阅读理解

  In the 1970s, with ever-increasing international travel and tourism, the United States Department of Transportation decided to design a set of symbols(符号)for airports, stations, and public facilities(设施). The aim was to design symbols that would be clear to people in a hurry and to those who can not read English. Therefore, the set of symbols shown below was designed. Then the designers planned an experiment with an international sample(抽样调查) of 8-year-old children from Sweden. Japan, France, Canada, and Britain. The purpose of the experiment was to determine how clear the symbols would be to the children, who were not experienced international travelers.

  The children were shown the set of sample symbols, and were then asked to explain to the experimenters what the symbols meant. The researchers thought that if the international sample of children could understand them, the grown-up travelers would probably also recognize their meanings. The following graph(图表) shows the percentages of correctly explained symbols.

  The experiments discovered that most of the children easily understand the telephone receiver and cigarette symbols. However, there were some interesting differences in their answers to the other four symbols. The Japanese children most easily understood the symbol standing for“coffee shop”. The experimenters thought that this fact showed children in Japan are more familiar with such shops than children in Sweden and Canada. The Japanese, French, and Canadian children all equally recognized the idea of“information”showed by the question mark.

  Interestingly, the French and Canadian children understood the symbol referring to“campground(露营地)”better than the other children. Again, the researchers thought that recognition of a symbol shows how common the activity is in a country.

  One particularly difficult symbol was that of the umbrella and glove used for“lost and found”, which was correctly explained by less than 50% of the children in four of the five countries. On the basis(基础) of this finding, the experimenters decided to add a question mark to make this symbol easier to understand.

1.Which of the following shows the correct meaning of(X), (Y), and (Z) in the graph above?

[  ]

A.Campground, Coffee Shop, Lost and Found.

B.Lost and Found, Campground, Coffee Shop.

C.Coffee shop, Lost and Found, Campground.

D.Telephone, No smoking, Information.

2.If we compare the Japanese and French children's understanding of the question mark and cigarette symbols, then we can find a difference of _____ between these symbols.

[  ]

A.0%   B.10%

C.80%   D.90%

3.The _____ symbol was the most difficult for the Japanese children to understand.

[  ]

A.cup   B.question mark

C.tent   D.umbrella and glove

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

[  ]

A.The experimenters thought Japanese children drink coffee.

B.The most difficult symbol was changed to make it clearer.

C.The question mark symbol is the least difficult in all five countries.

D.The researchers thought children would know as much as grown-ups.

My wife and I spent a few weeks in London last year. We went there in autumn. We think it is the   31   season to visit England. The weather is usually quite good   32   there aren’t too many   33   in October. We stayed in a small   34   in the West End. We     35  most of our sightseeing (观光) on foot. We went to look at the places which all travelers    36. We went   37   and spent too much money. What we liked most was going to the   38   . We don’t have the chance to see such   39   plays at home. A lot of people say English   40   is very bad. We didn’t think so. It is   41   that most of the restaurants are French, Italian or Chinese, but had some very   42    meals. In fact, we   43    our holiday so much that we have already decided to   44    there again this year. We are going to take our umbrellas as well,    45   I’m sure we’ll need them sometimes.
31. A. busiest     B. working                C. best                 D. hottest
32. A. and     B. or                 C. as                 D. so
33. A. players    B. travelers                C. places                 D. things
34. A. station           B. hotel           C. office                 D. cinema
35. A. missed      B. showed               C. used                D. did
36. A. live            B. stay                 C. visit                 D. work
37. A. shopping           B. fishing               C. swimming             D. climbing
38. A. shops              B. cinemas                C. restaurants      D. theatres
39. A. well              B. wonderful         C. terrible               D. sad
40. A. language           B. film                 C. clothes               D. food
41. A. impossible   B. true                 C. important              D. necessary
42. A. delicious   B. poor             C. fresh                D. expensive
43. A. spent    B. enjoyed          C. paid                 D. finished
44. A. live     B. eat            C. go                 D. spend
45. A. although       B. but                     C. because              D. so

Travel Tips from the Budget Traveler

Plan in advance.

Passengers planning to travel by plane or train should buy their tickets at least one week before the trip. You can save money that way. There are often special airfares and rail fares if you buy your ticket more than 7 days or 14 days in advance.

Shop around.

Not all travel agencies or airlines change the same amount of money for airline tickets to the same place. It’s a good idea to call several different places to get the best deal. Sometimes you can find really good flight prices on the Internet.

Stay over a Saturday night.

Some airlines offer low airfares if you stay over a Saturday night. This is because they want to attract the pleasure travelers. Pleasure travelers are usually able to stay over on a Saturday night. Business travelers usually want to be home with their families on Saturday nights.

Take a boat.

For some destinations, traveling by plane is not the only choice available. Most people travel from Japan to Korea or China, for example, by plane. This is because plane travel is quick and convenient. But you can make the journey by boat, instead. It takes more time, of course, but there are usually cheap deals for boat passengers—and you have lots of time to enjoy the journey.

Travel with a friend or in a group.

Traveling in a group is often a good way to save money. If you travel in a group of 10 or more, you can usually get a good deal from airlines. Also, when you rent a car, you can share the cost instead of paying for it yourself. In addition, sharing with another traveler can help get a cheap room price at a hotel.

Join a Frequent Travel Program.

Many airlines offer special programs for regular travelers. These are called “Frequent Travel Programs” or “Frequent Flyer Programs”. Every time you take their plane, you get points. When you have enough points, you can get free flights from the airline.

1. A cheaper air ticket may be got by all of the following means EXCEPT ______.

   A. trying different travel agencies and airlines

   B. buying a ticket ahead of time

   C. buying a ticket on line     

   D. shopping around the city

2. To get a cheap deal on a flight, which of these trips should you choose?

   A. Leave on Thursday and return on Sunday afternoon.

   B. Leave on Monday and return on Wednesday.

   C. Leave on Wednesday and return on Saturday morning.

   D. Leave on Friday and return on Saturday night.

3. The writer suggests taking a boat from Japan to Korea mainly because ______.

   A. it’s comfortable to take a boat

   B. the scenery on the sea is beautiful

   C. it’s cheap and you can enjoy the journey

   D. it is not far from Japan to Korea

4. Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. The writer recommends traveling in a group as a good way to save money.

   B. All airlines offer special programmes for regular travelers.

   C. Joining a Frequent Traveler Programme can help you get flights for free every time.

   D. The writer suggests renting a car as a great way to travel for free.

 

 

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