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AN upper class British lady once declared: “Anyone seen on a bus after the age of 30 has been a failure in life.”I guess she meant that if you’re middle aged and don’t have a car then you are a loser. How arrogant (傲慢) and ignorant！
Unfortunately, there are still people who think that way: that somehow public transport is only for the poor. And the rest have a right to their cars. Some wealthy folk in the West look down on buses and boast (吹嘘) about how many years it has been since they last traveled by one.
How sad is that? Our roads are packed with cars and the air is full of the pollution they emit (排放). But still, many car users are unwillingly to get on a bus or a bike or a train to take themselves to work.
It’s convenient to drive, they’ll say. Buses are so unreliable, they’ll claim. And trains are expensive ---- at least in the UK.
It’s an attitude which may have to change. It doesn’t make sense to drive a car in a city where there’s a public transport system. Also, these rush hour commuters (往返上班者) usually travel alone.
As a result, transport authorities in the UK are looking at solutions to city center congestion (拥堵).
One is to increase the number of parking spaces at out-of-town railway stations. More motorists (乘汽车的人) can then leave their cars and travel into the city by train.
Light rail or tramways are another environmentally friendly solution. Many cities across Europe have installed light rail or tramway systems.
The subway in London is used by everyone, rich and poor. It’s the quickest way of getting around the city, whatever your bank balance.
And then there are the cycle hire schemes you find in many modern cities. In London and Paris, you can hire a bike by the hour to get you where you need to go.
While commuters in Beijing abandon their bicycles for cars, cycling to work grows in popularity in the West.
Many cyclists are willing to pay more than 10,000 yuan for their bicycles. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is often pictured cycling to work. David Cameron, the British prime minister, cycled to the House of Commons before he became leader. These days he takes the prime ministerial limousine (豪华轿车).
1.. According to the article, some British people, like the upper class woman, think that ________.
A. buses are inconvenient B. bus services are unnecessary
C. having a car is a sign of success D. only the upper class should have cars
2. Which of the following measures is taken by transport authorities in the UK to solve city center congestion?
A. The development of cycle hire schemes.
B. Increasing the number of parking spaces in the city center.
C. Installing light rail or tramway systems in out-of-town areas.
D. Banning commuters from traveling alone during rush hour.
3.The author mentions the example of Boris Johnson in the last paragraph to ________.
A. express his respect for the mayor of London
B. point to the growing popularity of cycling to work in the West
C. criticize Beijing commuters for abandoning their bicycles for cars
D. show that cars are still the most common means of transportation for famous people in Britain
4. Which of the following might the writer agree with?
A. The British prime minister should give up his limousine.
B. Beijing commuters should learn from British commuters.
C. British solutions to public transport problems are inadequate.
D. Many car owners need to change their attitudes if the traffic problem is to
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British society is considered to be divided into three main groups of classes－the upper class，the middle class．and the lower or working class．This is known as the class system and it is important to know something about it if you mean to understand British people and society．Most British people grow up with a deep knowledge and understanding of the class system even if they are not very conscious（意识到的）of it．As a result，more people know which class they belong to and are able to tell which class other people come from by the way they speak，the kind of clothes they wear，their interests and hobbies or even the type of food they eat．
Social class is not only about behavior and attitudes．For example，although many upper class people are rich and may own a lot of land，having a lot of money does not necessarily make a person one member of the upper class．It is also important to come from a particular kind of family，have friends who are considered suitable，have been to a certain type of private school and speak with the right kind of accent．There are people who are poor but who do not think of themselves as working class because their family background，education，political opinions，etc．are basically different from those of most working－class people．Many people do not like the class system but it is impossible to pretend that these differences do not exist or that British people do not sometimes form opinions in this way．
1.The idea of the class system in Britain __________．
A．exists only in the mind of foreigners B．is deeply rooted in the British people
C．is now under attack D．is regarded as a long custom
2.If an Englishman has a lot of money，__________．
A．he belongs to the middle class
B．he must be a member of the upper class
C．he is not likely to be from the upper class
D．he may buy an upper class title with money
3.What does the second paragraph mainly discuss?
