SECTION B

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and the required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Cameras will record city’s illegal parkers

CCTV cameras are to be used in the heart of London for the first time to catch motorists causing traffic jam by parking on double yellow lines and vans unloading illegally.

About 20 cameras have been set up in the West End to detect and fine vehicle owners who park illegally, in an effort to keep traffic flowing and reduce traffic jam.

The scheme, which could eventually be extended nationwide, will also be used to spot and prosecute(起诉) people who attack parking attendants.

Although the cameras are primarily for parking offences, the police will be allowed to access to film footage(录象资料).

The introduction of the CCTV cameras by Westminster City Council follows an eight-week trial that resulted in a marked improvement in traffic flow. The trial showed that the number of offences committed trailed off(减弱,) over the time of the study and fewer penalty(处罚) notices were challenged.

Over the next three weeks Westminster is running an awareness campaign to inform drivers about its new parking enforcement. During this time motorists who disobey the regulations will be issued with a warning. After that, parking tickets will be issued.

The main focus of the new scheme is on double yellow lines and loading bays in areas such as Piccadilly, the Strand, Oxford Circus and Soho.

Dan Chalkley, Westminster council’s cabinet member for economic development and transport, said, “Our pilot scheme proved that CCTV is reliable and cost-effective.”

Paul Watters, the AA’s head of roads and transport policy, said, “A camera won’t spot the blue badge or note on the windscreen about the car being broken down.”

81. What’s the purpose of fixing CCTV cameras in the heart of London? (No more than 7 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________

82. What does Dan Chalkley think of CCTV? (No more than 4 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________

83. How will a driver be punished if he disobeys the regulations in the period of the awareness campaign? (No more than 7 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________

84. When will the new parking enforcement formally start? (No more than 3 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.

I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.

There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.

A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.

Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor(走廊). In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.

I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”

He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.

I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.

When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.

I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.

“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.

At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!

“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.

Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.

Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.

No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.

1.The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to __________.

A.answer some questions

B.express some unusual feelings

C.arouse the readers’ curiosity

D.give some advice in advance

2.What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?

A.They talked with each other all night

B.They got angry about the window

C.The author didn’t understand the man’s words

D.The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions

3.On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because ___________.

A.he couldn’t find a seat by the window

B.he was angry with the man sitting next to him

C.there were too many people on the train

D.the window was kept shut all night

4.It can be learned from Para. 10 that the author was afraid that ____________.

A.he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train

B.he would miss the ship that went where he worked

C.more people might crowd into the train

D.he would have to buy another ticket

5.The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”(Para.15)was made by __________.

A.the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices

B.the ship that was lying two miles away

C.the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor

D.the train itself telling people that something was wrong

6.What would be the best title for the text?

A.A Bad Experience on the Train

B.A Train that Is Never Late

C.A Quick and Wise Decision

D.A Journey to Mendova

 

In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every television station to buy all kinds of goods.

Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries,

Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price by bargaining. However, there are many “sales” in the United States, during which time stores will lower their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to “get your money’s worth” when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don’t hurry. Visit various stores and determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices.

There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called “department stores” to very small shops. There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.

Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.

If convenience isn’t as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do so for several reasons. They don’t offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn’t deliver purchases.

Another popular shop is the “dime store”. No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars.

1.The passage is mainly about______

A. American hospitality.           B. the life of Americans.

C. American stores.               D. the business of Americans.

2. Why can discount houses offer goods at lower prices compared with department stores?

a. They have fewer employees.

b. They have larger quantities of goods.

c. They offer fewer services.

d. They don’t provide delivery service.

A. a b c         B. a b d         C. a c d           D. b c d

3.What’s special about dime stores?

A. They sell lots of goods at a small profit.

B. They make big profits by selling some goods.

C. They provide goods with a price lower than 50 cents.

D. They provide goods ranging from bargains to expensive ones.

4.Where can we most probably read this passage?

A. In a research paper.           B. In a science report.

C. In a geography book.          D. In a travel magazine.

 

Directions:  Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

As we all know, all the governments in the world collect taxes(税), but what are they and what are they used for? Some people may not know about them.

There are two kinds of taxes. One of the most important taxes is income-taxes which a person pays according to the amount of his income. Whatever he is, he must pay tax if income is more than a certain amount. This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money directly to the government.

Another tax is paid on goods. When they are brought into a country, such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are later sold in shops. We call it “indirect” tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeepers.

People usually complain about having to pay taxes, but they forget that the money is spent on what they need. On one hand, we need policemen and soldiers to protect us from danger. Meanwhile, we also need schools and teachers for our children. On the other hand, we need officials and workers to serve us. Above all, we need money to develop our nation.

Taxes, therefore, can’t be avoided. We have no real reason to complain when we are asked to supply money to be spent for the good of ourselves and for our fellow-citizens.

Title:   1.  are necessary in our life

Sources

People→Taxes

_2.__of taxes

Tax-payers

  3. 

People whose income is over a certain amount

Indirect tax

___4.__

  5. 

Taxes→  6.  

On safety—  7.  

On education—  8. 

  9. —Officials and workers

On development—  10.

 

 

The two-week vacation at the end of summer school ended yesterday. Kevin had gone nowhere during his vacation. He had the money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Gary, his youngest brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last vacation. Each of them had spent the last three years waiting for the other to apologize.

Kevin did not feel good about being on non-speaking terms with his favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his mind, this whole misunderstanding was his brother’s fault.

So Kevin’s summer vacation was spent in his own “back yard.” As usual, he had planned to clean up his apartment. As usual, two weeks later his apartment looked just as it had two weeks before.

He did do one thing new and different during his vacation. There was a new coffee shop on Foothill Street. It served 25 varieties of delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff was genuinely friendly. The shop was air-conditioned at a slightly chilly temperature. About eight small round tables were inside. Outside were four bigger tables. Each had four white metal chairs around it, and several big umbrellas provided shade. Even on hot afternoons, there was usually a pleasant breeze.

Kevin visited the coffee shop four times during his vacation. He always sat at a table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there, he read most of the newspaper articles while he enjoyed two cups of coffee.

Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians. The coffee shop was next to a huge parking lot. The lot was for customers of a grocery store, movie rental store, pharmacy, bank, and restaurant. Kevin considered his outdoor seat the perfect place for one of his favorite activities—people watching.

The coffee shop, with its excellent location and coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. But he knew in his heart, had his brother been there to join him just one day, his vacation would have been a perfect one.

1. Why didn’t Kevin go anywhere during his vacation?

A.Because he was short of money.

B.Because he didn’t like traveling.

C.Because he had no company.

D.Because he had to clean up his apartment.

2. What did Kevin do in his vacation?

A.He cleaned up his apartment.

B.He had a big argument with Gary.

C.He worked in a parking lot.

D.He stayed at home most of the time.

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the coffee house?

A.It served delicious coffee of different flavors.

B.It had an effective air-conditioning system.

C.It was often crowded with local customers.

D.It provided free newspapers for customers.

 

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