考研英語(yǔ)外報(bào)閱讀2

外報(bào)閱讀材料（2）

Passage1:HeWasMr.Universe,butHeWasReallyinLoveWiththe

Stars

FromTheNewYorkTimesByDENNISOVERBYEPublished:November

22,2010

Inthelate1970sIwasjunioreditoratSky&Telescopemagazine.

Anastronomerhadjustmadesomeremarkablemeasurementsofquasars

thatdovetailedwithrecentworkbyDr.SandageI'dreadaboutinthis

newspaper,indicatingthattheexpandinguniversewouldeventuallyclose

inonitselfandcollapseinaBigCrunch.Iftrue,thatwasbignews,soI

calledhimup.

Dr.Sandageanswered—anewsworthyeventinitself—buthesaid

therewasnothingtotalkabout.Thenewspaperreportershadscrewedit

upagainandmistakenlyinterpretedhisobservations.Infacthewason

theotherlinewithTheNewYorkTimesdemandingacorrection.uSoyou

see,“hesaidcheerily,Uyouhavenostory.,5

AndjustlikethatIwasusheredofftheline,feelingveryjunior

indeed.

Atthetimewedidn'ttalk,Dr.Sandagewasalittleover50,much

youngerthanIamnow,buthehadalreadybeenMr.Universe,theman

thenewspaperscalledforthelatestwordonthestateofthecosmos,for

nearlythreedecades.

Hehadinheritedthatroleattheageof27fromEdwinHubble,the

astronomerwhofirstshowedthatblursintheskyweregalaxiesbeyond

ourownandthenwentontoshowthattheywereallflyingawayfromus.

Atthetime,ourconceptionoftheuniversewasalmostasyoungas

Dr.Sandage,whowasbornin1926,threeyearsbeforeHubble

discoveredthecosmicexpansion.Duringhislife,Dr.Sandagesawthe

debatesovertheBigBangandSteadyStatetheoriesoftheuniversegive

waytodarkenergyanddarkmatter;astronomerswentfromwearing

electricallyheatedflightsuitstorideinatelescopeallnightto

downloadingpicturesfromtheHubbleSpaceTelescope.

Onceuponatime,womenweren'tallowedtoworkonMount

Wilson,wherethegalaxieshadbeendiscovered;todayawoman,Wendy

L.Freedman,isthedirectorofCarnegieObservatories,asMountWilson

ObservatoryinPasadena,Calif.,cametobecalled.Onceuponatime,

therewasonlyonecosmologistintheworld:Dr.Sandage.Bythetimehe

died,therewerethousands,mostofthemfollowingtheprogramand

techniqueshehadlaidoutinthe1950sand'60stofindthefewsacred

numbersthatwouldspelloutthesize,ageandfateoftheuniverse.

MeasuringtheuniversetookitstollonDr.Sandage.Thecosmos

quakedeverytimehegotmoredataonthedistantgalaxiesandgave

anotherinterview,andsohestoppedgivingthemafterhehadbeenwrong

afewtimes,asanyscientistwillbe.Hisisolationgrewwhenhebecame

embroiledinaseeminglyendlessandbittercontroversynowknownas

theHubblewars,abouttheHubbleconstant,anumberthattoldhowbig

andoldtheuniversewas.Dependingonwhomyoutalkedto,theuniverse

waseither10billionor20billionyearsold,withnoroomtocompromise

—whichwasweirdsincethestarsthemselveswere12to15billionyears

old.

Adecadeafterourfirstnonconversation,IeventuallydidgetDr.

Sandagetotalktome.Overyearsoflunchesanddinners,Iwheedledhis

lifestoryoutofhim.Theywerethehardestandmostrewarding

interviewsFveeverdone.Dr.Sandagecomplainedoftenthathedidn't

knowwhyhewastalkingtome—onlybadcouldcomeofit—buthe

kepttalking.

Whatcameoutofitwasabookhesworehewouldneverread.Iwas

terrifiedhewouldgobacktonottalkingtome,buthestillkepttalking

anyway;notriptoLosAngeleswasevercompletewithoutalonglunch

withUncleAllan.Hecould,ashethoughttheoccasionwarranted,charm,

tease,curselikeasailor,excoriatehisrivalsordiscussphilosophyand

theologylikeaminister.Onhisbaddays,Dr.Sandagewouldsometimes

denythathehadeverbeenacosmologist.Hisreallovewasthestars.