A．Many rich people do not belong to the upper class．
B．Today many British people do not like the class system．
C．Many poor people do not consider themselves a lower class．
D．An Englishman’S social class is determined by many factors．
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．An Unequal Society B．Social Class in Britain
C．British People and Society D．Information about Britain
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93. You can _____ yourself _____ an opinion freely at the class meeting.
| A．take; on | B．declare; of | C．deliver; of | D．deliver; out |
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The Mekong River Commission has found no evidence ______ the dams on the upper reaches have an influence on the water flow downstream．
A．which B．that C．where D．what
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The Mekong River Commission has found no evidence ________ the dams on the upper reaches have an influence on the water flow downstream.
A．that B．which C．where D．what
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British writer John Donne once said: “No man is an island; every book is a world.” As an enthusiastic reader, I can’t agree with the latter part of the sentence more. Every summer, I endeavor to find some peaceful places where I can attack some classics without being disturbed. Thomas Hardy wants to live far from the madding crowd. I am no friend to chaos, either.
I read George Orwell’s 1984 in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms. 1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection. Attempting Sound and Fury lying on the bed of a poorly-occupied motel, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes, but then my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open.
But this summer I find myself at a loss. I’m not quite interested in J.D.Salinger, say, or Frankenstein. There’s always War and Peace which I’ve covered some distance several times, only to get bogged down in the “War” part, set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank. How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite—once more into The Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong to serious literature.
And then there’s John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. This title does not amaze but confuse. We’re never short of sour grapes, but we’ve never heard of angry grapes. Anyway grapes are my favorite fruit of summer. These stone fruits can always make me feel cheerful and peaceful all at once.
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. The author has a cottage in New England.
B. 1984 is a book that needs careful thought.
C. Both of the reading attempts were not fruitful.
D. Sound and Fury was set in a poorly-occupied motel.
2.What does the underlined phrase “get bogged down” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Get confused. B. Be carried away.
C. Be interpreted. D. Make no progress.
3.Why does the author say reading his favorite books feels like cheating?
A. He finishes them quickly. B. He should read something serious.
C. He barely understands them. D. He gets amazed by their titles.
4.What can we know about the author from this passage?
A. Thomas Hardy is his friend. B. He shows talent for literature.
C. He is quite forgetful. D. He is a literary-minded man.
5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To share his reading experience.
B. To encourage readers to read books.
C. To introduce good books to readers.
D. To condemn the chaotic world we live in.
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British Writer John Donne once said：“No man is an island；every book is a world.”As an enthusiastic reader，I can’t agree with the latter part of the sentence more．Every summer．I endeavor to find some peaceful places where I can attack some classics without being disturbed．Thomas Hardy wants to live far from the madding crowd．I am no friend to chaos，either．
I read George Orwell’s 1984 in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors，no telephones or televisions in the rooms．1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection．Attempting Sound and Fury lying on the bed of a poorly-occupied motel，however， was less fruitful：I made it through one and a quarter volumes，but then my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open．
But this summer I find myself at a loss．I’m not quite interested in J．D．Salinger，say，or Frankenstein．There’s always War and Peace．which I’ve covered some distance several times，only to get bogged down in the“War”part，set it aside for a while，and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again，having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank．How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite—once more into The Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland，which feels almost like cheating，too exciting and too much fun to belong to serious literature．
And then there’s John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath．This title do not amaze but confuse. We’re never short of sour grapes，but we’ve never heard of angry grapes．Anyway grapes are my favorite fruit of summer．These stone fruits can always make me feel cheerful and peaceful all at once．
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. The author has a cottage in New England．
B. 1984 is a book that needs deep reflection．
C. Both of the reading attempts were not fruitful．
D. Sound and Fury was set in a poorly-occupied hotel．
2.Why does the author say reading his favorite books feels like cheating?
