan 首先否定了自动驾驶（self-driving cars won't solve the problems），因为避开人类司机需要太多算法。随后她提出了她的解决方案：“如果我们要有100岁的寿命，我们需要90岁的老人也能舒适驾驶的汽车（we need cars that a 90-year-old can drive comfortably）”。这也就是选项 [B] 中的“开发对老年人友好的汽车（developing senior-friendly cars）”。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 嵌套的定语从句与并列状语从句：
"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’..."
【解析】`that` 引导 `advises` 的宾语从句。在这个宾语从句中，主句是 `it is desirable and ethical to notify...`（通知车管所是可取且合乎道德的）。在主句之前，是由两个 `where` 引导的并列定语从句，修饰 `situations`（在……的情境下，并且在……的情境下）。结构严密，表达了医生举报病人的前提条件。

2. while 引导的对比结构：
"Some states require physicians to report, others allow but do not mandate reports, while a few consider a report a breach of confidentiality."
【解析】`while` 在此表示转折对比（然而/而）。这句话巧妙地使用了 `Some..., others..., while a few...`（一些……另一些……而少数……）的排比结构，清晰地梳理了美国各州在医生举报病患问题上互相矛盾的法律现状。`consider a report a breach` 使用了 `consider + 宾语 + 宾补` 的结构。

3. because 引导的原因状语从句及多个并列动词：
"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."
【解析】`because` 引导原因状语从句。在这个从句中，主语 `they`（指代老年病患）后面跟了四个并列的谓语部分：`can't turn...`、`remember...`、`have gotten...` 和 `haven't changed...`。破折号在这里起到了补充说明另外一种生理衰退情况（变矮了够不到踏板）的作用。