“Cosmologyisaboringburdenofpride,“heoncesaid,addingthathe

hadonlybeendraggedintoitoutofduty.

Butheneverlosthisenthusiasmforthedelightsofthesky,andhe

couldgogiddywithgleeoversomenuggetofstarrylore.Ilovedtheguy

becausehehadseeneverything;tomehewasaKingLearofthecosmos.

HisofficeattheCarnegieObservatorieswasashrinetoHubble's

day,whendatacamenotincomputerfilesbutonglassphotographic

platesthatastronomerssquintedatwithmagnifiers,likejewelerssifting

gems.Hisplatereaderwashungwithacloveofgarlic,hisshelvesand

filingcabinetswerefullofmarked-upphotographsofgalaxies.Sitting

aroundinyellowingenvelopeswerephotographicplatestakenhalfa

centuryearlierbythepioneeringgiantsofcosmology.Sometimesit

seemedthatthoseguys—andtheywereallguys—wereintheroom

withus.

Dr.Sandageoncespentaneveningtakingmethrougharecent

compilationofdata—someofitdatingbacktothoseoldplates—on

nearbygalaxies.Attheendaswechartedit,thehairroseonthebackof

myneck:there,risingoutofascruffofdotsonagraphwastheexpansion

oftheuniverse,thecosmicriddleitself.

It'sdangerousforajournalisttogettoosympatheticwithanysidein

agenuinelyscientificdebate;infact,Ilikedeverybodyonbothsidesof

theHubblewars,includingJohnHuchra,aHarvardprofessorwho

becameoneofDr.Sandage'schallengersinthe1970sandwhodiedin

October.Asthegapbetweenestimatesoftheageoftheuniverse

narrowedinrecenttimesfromanembarrassingfactorof2toabout15

percent—enoughtoaccommodatethestars'ages—Ihoped,asdid

manyastronomers,thatDr.Sandagewouldjustdeclarevictoryandgoon

withtherestofhisillustriouscareer.

Itwasnottobe.

TheHubblewarsareovernow.Theuniverseandcosmologymight

makealittlemoresensenow,atleastnumerically,butwestilldon'tknow

wherewecamefromandwherethegalaxiesaregoing,Tryingtofindout

won'tbequiteasmuchfunagainwithoutUncleAllan.

Passage2:FromCalifornia,aGamePlanonClimateChangeFrom

TheNewYorkTimeNovember22,2010,4:35pmByFELICITY

BARRINGER

Asthepushfornationalandinternationalpoliciestoarrestclimate

changewasrunningintooneobstacleafteranother,aseparatediscussion

wascomingtothefore:howtoadapttoit.

NewYorkStateandCaliforniaarecreatingblueprintsforhow

governmentsshouldplan,andpayfor,awholesaleretreatfromthe

shorelineinanticipationofapossibleriseinsealevelofthreeorfourfeet

ormoreby2100.

Themostrecentreport,writtenundertheauspicesofthenonprofit

PacificCouncilonInternationalPolicyandreleasedMondaymorning,

warnsthat“theupfrontcostsofadaptingtoclimatechangewillnotbe

trivial;yettodonothingandrelyonreactingafterthefacttodealwith

theimpacts“wouldentail“prohibitive“costs.

Inaninterview,WilliamK.Reilly,aformerEnvironmental

ProtectionAgencyadministratorwhoisaco-chairmanofthecouncil's

adaptationadvisorypanel,said,“Itisnotcleartousthatthere'sanykind

ofhigh-levelinstructiontoplannersandstate-levelofficialsthatclimate

changeshouldbeaccommodatedinthingslikenewrunwayconstruction

atairports,shoringuproadsorbuildingnewbridges.

TheSanFranciscoandOaklandairportsarebothbuiltattheedgeofSan

FranciscoBay,barelyabovesealevel.