A. He finishes them quickly． B. He should read something serious．
C. He barely understands them． D. He gets amazed by their titles．
3.What can we say about the author?
A. Thomas Hardy is his friend． B. He likes serious literature．
C. He is quite forgetful． D. He is a literary-minded man．
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To share his reading experience．
B. To encourage readers to read books．
C. To introduce good books to readers．
D. To condemn the chaotic world we live in．
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I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief(悲伤) at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute(哀悼), weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. At one point, the mother almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
It was our newspaper's production day. We were bussed back to the office to resume work. No more deadlines for our former colleague, but we had to pull together to put the newspaper to print. The boss invited the team to go out for dinner after work. We relaxed, smiled, joked. There was no mention of the funeral or our poor colleague. Enough sorrow had been shed already. We needed a break.
1.The underlined words “stiff upper lip style” mean “________”.
A．cold-blooded B．warm-hearted
C．self-controlled D．light-hearted
2.At the funeral, ________.
A．five individuals made speeches
B．the boss’s speech was best thought of
C．everyone was crying out loudly
D．the writer was astonished by the scene
3.According to the writer, people in the West________.
A．are not willing to be sad for the dead
B．prefer to control their sadness in public
C．cry their eyes out at the public funeral
D．have better way to express sadness
4.It is implied that ________.
A．the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time
B．Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples
C．victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored
D．English funeral culture is more civilized than the others
5.This passage talks mainly about ________.
A．an editor’s death B．bad funeral customs
C．western ways of grief D．cultural differences
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I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief(悲伤) at a Chinese funeral.
My funeral.editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute(哀悼), weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. At one point, the mother almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
It was our newspaper's production day. We were bussed back to the office to resume work. No more deadlines for our former colleague, but we had to pull together to put the newspaper to print. The boss invited the team to go out for dinner after work. We relaxed, smiled, joked. There was no mention of the funeral or our poor colleague. Enough sorrow had been shed already. We needed a break.
1.The underlined words “stiff upper lip style” in Paragraph 1 mean “________”.
A．cold-blooded B．warm-hearted
C．light-hearted D．self-controlled
2.At the funeral, ________.
A. five individuals made speeches
B. the boss’s speech was best thought of
C. the writer was astonished by the scene
D. everyone was crying out loudly
3.According to the writer, people in the West ________.
A. are not willing to be sad for the dead
B. cry their eyes out at the public funeral
C. prefer to control their sadness in public
D. have better way to express sadness
4.It is implied that ________.
A. Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples
B. the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time
C. victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored
D. English funeral culture is more civilized than the others
5.This passage talks mainly about________.
A. an editor’s death B. bad funeral customs
C.cultural differences D. western ways of grief
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I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief(悲伤) at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy(悼词) and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute(哀悼), weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. At one point, the mother almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
It was our newspaper's production day. We were bussed back to the office to resume work. No more deadlines for our former colleague, but we had to pull together to put the newspaper to print. The boss invited the team to go out for dinner after work. We relaxed, smiled, joked. There was no mention of the funeral or our poor colleague. Enough sorrow had been shed already. We needed a break.
1.The underlined words “stiff upper lip style” in Paragraph 1 mean “________”.
A．cold-blooded B．warm-hearted C．light-hearted D．self-controlled
2.At the funeral, ________.
A. five individuals made speeches
B. the boss’s speech was best thought of
C. the writer was astonished by the scene
D. everyone was crying out loudly
3.According to the writer, people in the West ________.
A. are not willing to be sad for the dead
B. cry their eyes out at the public funeral
C. prefer to control their sadness in public
D. have better way to express sadness
4.It is implied that ________.
A. Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples
B. the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time
C. victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored
D. English funeral culture is more civilized than the others
5.This passage talks mainly about________.
A. an editor’s death B. bad funeral customs
C. cultural differences D. western ways of grief