第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A.B.C.D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
The English are often considered as unfriendly people who don't talk to strangers, but not London taxi drivers. I once asked a cabbie to describe his life to me and he didn't stop talking until I arrived home half an hour later. He told me many interesting stories and this is one of them: “Some very strange things happen late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had a little dog with her. When we got to her house she found that she'd lost her key. So, I waited in the cab with the dog while she climbed up the window.” “I waited … and waited … After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb up the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought that I was trying to rob the house! Luckily, the woman came downstairs, she'd gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog. I was in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to ask her for the fare(车资，车费).”?
56.In the writer’s opinion, London taxi drivers are _____________.
A. unfriendly      B. talkative           C. helpful        D. strange enough
57. From the passage we guess that the writer ______.
A. is the driver of the taxi                                B. often travels by taxi
C. is a foreigner visiting London                        D. lives in London
58. What does the underlined word “cabbie” mean in this passage?
A. Conductor.        B. Stranger.           C. Taxi driver.               D. Porter.
59. The man was waiting outside the woman's house because ______.
A. he began to like the woman and her dog at the first sight
B. the woman had not paid him
C. he wanted to know what would happen when the police came
D. he was trying to go on talking with her

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).
Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival(与……比敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad news
Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.
Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.
Rain: Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.
【小题1】What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

BRITAIN is apopular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.

Good News

Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与---匹敌) the US on this score.

Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurant.

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, street styles are justly loved, too.

Bad News

Poor service. “ It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably(无法解释的) popular.

Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps(圈套).

Rain. Still in the number one complaint(抱怨).

An air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the down- pours.

Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒精) is in short supply after 11p. m. even in “ 24-hour cities”

1.What do tourists complain most?

A. poor service              B. poor public transport

C. rain                     D. overpriced hotels

2.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A. pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B. pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C. pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US

D. pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US

3.When is alcohol not able to get?

A. at 9:00 p. m.             B. at 10:00 p. m.

C. at 11:00 p. m.            D. at 12:00 p. m.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. you have to pay to visit the museum

B. it’s very cheap to travel by taxi there

C. you cannot find Chinese food there

D. the public transport is poor there

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).
Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival (与……比敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad news
Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.
Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.
Rain: Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.
【小题1】What do tourists complain most?

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place, but tours of the country have pros and cons.

GOOD NEWS

Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.

Pop music. Britain is the only country to compete with the US on this score.

Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Japanese to Swedish restaurants.

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

　　BAD NEWS

　　Poor service. “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to disappoint the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is unbelievably popular.

　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint.

　　No air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.

　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.

What do tourists complain most?

A. Poor service.        　　                B. Poor public transport.

C. Rain.            　　                    D. Overpriced hotels.

What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A. Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B. Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C. Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D. Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

When is alcohol unlikely to be available in quantities?

　 A. At 8: 30 pm.     B. At 9: 30 pm.         C. At 10: 30 pm.        D. At 11: 30 pm.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. The public transport is poor there.

　 B. It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

　 C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

D. You have to pay to visit the museums.