Questionsofwhereandhowtobuildnewcommunitiesandhowto

managewaterhavetobere-examined,hesaid,adding,t4Alotofroutine

decisionshavetobemadedifferentlythantheyarebeingmade,taking

intoaccountrealitiesthatwerenotthere25or50yearsago.^^

Thenewreportfocusesonthepotentialimpactofclimatechangeon

coastalcounties,wheremorethantwo-thirdsofCalifornia'seconomic

activitytakesplace.Itenvisionsthepotentialrelocationofsomecoastal

roadsandbridgesandtheconstructionofdefensesaroundmajorairports.

Thereportoffersextensiveadviceoncreatingmechanismsto

documenttheimpactsofclimatechangeandtothenusetheinformation

toplanresponsesatthelocal,regionalandstatelevels.Italso

recommendstheestablishmentofaClimateRiskCouncil,atechnically

sophisticatedfive-membergroupappointedbythegovernorthatwould

assembleandmakeavailabledataonclimate-relatedrisks.

Amongotherthings,itcouldofferadvicetoboththestateinsurance

commissioner'sofficeandprivateinsurersabouthowtoincorporate

climaterisksintoinsurancepolicies.

“Ithinkweneedtogettheattentionofnotjustthedevelopment

communitybuttheinsuranceindustry.55Headdedthatstateofficialsand

privateindustryneededtorecognizethelimitationsimposedbythestate's

uniquegeography.t4BeachreplenishmentoffthecoastofCaliforniaisnot

possible/5hesaid.

HecomparedtheproposedRiskCounciFsroletothatoftheCouncil

onEnvironmentalQuality,whichadvisesthepresidentonenvironmental

issues.uItcanrangeacrosstheagencies,canmonitorwhatishappening

andreportregularlyonobservablechange/)

ThesubjectofadaptationisnotnewtoCalifornia;notquiteayear

agoagroupofagenciesledbythestateDepartmentofNaturalResources

issueditsownreport.

Amongtheprojectsdevelopedbythatreviewisacollaborationwith

Googletocreateagridthatidentifiesclimaterisksindozensofregionsof

California;aprototypeofthiseffortcanhefoundhere.

Passage3:

MeetingAimstoTurnTigerFascinationIntoConservation

FromTheNewYorkTimesByLESLEKAUFMANPublished:

November21,2010

Mr.Putinissofondoftheanimalsthathewasgivenacubforhis

56thbirthday.

ButitisperhapsnoaccidentthatMr.Putinhaschosentomakean

endangeredfelinethesubjectoftheconferenceratherthanathreatened

canine—thewolf,forexample,orthewilddog.

Throughouthistory,prominentmenhaveidentifiedwiththemajesty,

powerandmachismooflargecats.

“Leadersespeciallyliketothinkofthemselvesashavingthevirtues

oflargecats,“saidStephenR.Kellert,aprofessoremeritusandsenior

researchscholaratYaleUniversitywhostudieshuman-animal

relationships."Theyliketheimageofthestand-alone,solitaryyet

fearsomehunter.^^

TheheadsofthemilitaryjuntainMyanmar,acountrynotknownfor

itsconcernabouthumanrights,recentlycreatedthelargesttigerpreserve

intheworld.InAfrica,someMaasaiwarriorswhooncekilledlionsasa

riteofmanhoodworkinlionguardianprograms.

Incontrast,predatorsinthedogfamilyoftennotonlylackadmirers,

butaredespised.WolvesinRussia,forexample,arecommonlyhunted

withthestate'sblessing.WilddogsinAfricaaresnaredandkilledby

ranchers,despitebeingcriticallyendangered.IntheUnitedStates,

coyotesarepursuedaspests.

Thedichotomyofattitudestowardwildcatsandwilddogsis

noticeableenoughthatpsychologistsandconservationworkershave

developedtheoriesaboutit.Oneisthatcanids—agroupthatincludes

wolves,foxes,jackals,coyotesandwildcanines—areperceivedas

betrayingthetrustingrelationshipthathumanshavebuiltwiththeir

domesticcousins.Anotheristhatcanidhuntingpatterns,whichoften

includedisembowelmentandscavenging,areparticularlyoffensiveto

humans.

