Think of London and you’re likely to think of the city’s famous bright red double-decker(双层) buses．Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok，and  the noisy tuk-tuk(三轮摩托车) may  come to mind．Picture the American city of San Francisco   and   you  might see  the city’s cable cars(电车)． 

Imagining what these cities would look like without their red  buses，tuk-tuks  or cable cars is  difficult．They  are   symbols  of these cities  that make them different from  anywhere else in  the world．However,these city  symbols，which are so 1oved by tourists，are not  always so well  loved by their  city  1eaders． City  1eaders  want  what  is  best for their  city, which often means the most modern transport．

    In Thailand，Bangkok city authorities have forbidden new tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting．However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful，as it has not changed Thai people’s preference for the inexpensive tuk-tuks over taxis．

  In London，the city’s first ever mayor got rid of the red double-decker buses． which he thought were old—fashioned, by selling them to other countries．His plan worked．but Londoners were upset to lose the charming old buses that they believed represented the best of their city. They made their upset felt，  when the mayor came up for re-election 1ast year．Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back．Now, an improved version(版本)of the double-decker  bus will hit London’s streets in 2012． 

  AS for San Francisco,   several cable  cars remain in  use but mainly  as tourist attractions．They   are too slow to be  used  for anything other than  scenic trips．

 City transport symbols may have palace in their city people’s hearts，but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world．As Londoners have proved，their continued 1ife depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival．

5．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To show the cultural significance of several cities’unique transport systems．   

B．To introduce some old-fashioned means of transport, which are symbols of three tourist cities．

C．To use the old transport symbols to attract more tourists to visit the cities．     

D．To explain why those cities are popular with tourists around the world．

6．Bangkok’s ban on tuk-tuks is unsuccessful due to ________.

A．people’s unawareness of environmental protection

B．tourists’preference for tuk-tuks over taxis

C. the lack of severe punishment for violation

D．1ocals’willingness to take the tuk-tuks   

7．The London double Decker bus is returning mainly because______.

A．it is an improved version     B．The new mayor also loves it

C. it is popular with tourists     D．Londoners fought for it

8．Which example can prove old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?

A．Bangkok city authorities tried to get rid of the cheap tuk-tuks．

B．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election．

C．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker  buses．

D．Only a few cable cars remain in use by tourists in San  Francisco．

9．We can conclude from reading the passage that_______.

A．Tourist cities will lose their charm if their old transport symbols disappear

B．A modern city should get rid of inefficient old transport

C．Old city transport symbols now face the problem of survival

D．The writer is in favor of keeping the old city transport symbols

Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically and mentally.

       But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌剧）star Carol Vaness.

       At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.

       “When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater,” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”

       According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears—like waves on a beach, ”Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth—it vibrates in your chest，the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”

       Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice-the highest singing voice for women.

       Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions（情感）expressed by words and music come to life.

       Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.

       “Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”

According to the passage,  the Metropolitan Opera in New York City      .

       A．is a five-story building    B．can seat 4,000 people     

       C．has no microphone in it   D．can project the singer’s voice

What is the best title for this passage?

       A．Opera Singing and Pop Singing     B．The Way an Opera Star Sings 

       C．An Opera Star         D．Singing without a Microphone

Which statement is true?

       A．A pop singer’s lungs are usually stronger than those of an opera singer’s   

       B．Opera singing is more like speaking.     

       C．A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

       D．An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that      .

       A．Carol once learned to play the piano     

       B．Carol worked as a music teacher    

       C．Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so    

       D．Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans

Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways — emotionally, physically and mentally.

But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌剧）star Carol Vaness.

At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.

“When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater, ” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”

According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s a lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears — like waves on a beach, ” Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth — it vibrates in your chest, the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”

Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice – the highest singing voice for women.  

Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions(情感) expressed by words and music come to life.

Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.

“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”

According to the passage, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City _____.

A. is a five-story building                B. can seat 4,000 people

C. has no microphone in it                D. can project the singer’s voice

What is the best title for this passage?

A. Opera Singing and Pop Singing          B. The Way an Opera Star Sings

C. An Opera Star                        D. Singing without a Microphone

Which statement is true?

A. A pop singer breathes more deeply than an opera singer when he or she sings.

B. Opera singing is more like speaking.

C. A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

D. An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that _____.

A. Carol once learned to play the piano              

B. Carol worked as a music teacher

C. Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so     

D. Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans

The sentence “Put your heart into your singing” in the last paragraph means  “_____”.

A. devoting yourself to singing         B. taking trouble to sing

C. singing happily                   D. trying your best to sing  

Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically and mentally.
But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌剧）star Carol Vaness.
At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.
“When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater,” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”
According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears—like waves on a beach, ”Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth—it vibrates in your chest，the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”
Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice-the highest singing voice for women.
Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions（情感）expressed by words and music come to life.
Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.
“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”
【小题1】According to the passage,  the Metropolitan Opera in New York City     .

Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically and mentally.

       But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌剧）star Carol Vaness.

       At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.

       “When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater,” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”

       According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears—like waves on a beach, ”Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth—it vibrates in your chest，the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”

       Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice-the highest singing voice for women.

       Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions（情感）expressed by words and music come to life.

       Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.

       “Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”

1.According to the passage,  the Metropolitan Opera in New York City      .

       A．is a five-story building                         B．can seat 4,000 people                   

       C．has no microphone in it                        D．can project the singer’s voice

2.What is the best title for this passage?

       A．Opera Singing and Pop Singing            B．The Way an Opera Star Sings        

       C．An Opera Star                                     D．Singing without a Microphone

3.Which statement is true?

       A．A pop singer’s lungs are usually stronger than those of an opera singer’s          

       B．Opera singing is more like speaking.     

       C．A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

       D．An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

4.From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that      .

       A．Carol once learned to play the piano     

       B．Carol worked as a music teacher           

       C．Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so                     

       D．Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans