What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They say that cities will become more and more crowded. As the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This overcrowding will cause other problems — more crime, dirtier streets , and worse problems with traffic than we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity ), and housing? Because life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. For these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in city areas.
How can we deal with such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets because there is little suitable housing — and because houses are too expensive. The crime rate isn’t going down. Instead, it is increasing so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets. These problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no hope for the future of the city.
Los Angeles, California, for example, has no subway system and buses are slow. Instead, many commuters (乘、开车上班族) drive many miles from their homes to work. Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways. New York, however, has a big transit system — buses, commuter trains, and subways. Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty, many people drive private cars, and the traffic jams are worse than that in Los Angeles. A taxi driver complains, “I was driving home, but in forty-five minutes I moved only two miles! Finally, I turned off the engine and just sat there. A lot of people left their cars where they were in the middle of the street and went into a bar for a few beers!”
On the other hand, some cities have clean, fast and pleasant public transportation systems. In Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, for example, anyone can use buses or subways to move quickly from one part of the city to another.
1.What do some people think is the main problem of the future city like?
A. Poor housing. B. Overcrowding.
C. Environmental pollution. D. Traffic jams.
2.The best way to work out the traffic problem in Los Angels might be _________________.
A. cutting down the number of private cars
B. providing more buses in the freeway
C. building a subway system
D. persuading people to live nearer to their workplaces
3.Which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?
A. Thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets.
B. The crime rate isn’t going down.
C. The traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets.
D. Many people have a positive attitude towards the future of the city.
It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’ ”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. DeLuca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘ We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.
DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multi-million-dollar restaurant chain.
1.Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to _________________________.
A. support his family B. pay for his college education
C. help his partner expand business D. do some research
2.Which of the following is true of Buck?
A. He put money into the sandwich business.
B. He was a professor of business administration (管理).
C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.
D. He rented a storefront for DeLuca.
3.What can we learn about their first shop?
A. It stood at an unfavorable place.
B. It lowered the prices to promote sales.
C. It made no profits due to poor management.
D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwiches.
4.They decided to open a second store because they ______________________.
A. had enough money to do it
B. had succeeded in their business
C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers
D. wanted to make believe that they were successful
5.What contributes most to their success according to the author?
A. Learning by trial and error. B. Making friends with suppliers.
C. Finding a good partner. D. Opening chain stores.
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions.
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying. I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
1. The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (paragraph 4) means ______________.
A. pay much attention to B. have a special effect on
C. list jobs to be done for D. do good things for
2.We can conclude from the passage that _______________________________.
A. parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B. the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C. people usually like the younger children more
D. adults should treat children equally
3.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her __________________.
A. beautiful hair B. pretty clothes C. lovely smile D. young age
4.Kristen felt sad and cried because ________________________.
A. the guests gave her more coats to carry
B. she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly
C. the guests praised her sister more than her
D. her mother didn’t introduce her
Standing on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a police officer saw a car moving slowly at 18 MPH. He _36_ to himself, “This driver is just as _37 as a speeder!” So __38 _ he turned on his lights and pulled the driver over. 39 the car, he noticed that 40 were five old ladies — two in the front seat and __41__three in the back, their eyes wide and faces white as ghosts. The driver, obviously 42_ , said to him, “Officer, I don’t understand. I was _43__ exactly the speed limit! _44__ seems to be the problem?” “Ma’am,” the officer replied, “You weren’t _45__, but you should know that driving _46__ than the speed limit can also be a(n) __47 to other drivers.” “Slower than the speed limit? No, sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly…Eighteen miles per hour!” The old woman said a bit __48_ . The police officer, trying to _49_ a laugh, explained to her that “18” was the route number, _ 50_ the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the old woman smiled and thanked the officer for _51_ out her error. “But before I let you _52_ , Ma’am, I have to ask if everyone in this car is all right? These women seem very _53_ and they didn’t make a single sound the whole time.”The police officer asked. “Oh, they will be all right _54 a minute, officer. We just _55__ Route 128.”
1.A. turned B. thought C. came D. agreed
2.A. dangerous B. well C. silly D. soon
3.A. tightly B. immediately C. privately D. deadly
4.A. Suspecting B. Blaming C. Starting D. Approaching
5.A. those B. they C. there D. these
6.A. other B. more C. else D. another
7.A. confused B. worried C. delighted D. excited
8.A. increasing B. reaching C. lowering D. doing
9.A. How B. What C. When D. Where
10.A. running B. breaking C. speeding D. concentrating
11.A. slower B. safer C. faster D. higher
12.A. guide B. demand C. aid D. danger
13.A. nervously B. proudly C. roughly D. constantly
14.A. control B. give C. make D. show
15.A. or B. but C. not D. and
16.A. pointing B. speaking C. taking D. squeezing
17.A. drive B. go C. laugh D. run
18.A. united B. exhausted C. worried D. tolerated
19.A. in B. after C. for D. with
20.A. sped up B. left out C. broke down D. got off
下面有五则寓意。阅读A-F的寓言故事，然后匹配与之对应的寓言故事。其中有一个故事是多余的。
66. Not everything you see is what it appears to be.
67. He who loses freedom loses all.
68. Misfortune tests true friendship.
69.Union gives strength.
70.Precious things are for those that can prize them.
From the health point of view we are living in an amazing age. We are free from many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern medicine. It is almost certain that one day medicines will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased greatly. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man vs the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing.
Thousands of people all over the world are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel(方向盘), his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They say, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and completely selfish. Their hidden angers and disappointments seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so gently on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the deaths become nothing more than a number every year, to be easily forgotten.
It is high time a world rule was created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are unbelievable lenient(宽容的) and even the strictest are not strict enough. A rule which was universally accepted could only have an obviously beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some of the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict tests for safety each year. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can damage a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws(where they exist) should be made much stricter. Speed limits should be required on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for car factories, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stress power and performance should be banned. These measures may not sound good enough. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the number of deaths. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
1.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.
B. Thousands of people all over the world are killed each year.
C. The laws of some countries about driving are too lenient.
D. More strict traffic laws can prevent accidents.
2.What does the author think of society toward motorists?
A. Society laughs at the motorists.
B. Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.
C. Victims of accidents are nothing.
D. Society forgives their rude driving.
3.What does the author mean by saying “his car becomes the extension of his personality” in
Paragraph 3?
A. Driving can show his hidden qualities.
B. Driving can show the other part of his personality.
C. Driving can bring out his character.
D. Driving can represent his manners.
4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
A. Perfect the road network.
B. More strict driving tests.
C. Test drivers every three years.
D. Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.
5. The author’s attitude towards the traffic situation is ______.
A. confused B. discontented C. appealing D. doubtful