Whateverthereason,theemotionsareprominentlyondisplayin

countrieswhenconservationworkersgofromvillagetovillageandranch

toranch.

“Itisreallyapparentthatwilddogsengenderarealvisceralhatred,,,

saidLukeHunter,executivevicepresidentofPanthera,anonprofitbased

inNewYorkandLondonthatworkstosavelargecats.Ranchers,

shepherdsandotherlivestockowners,hesaid,“arevenomoustoward

wilddogsinawaythattheyarenottobigcats.^^

Dr.Hunternotedthathesawquitetheoppositereactiontomountain

lions,jaguarsandotherlargefelines.Thesamemen,hesaid,holdthe

animals“ingreatesteem."

“Theyareelusiveandsecretive,5,Dr.Huntersaidofthecats."Even

acattlerancher,whodoesn'tmuchwantthemaround,respectsthem.^^

Theconnectionbetweenleadersandlargecatsinparticularhasa

longhistory.InancientEgypt,thepharaohwasoftenrepresentedasa

sphinx—partlion,parthuman.InEuropeandtheMiddleEast,lions

cametobeassociatedwithroyalty—partlyduetotheirfiercenessand

partlybecausethemanemadethemlookthepart—andtheyappearon

officialsymbolsformorethanadozencountries,fromthecoatofarmsof

EnglandtotheLionofJudahinJerusalem.

InAsia,tigershavesimilarlybeenalignedwithroyalty,somuchso

thattheChinesecharacterforkingisthoughttoresemblethemarkingson

thetiger'sforehead.

Dr.Kellertsaidthathumansoftenliketothinkofthemselvesasbig

cats,eventhoughtheyreallyaremoreakinintheirsocialhabitstosheep.

“Wearebothaherdanimalandpredator,buttheherdtendencyruns

deep,“hesaid."Butweliketothinkweareliketigers:independent,

self-sufficientandpredatory.^^

Mostbigcats,expertsnoted,huntalone,whilecanidshuntinpacks.

KentRedford,directoroftheWildlifeConservationSocietyInstitute,

saidthatthroughhistoryleadershadusedtheownershipanddomination

ofwildcatstodemonstratetheirpower—atraditioncontinuedtodayby

somedruglords.

“Thecontrolofanuncontrollablepowerisasymbolofindividual

leadershipandthereforestrength/5Dr.Redfordsaid.

ThatdynamiccertainlyseemstodescribeMr.Putin'srelationshipto

tigers.

HisofficialWebsiteincludesalinktoavideoofatripMr.Putin

tooktotracktigersintheUssurinaturepreserveinthesummerof2008;

init,theprimeministerisshownsquattingoverasedatedtigress.Apress

releasesaidthatheshotthecatwithasedativeaftersheescapedfroma

trap.

Eventhoughbigcatsmighthavetheedge,speciesfromboth

familiesofpredatorsremainendangeredworldwide,accordingtoanimal

conservationexperts.

“Bothbigcatsandbigcanidshavebeenprettymuchwipedout,^^said

SteveE.Sanderson,thepresidentandchiefexecutiveoftheWildlife

ConservationSociety,whoissupportingMr.Putin'sconferencein

Russia.

Nevertheless,hesayshebelievesthatthetigermeetingmightfinally

makeadifference.Thecats'numbersarestillbeingseverelydepleted

despitehuntingbansbecausepoacherscanmakeafortunesellingtheir

bodypartsontheblackmarket.Thepartsarebelievedtohavemedicinal

andsexualvalueinAsiancultures.

InthefirstdayoftheSt.Petersburgmeeting,officialsagreedona

goalofdoublingthenumberofwildtigersby2022throughprogramsto

protecthabitatanderadicatepoaching.

However,theWorldBankestimatedthatthe13countriesthatstill

havetigerpopulations—Bangladesh,Bhutan,Cambodia,China,India,

Indonesia,Laos,Malaysia,Myanmar,Nepal,Thailand,Vietnamand

Russia—willneedabout$350millioninoutsidefinancingforjustthe

firstfiveyearsoftheplan,inparttogiveincentivestolocalcommunities

tohelpwithconservation.Aboutathirdofthemoneywouldgoto

anti-poachingefforts.

