题目内容
Rail passengers are being forced to pay thousands of pounds more in fares as a result of poor advice from the national telephone help line and individual stations, a consumer organization reveals today. Research by Which? found that in some cases passengers are being charged almost double the cheapest price because of errors made by staff.
Which? asked 25 questions of both station staff and the National Rail Enquiries (NRES) helpline. Only half of the 50 questions were answered correctly. If customers had followed all the advice given, they would have been £1,263. 60 worse off.
Bad advice was given for the cheapest fare for a single journey between
Some of the most costly misinformation was given for journeys where season tickets should have been recommended. Passengers making a return journey between Swindon and Penzance twice in a week could buy a ticket from one company for £70 which would cover all the travel. But both NRES and station staff quoted £67 for each journey, making £134. However, the NRES website proved to be a much more reliable source of information.
Which? also checked “the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket” claims by five companies and found this was not always the case. On some services, prices went up and down at random.
Ithiel Mogridge, 52, gave one example of poor advice: “Last Christmas I found my brother a ticket on the train line. Come to travel from Blackburn to Yate. While the direct route was £51, this one involved a change in Newport and cost just £21. I emailed the details to him and his partner. They went to Blackburn station, where the clerk insisted the fare was £51.”
Malcolm Coles, editor of which.co.uk said: “Staff training needs to be improved. In the meantime, we’ve designed a checklist, available at which.co.uk / railadvice.”
72. According to the passage “which?” is a ________.
A. national telephone helpline
B. department under the British Rail
C. consumer organization
D. website under the National Rail Enquiries
73. When the author said that customers “would have been £1,263. 60 worse off”, he was telling us that customers would have _________.
A. saved £1,263. 60 if they had followed the advice
B. spend £1,263. 60 more than the lowest price
C. used £1,263. 60 for the survey of 25 questions
D. been cheated of £1,263. 60 from the poor advice
74. The phrase at random in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “_________”.
A. casually B. purposefully C. exactly D. inevitably
75. The passage is mainly concerned with the phenomenon that __________.
A. rail passengers can get cheaper tickets if they book earlier
B. rail passengers are ill-treated by station staff
C. booking clerks and the telephone helpline offer reliable information
D. train passengers get bad advice on fares
Signs can sometimes be seen at the entrance of a house, expressing that a tramp has passed. This special sign-language is frequently 36 by tramps to inform their 37 whether the host of a certain house is friendly or unfriendly, and to 38 them the trouble of making unnecessary calls.
Quite 39 one day, I came across a real tramp. He was such a rare sight these days that I stood some distance away and watched him. He was dressed just as a tramp should be 40 , old worn trousers, and a jacket many sizes too big for him. On his head there was a battered old hat and his boots were so old and worn; they were almost coming into 41 . But the man himself looked cheerful as if he had not a 42 in the world. He rubbed his nose with his forefinger, 43 a funny turn, laid a small parcel by the front gate, and began 44 a sign made by a former caller. Although the sign was meaningless to me, it must have been 45 , for the tramp’s face lit up with 46 . He entered the front gate confidently and rang the bell. When the door opened, I saw him 47 his hat but couldn’t hear his words. The 48 was very short indeed, for no sooner had he spoken a few words than the door closed fiercely in his face. I felt 49 for him as he walked 50 out of the house, But just as quickly, his face lit up again and he moved quickly towards the gate. There he stopped, looked at the sign, and 51 his head seriously as if he had made a bad mistake. 52 deeply into his pockets, he produced a piece of chalk, rubbed out the 53 sign and made a new one in its place. He stared at it for a moment smiling to himself, then gathered his 54 , pushed back his hat and began walking towards the next house at an unhurried 55 , whistling as he went along.
36. A. employed | B. made | C. taken | D. put up |
37. A. parents | B. classmates | C. fellows | D. friends |
38. A. share | B. save | C. give | D. put |
39. A. in a way | B. by mistake | C. by the way | D. by chance |
40. A. with | B. in | C. by | D. on |
41. A. a fashion | B. a design | C. pieces | D. blocks |
42. A. success | B. care | C. failure | D. family |
43. A. gave | B. took | C. set | D. made |
44. A. drawing | B. kissing | C. correcting | D. studying |
45. A. pleased | B. strange | C. funny | D. exciting |
46. A. surprise | B. satisfaction | C. worry | D. disappointment |
47. A. rise | B. put on | C. raise | D. throw |
48. A. conversation | B. introduction | C. quarrel | D. greeting |
49. A. happy | B. frightened | C. worried | D. sorry |
50. A. cheerful | B. sadly | C. bravely | D. eagerly |
51. A. waved | B. swung | C. shook | D. nodded |
52. A. Digging | B. Stealing | C. Putting | D. Looking |
53. A. existed | B. moving | C. shining | D. existing |
54. A. belongings | B. clothes | C. umbrella | D. stick |
55. A. step | B. position | C. pace | D. situation |