Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls.
They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. “I’d have done it,”insisted Kendall Turner. “It would have been heartbreaking for the village.”Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box’s change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, “We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”
Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25th anniversary of the reign of King George V.Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop（背景）to millions of tourist photographs.
Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. “On average, maintaining them costs $800 a year per phone box — about ￡44 million annually,” said John Lunb, general manager for BT Payphones.
1..Some red phone boxes in Britain have been used for ______ .
a.selling flowers b.cooking c.reading d.exhibiting art or poetry
A.a,b B.c,d C.a,b,c D.b,c,d
2..Why do the villagers want to keep the red phone boxes ?
A.Because millions of people visit Britain to see the red phone boxes.
B.Because the local people could earn a lot of money from the red phone boxes.
C.Because the red phone boxes have already become a symbol of Britain.
D.Because the red phone boxes may be useful for some people in emergency.
3..What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage ?
A.Green. B.Red. C.Black. D.Yellow.
4..What is John Lumb’s attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes ?
A.Supportive. B.Opposed. C.Neutral. D.Indifferent.
A dog who chewed off his owner’s infected toe（脚趾）while he was passed-out drunk has been called a lifesaver. Jerry Douthett had been out drinking when his dog Kiko bit off a large part if his big toe. His wife, Rosee, rushed him to hospital where tests showed the 48-year-old musician had dangerous high blood-sugar levels. Doctors told him his toe would have had to be cut off anyway.
Mr Douthett said he had refused to get medical advice despite his toe being swollen for months. “I was hiding it from people, Rosee included,” he said. “It smelled , and I look back now and realize every time we’d visit someone with a dog, their dog would smell all over my foot.”
The night before Mr Douthett had agreed to see a doctor, he passed out at home after going out drinking. He said, “I woke up and the dog was lying along side by foot. I said, ‘Ah, there’s blood everywhere.’ I ran to the bathroom and started to scream.”
However, he believes Kiko could sense the disease coming from his big toe. “He’s a hero,” Mr Douthett said. “It wasn’t an aggressive attack. He just ate the infection. He saved my life. He ate it. I mean, he must have eaten it, because we couldn’t find it anywhere else in the house. I look down. There’s blood all over, and my toe is gone.”
Before the operation, Mr Douthett asked a nurse, “Is there any chance I can get whatever’s left of my toe, so I can give it to Kiko as a treat?” Kiko is still with the family but is under observation by authorities.
1..Mr Douthett didn’t want to get medical treatment because ______ .
A.he didn’t know about his disease at all
B.he was unwilling to let others know about his disease
C.doctors had no good ways to treat his bad toe
D.his wife advised him not to do that
2..From Paragraph 3 we can infer that ______ .
A.Rosee managed to persuade her husband to go to hospital
B.Mr Douthett made his big toe worse by frequent drinking
C.Mr Douthett didn’t know his toe was chewed off at first
D.it is dangerous for people to let pet dogs sleep in the bedrooms
3..What did Mr Douthett think of his dog ?
A.It was clever and brave.
B.It never attacked healthy people.
C.It was a cruel but helpful dog.
D.It was a dangerous dog in fact.
My father was in the navy, which meant that my mother was married to both my father and the sea．As was often the case, we had to pack our belongings into boxes and 31 those we had grown to love．We would arrive at our new home and find ourselves once again 32 at the pier （码头） waving good-bye to my father as his 33 pulled him away from us．My mother would turn my brother and I around before the ship was out of 34 , wipe our tears, and take us back home to start the process of 35 in the new environment again．
Throughout the years of changing 36 , schools and friends, there remained one constant in my childhood — my mother．For both my 37 and I, she was the cook, maid and teacher．She played these roles while 38 some type of part-time job．Leaving a promising career is just one of the 39 which my mother made for my family as we moved around the world with our father every three years or so． 40 she had to deal with only a small budget, my mother, 41 , managed to make each house to be the very home that is safe and 42 ．
This probably sounds like a depressing way to live, 43 with two small children: “single” parenthood, short-term friendships, and the inability （无能） to 44 a career or establish a home．But it was not for my mother．She turned this 45 into adventure for us all! Each relocation （变换位置） was a chance to 46 another part of the world．My mother greeted each new culture, climate and neighborhood．Each new house was a 47 to rearrange furniture, make curtains and 48 pictures．Every part-time job was an opportunity to learn something new and work with interesting people．
No matter how difficult the life was, she was always having a 49 attitude．She always had strength in the face of struggle and change．My mother was so 50 all those years during my childhood — she was my island in a sea of change．She is my hero．
1.．A．leave behind B．leave out C．leave off D．leave for
2.．A．living B．staring C．standing D．going
3.．A．car B．ship C．train D．plane
4.．A．range B．shape C．sight D．control
5.．A．adapting B．suiting C．matching D．fitting
6.．A．names B．jobs C．addresses D．directions
7.．A．father B．classmates C．brother D．relatives
8.．A．performing B．seeking C．waiting D．applying
9.．A．programs B．sacrifices C．contribution D．cooperation
10.．A．Once B．While C．When D．Unless
11.．A．somewhere B．somewhat C．sometime D．somehow
12.．A．romantic B．comfortable C．mysterious D．wealthy
13.．A．generally B．actually C．especially D．unfairly
14.．A．desert B．develop C．affect D．limit
15.．A．lifestyle B．value C．journey D．opportunity
16.．A．acquire B．explore C．occupy D．realize
17.．A．load B．sadness C．result D．challenge
18.．A．hang B．draw C．take D．sell
19.．A．changeable B．cautious C．positive D．negative
20.．A．experience B．brave C．ordinary D．annoyed
People there now have no _____ to safe drinking water due to the Japanese Earthquake.
A.attempt B.access C.adjustment D.admission
He made a _____ of five thousand dollars on the deal.
A.profit B.bonus C.pension D.loan
When we ran to the top of the hill, we were _____ .
A.out of fashion B.out of work C.out of the question D.out of breath