Still,somewildlifeexpertsquestionedwhetherthemeasuresbeing

proposedwererobustenoughtohaltthetiger'sslidetowardextinction.

Mostofthemoneytocombatpoaching,theypointout,hasyettobe

secured,andhardtargetsandpunishmentsforpoachersneedtobe

strengthenedbeyondwhathasbeenproposedsofar.

“Thepoachersdrivearoundinfour-wheeldrivevehiclesandthey're

heavilyarmed,“saidSabriZain,advocacydirectorforTraffic

International,awildlifeprotectiongroupbasedinBritain."Thepeople

whoaresupposedtobeoutcatchingthebadguysdon'tevenhaveshoes

towearoutinthefield.

“Alotmoreneedstobedonetoprovideproperresourcestothe

authorities,hesaid.

Passage4:AftertheNuclearPlantPowersDown

FromTheNewYorkTimesByMATTHEWL.WALDPublished:

November22,2010

Thetwin-unitnuclearreactorknownasZionStationhasbeenin

limboformorethanadecade,andCommonwealthEdison,nowpartof

Exelon,paidabout$10millionayeartobaby-sitthedefunctreactor.

TheZionStation,itstwin-unitnuclearreactorhere,wasnolonger

profitable.Butthecompanycouldnotaffordtotearitdown:thecostof

dismantlingthevaststeelandconcretebuilding,withmultipleareasof

radioactivecontamination,wouldexceed$1billion,doublewhatithad

costtobuildthereactorsinthe1970s.NorcouldCommonwealthEdison

walkawayfromtheplant,becauseofthecontamination.

TheresultwasthatZionStationsatinlimboformorethanadecade,

andCommonwealthEdison,nowpartofExelon,paidabout$10milliona

yeartobaby-sitthedefunctreactor.

Now,though,thecompanyistryingoutaradicalnewapproachto

decommissioningtheplantthatpromisestomaketheprocessfaster,

simplerand25percentlessexpensive—insteadofhiringacontractor,it

hasturnedthejobandthereactorsovertoanucleardemolitioncompany

thatownsanucleardumpsite.Thecostwillbecoveredbythe$900

millionthatExelonaccumulatedinadecommissioningfund.

Iftheapproachissuccessful,itcouldhaveimplicationsfor10other

nuclearplantsaroundthecountrythatarewaitingtobedecommissioned,

andforthe104reactorsthatarestillinoperationbutwilleventuallybe

torndown.Itwillalsosavemoneyforelectricitycustomers,whooften

enduppayingforthecleanupofnuclearplantsthroughtheirutilitybills.

ThedecommissioningoperationatZion,whichbeganonSept.1,

willskiponeoftheslowest,dirtiestandmostcostlypartsoftearingdown

anuclearplant:separatingradioactivematerials,whichmustgotoa

licenseddump,fromnonradioactivematerials,whichcangotoan

ordinaryindustriallandfill.

Thenewideaisnottobothersortingthetwo.Instead,anythingthat

couldincluderadioactivecontaminationwillbetreatedasradioactive

waste.

Exeloncouldneverhavedonethisonitsown,becausethefeefor

disposingofradioactivewastewastoohigh.Butthecompanyhasgiven

thereactortoEnergySolutions,aconglomeratethatincludescompanies

thathavelongdonenuclearcleanups,andwhichalsoownsanuclear

dump.

“Thisisafirst-of-a-kindarrangement,5,saidAdamH.Levin,director

ofspentfuelanddecommissioningatExelon.

HeaddedthatotherscoulddothejobforlessthanExelonand

acknowledged,"utilitiesingeneralarenotverygoodattearingplants

down.”

Governmentregulationsrequirethatnuclearreactorsitesbe

thoroughlydecontaminated,sothattheycanbereleasedforre-use一

oftenalengthyprocess.TheplanistoreturnZion'ssite,inthemidstof

parklandontheLakeMichiganshorenorthofChicago,tore-useby2020

—12yearsearlierthanexpectedunderExelon'soriginalplan,whichwas

tobeginin2013andfinishin2032.

