I fell in love with England because it was quaint （古雅）—all those little houses, looking terribly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses．I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London．I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now．
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners．The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing．
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places．You’re forced to live indoors．In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs．To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman．The cafes are not terribly nice．
As a woman, I feel unsafe here．I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p．m．I used to use it, but now I’m afraid．
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French．In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now．His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone．
1.The writer doesn’t like London because she ______．
A．is not used to the life there now
B．has lived there for seventeen years
C．prefers to live in an old-fashioned house
D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there
2.Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
A．In a cafe． B．In a restaurant． C．In a nightclub. D．In a pub．
3.The underlined part “it” （in Par A．4） refers to______．
A．a taxi B．the money C．a bomb D．public transport
4.The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he ______．
A．felt lonely in England B．had never been to France
C．was from a typical French family D．didn't like the British idea of family
Since my family were not going to be helpful, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not tell them about it till I’d got one．
I had seen an agency （中介机构） advertised in a local newspaper．I rushed out of the __41_ in search of it．I was wildly excited, and as _42_ as if I were going on the stage．Finding the ___43__ quite easily, I ran breathlessly through a door which said “Enter without knocking, if you please．”
The simple atmosphere of the office __44__ me．The woman looked carefully at me __45_ through her glasses, and then 46 me in a low voice．I answered softly．All of a sudden I started to feel rather 47 She wondered why I was looking for this sort of 48 I felt even more helpless when she told me that it would be 49 to get a job without 50 I wondered whether I ought to leave, 51 the telephone on her desk rang．I heard her say:
“52 , I’ve got someone in the 53 at this very moment who might 54 ．” She wrote down a 55 and held it out to me, saying: “Ring up this lady．She wants a 56 immediately．In fact, you would have to start tomorrow by cooking a dinner for ten people．”
“Oh yes,” said I ---- 57 having cooked for more than four in my life．I 58 her again and again, and rushed out to the 59 telephone box．I collected my thoughts, took a deep breath, and rang the number．I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for．
I spent the next few hours 60 cook books．
1.A．bed B house C．agency D．office
2.A．proud B．please C．nervous D．worried
3.A．family B．door C．place D．stage
4.A．calmed B．excited C．frightened D．disturbed
5.A．as usual B．for a while C．in a minute D．once again
6.A．advised B．examined C．informed D．questioned
7.A．encouraged B．dissatisfied C．hopeless D．pleased
8.A．place B．job C．advice D．help
9.A．difficult B．helpless C．possible D．unusual
10.A．ability B．experience C．knowledge D．study
11.A．after B．since C．until D．when
12.A．Above all B．As a matter of fact
C．As a result D．In spite of that
13.A．family B．house C．office D．restaurant
14.A．hire B．accept C．suit D．offer
15.A．letter B．name C．note D．number
16.A．cook B．help C．teacher D．secretary
17.A．almost B．never C．nearly D．really
18.A．answered B．promised C．thanked D．told
19.A．outside B．local C．closest D．nearest
20.A．borrowing B．buying C．reading D．writing
Lack of money _____ her not continuing her studies．
A．explains to B．cares for C．approves of D．accounts for
When the thief found the police had already _____ him, he ran away quickly．
A．realized B．known C．spotted D．stared
The film fans all ______ when they learned that Jackie Chan and Jet Li would pair up for the first time in the action film．
A．brought up B．turned up C．grew up D．cheered up
If the motorbike driver had slowed down when he turned, the accident could have been _____．
A．avoided B．prevented C．escaped D．annoyed
