Long bus rides are like television shows．They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes．The commercials are unavoidable．They happen whether you want them or not．Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window．"Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas." Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"

The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before．Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road．The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so．If the driver is particularly reckless （鲁莽的） or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story．Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down．Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride．Food always makes bus rides more interesting．But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat．Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.

The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning．You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that．The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed．By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests even with your hands crossed behind your head．The end comes just at no more ways to sit.

1．According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?

       A．Buses on the road．                       B．Films on television.

C．Advertisements on the billboards．      D．Gas stations.

2．What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips.

B．To persuade you to take a long bus trip.

C．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.

D．To describe the billboards along the road.

3．The writer of this passage would probably favor _______.

A．bus drivers who aren’t reckless

B．driving alone

C．a television set on the bus

D．no billboards along the road

4．The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because______ .

A．the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun

B．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between

C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses

D．both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.

TIJUANA, Mexico – A powerful earthquake swayed （摇动） buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities and forcing the evacuation （疏散） of hospitals and nursing homes．One California city closed off its downtown due to unstable buildings．

       The 7．2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades．

       "It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said．"Most of Southern California felt this earthquake．"

       Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including ones of magnitudes 5．1, 4．5 and 4．3．

       "It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo on Monday．

       Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he rushed into the street in panic and was struck by a car．At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects．Power was out in virtually the entire city．

       Susan Warmbier was putting away groceries in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista when her husband asked, "Is the house moving?"

       Elsewhere in San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said．Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed as a precaution．

       Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas．No tsunami warning was issued, but hundreds of people on Tijuana's crowded beach feared the worst and fled when they felt the ground shake．

What's the best title of the passage?

       A．A strong quake in Mexico, but no tsunami

       B．A strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, frightens US states

       C．A strong quake, downtowns closed off

       D．A strong quake, buildings collapses

The 7．2-magnitude quake         ．

       A．centered just south of the Mexico

       B．was felt by 20 million people in Mexico

       C．was felt by most of Southern California

       D．was the strongest earthquakes to hit region in centuries

Which is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．Some cities had power failure after the quake．

       B．One of the cities closed off its downtown because of the swaying buildings．

       C．Many smaller quakes happened after the 7．2-magnitude one．

       D．Hundreds of people on the beach died because of the tsunami．

People got injured mostly         ．

       A．because they were in panic

       B．because the power was out in the whole city

       C．because of the falling objects

       D．because they were buried under the falling objects

Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed         ．

       A．to avoid further dangers

       B．by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department

       C．as a reminding of the quake

       D．to prevent the bridge from destroying

TIJUANA, Mexico – A powerful earthquake swayed （摇动） buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities and forcing the evacuation （疏散） of hospitals and nursing homes．One California city closed off its downtown due to unstable buildings．
The 7．2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades．
"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said．"Most of Southern California felt this earthquake．"
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including ones of magnitudes 5．1, 4．5 and 4．3．
"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo on Monday．
Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he rushed into the street in panic and was struck by a car．At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects．Power was out in virtually the entire city．
Susan Warmbier was putting away groceries in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista when her husband asked, "Is the house moving?"
Elsewhere in San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said．Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed as a precaution．
Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas．No tsunami warning was issued, but hundreds of people on Tijuana's crowded beach feared the worst and fled when they felt the ground shake．
【小题1】What's the best title of the passage?