Anymoneyleftoverfromthe$900millionintheplant's

decommissioningfundgoesbacktoelectricitycustomersintheChicago

area.

OnSept.1,Exelontransferredownership,alongwiththelicense

issuedbytheNuclearRegulatoryCommission,toEnergySolutions,

whichisbasedinSaltLakeCity.

Thecompanyownsaone-square-mileareaofdesertabout70miles

westofthere,inClive,Utah,wheremostoftheZionplantissupposedto

beshipped.ThedumpinClivealreadyhaspartsofseveralotherdefunct

nuclearplants—includingMaineYankeeinWiscasset,Me.,andYankee

RoweinRowe,Mass.

Inthosetwocases,thereactorownerstriedtosorttheradioactive

materialsfromthenonradioactive,inordertodisposeofordinary

concreteandsteelatrecyclingcentersorindustriallandfills.Itturnedout

tobeacostlymistake,manyintheindustrynowsay.

Workersusedadevicelikeapneumaticdrillto“scabble”the

concrete,knockingoffthesurfacelayer.

“Itgottobevery,verycomplicatedandnastywork,“saidAndrewC.

Kadak,anuclearconsultantwhoatthetimewaspresidentofthe

companythatoperatedYankeeRowe.Often,hesaid,asurveywouldfind

thattheconcretewasnotclean,orworse:thatatinybitofradioactive

materialwasmistakenlyshippedtoat^clean^^landfill.

"It'seasiertosupposeeverythingisradioactive,"Mr.Kadaksaid.

Sometimesacontractorhiredtodecommissionplantswouldalso

findradioactivematerialinunexpectedplacesoratunexpectedlyhigh

levels,otherexpertssaid.

Crowdsofworkerswouldstandidlewhilethecontractorsoughtthe

plantowner'sauthorizationtodeviatefromtheproceduresspecifiedin

thecontract—acostlypropositionatasitewith500workerspaid

collectively"$30,000to$50,000anhour,“saidJohnA.Christian,

presidentoftheCommercialServicessubsidiaryofEnergySolutions.

AtRowe,managersfinallygaveupandshippedvastamountsof

concrete,muchofitclean,totherepositoryinClive.

ThenewplanforZion,byfarthelargestnuclearpowerplanttobe

decommissionedandthefirsttwin-unitreactortobetorndown,

eliminatestherelationshipbetweencontractorandowner.

EnergySolutionshashardlyanyinternalcostforburial,beyondshipping.

MarkWalker,aspokesmanforEnergySolutions,saidthatthedump

couldaccommodateall104ofthenation'soperatingnuclearplants,"with

spaceleftover.”

Itcouldalsoabsorbplantsthatareshutandawaitingdecommissioning,

likeIndianPoint1inBuchanan,N.Y,;Millstone1inWaterford,Conn.;

andThreeMileIsland2,nearHarrisburg,Pa.,thesiteofthe1979

accident.

NoteveryoneisdelightedwiththeideaofExelonturningthejob

overtoEnergySolutions.

TomRielly,theexecutiveprincipalofVista360,acommunitygroup

innearbyLibertyville,Ill.,saidthatwithamonopolyproviderofdump

spacealsofunctioningasthecontractor,itwouldbedifficulttodetermine

whatwasbeingchargedfordisposalandwhetherelectricitycustomers

weregettingagooddeal.

ButapprovalfromutilityregulatorsinIllinoiswasnotrequiredfor

thedeal,andtheNuclearRegulatoryCommissiongaveitsassent,sothe

workisgoingforward.

EnergySolutionscannotdisposeofallthewaste.

Cliveislicensedonlyfortheleastcontaminatedmaterial.Andthe

spentnuclearfuelisinthesamesituationasusedreactorfuelalloverthe

country:theEnergyDepartmentisundercontracttotakeit,buthasno

placetodisposeofit.

UntilapermanentrepositoryisbuiltattheproposedYucca

MountainfacilityinNevadaoranotherlocation,thewastewillstayatthe

Zionsiteinsteelandconcretecasksbuilttolastfordecades.

FrankFlammini,acontrolroomoperator,hasworkedattheZion

Stationsincebeforeitshutdown.

Theroom,filledwith1970s-styledials,usedtohaveatleastsix

peoplearoundtheclock,butonarecentafternoonhesataloneinthe

controlroomwithhiscoffeecup,nexttotheonemodempieceof

equipment,aflat-paneldisplayshowingthetemperature,waterleveland

humidityoftheroomhousingthespentfuel.

Mr.Flammini,54,saidhewascalledonnowandthentomakesure

equipmentwas“taggedout”sothatworkerscouldsafelydismantleit.

Buthoursgobywithlittletodo.

TheparkinglotofZionissoquietthesedaysthattheraccoonsand

skunkshavebeenjoinedbyshyspecieslikecoyote.

Mr.Flamminisaidheknewhisjobherewasnotpermanent.

"It'llgetverybusyforaboutfouryears,andthenit'llgoaway

entirely,hesaid.

Passage5：DrivingDrowsyasBadasDrivingDrunk

Acommentaryontheperilsofdrowsydrivingandtheimportanceofa

designateddriver

FromtheUSNewsByDeborahKotzPosted:November8,2010

AfewweeksagoIwasrear-endedwhileheadingtomykids'school

forcarpool.Thedriverimmediatelyapologizedforhittingmeand

confessedhehadfallenasleepatthewheel.Inoticedhehadachild

strappedinacarseatandI,beingamomandhealthwriter,gavehima

brisklectureontheimportanceofgettingagoodnight'ssleep.

Fortunately,hedidn'tcauseanydamageorphysicalinjuries—thistime.

Hewaslucky,asaremostofthe41percentofdriverswhosaythey've

fallenasleepatthewheel.Aboutoneintenadmitteddoingsoduringthe

pastyear,accordingtoastudyreleasedtodaybytheAAAFoundationfor

TrafficSafety,anonprofitresearchandeducationalorganization.

Fortheunluckyones,drivingdrowsycanendindeath,theirownor

another's.Infact,oneineverysixdeadlycarcrashesresultsfroma

fatigue-impaireddriver,estimatestheNationalHighwayTrafficSafety

Administration.That'scomparedtoaboutoneinthreecausedbyadrunk

driver.Yetonlyonestateinthenation—NewJersey-hasalawagainst

drivingwhilesleepdeprived,whereaseverystatehaslawsagainstdrunk

driving.Thisseemsludicrous,especiallywhenyouconsiderresearch

suggestingthatsleepdeprivationhaseffectssimilartoimbibingafew

drinks:"Sleepinessdecreasesawareness,slowsreactiontime,andimpairs

judgement,justlikedrugsoralcohol,"saidAAAFoundationPresident

PeterKissingerinastatementreleasedwiththenewstudy.Australian

researchers,forexample,havefoundthatvolunteerswhohadn'tsleptfor

nearly20hourshadresponsespeedsthatwere50percentlowerthan

well-restedfolksonsomecognitivetests;theirperformancewasonpar

withthosewhohadablood-alcoholcontentof0.05percent,whichis

approachingthelegallimit.

NewJersey'sMaggie'sLaw,namedaftera20-year-oldkilledbya

sleepingdriver,statesthatanydriverwhocausesafatalityafterbeing

awakefor24straighthoursormorecanbeprosecutedforvehicular

homicide.AndanumberofstatesincludingNewYork,Massachusetts,

Tennessee,Oregon,Kentucky,andIllinoisareconsideringsimilarlaws.

Whilesuchlawswouldcertainlybehelpful,they'redifficulttoenforce

withoutascientificwaytomeasuredrowsinesslikeabreathalyzer

measuresalcoholcontent.Howexactlydoyouproveincourtthat

someonewasawakeformorethan24hours?

TheNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministrationisbankingon

newtechnologiesdesignedtodetectnoddingoffbehindthewheelbefore

anaccidentoccurs.Lastweek,theagencygavea$1millioncontractto

theUniversityofIowaforthedevelopmentofasensorydeviceto

determineifadriverhasstoppedbraking,steering,oraccelerating

appropriately;thedevicehasalreadybeenshowntobeusefulforalcohol

impairment,thoughitprobablywon'tbereadyforprime-timeforanother