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

HOUSTON (Reuters) — Houston tops a U.S. magazine’s annual fattest cities list for the fourth time in five years, with four other Texas cities in the top 25.
　　Fast food restaurants — Houston has twice the national average number — are partly to blame for the dishonor, Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said.
　　“Americans work long hours, don’t take vacations, and when they’re faced with the worst food choices, they indulge (沉溺于) in those,” he said.
　　High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation’s longest commute (每天去上班的路程) times also helped Texas’ most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2003 heavy weight champion, the magazine said.
　　Houston Mayor Bill White, who has worked with a major food company to develop healthy food products and the city’s public schools to improve lunch menus, called the report “mostly ungrounded and nonsense.”
　　“On the other hand, it calls attention to real issues the mayor is trying to deal with,” his spokesman, Frank Michel, said.
　　The magazine said it looked at factors such as the number and types of restaurants, park space, air quality, weather and the number of health clubs.
　　Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago followed Houston on the seventh edition of the fat list. Texas cities Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso were in the top 14, which Boulton said was no surprise.
　　“It’s pure big indulgence, just living big, and that’s part of the culture,” said Boulton.
　　Seattle ranked as the fittest city. Austin and Arlington, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, were the only Texas cities on the fit list. Austin was 19th and Arlington 22nd out of 25.
【小题1】What decides the magazine’s annual fattest list?

HOUSTON (Reuters) — Houston tops a U.S. magazine’s annual fattest cities list for the fourth time in five years, with four other Texas cities in the top 25.

　　Fast food restaurants — Houston has twice the national average number — are partly to blame for the dishonor, Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said.

　　“Americans work long hours, don’t take vacations, and when they’re faced with the worst food choices, they indulge (沉溺于) in those,” he said.

　　High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation’s longest commute (每天去上班的路程) times also helped Texas’ most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2003 heavy weight champion, the magazine said.

　　Houston Mayor Bill White, who has worked with a major food company to develop healthy food products and the city’s public schools to improve lunch menus, called the report “mostly ungrounded and nonsense.”

　　“On the other hand, it calls attention to real issues the mayor is trying to deal with,” his spokesman, Frank Michel, said.

　　The magazine said it looked at factors such as the number and types of restaurants, park space, air quality, weather and the number of health clubs.

　　Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago followed Houston on the seventh edition of the fat list. Texas cities Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso were in the top 14, which Boulton said was no surprise.

　　“It’s pure big indulgence, just living big, and that’s part of the culture,” said Boulton.

　　Seattle ranked as the fittest city. Austin and Arlington, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, were the only Texas cities on the fit list. Austin was 19th and Arlington 22nd out of 25.

1.What decides the magazine’s annual fattest list?

2.Which city topped 2003 fattest cities list?

3.By saying “living big” (in Paragraph 9), Boulton means people _________.

4.Which of the following is best supported by the text?

HOUSTON (Reuters) — Houston tops a U.S. magazine’s annual fattest cities list for the fourth time in five years, with four other Texas cities in the top 25.

　　Fast food restaurants — Houston has twice the national average number — are partly to blame for the dishonor, Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said.

　　“Americans work long hours, don’t take vacations, and when they’re faced with the worst food choices, they indulge (沉溺于) in those,” he said.

　　High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation’s longest commute (每天去上班的路程) times also helped Texas’ most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2003 heavy weight champion, the magazine said.

　　Houston Mayor Bill White, who has worked with a major food company to develop healthy food products and the city’s public schools to improve lunch menus, called the report “mostly ungrounded and nonsense.”

　　“On the other hand, it calls attention to real issues the mayor is trying to deal with,” his spokesman, Frank Michel, said.

　　The magazine said it looked at factors such as the number and types of restaurants, park space, air quality, weather and the number of health clubs.

　　Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago followed Houston on the seventh edition of the fat list. Texas cities Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso were in the top 14, which Boulton said was no surprise.

　　“It’s pure big indulgence, just living big, and that’s part of the culture,” said Boulton.

　　Seattle ranked as the fittest city. Austin and Arlington, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, were the only Texas cities on the fit list. Austin was 19th and Arlington 22nd out of 25.

What decides the magazine’s annual fattest list?

       A. The size of fat population.       B. The number of fast food restaurants.

       C. The economic growth rate of the state.    D. Things related to unhealthy ways of life.

Which city topped 2003 fattest cities list?

　    A. Houston.         B. Dallas.          C. Detroit.   D. Philadelphia.

By saying “living big” (in Paragraph 9), Boulton means people _________.

       A. are growing fatter                B. are living wastefully

　    C. eat too many fatty foods           D. are spending too much time working

Which of the following is best supported by the text?

       A. Texas has the most fat cities in the U.S.

       B. Bill White is happy with the newspaper report.

       C. People in Texas are the most hardworking in the U.S.

       D. Most school children in Houston have weight problems.

I guess she meant that if you’re middle aged and don’t have a car then you are a loser. How arrogant (傲慢) and ignorant！

Unfortunately, there are still people who think that way: that somehow public transport is only for the poor. And the rest have a right to their cars. Some wealthy folk in the West look down on buses and boast (吹嘘) about how many years it has been since they last traveled by one.

How sad is that? Our roads are packed with cars and the air is full of the pollution they emit (排放). But still, many car users are unwillingly to get on a bus or a bike or a train to take themselves to work.

It’s convenient to drive, they’ll say. Buses are so unreliable, they’ll claim. And trains are expensive ---- at least in the UK.

It’s an attitude which may have to change. It doesn’t make sense to drive a car in a city where there’s a public transport system. Also, these rush hour commuters (往返上班者) usually travel alone.

As a result, transport authorities in the UK are looking at solutions to city center congestion (拥堵).

One is to increase the number of parking spaces at out-of-town railway stations. More motorists (乘汽车的人) can then leave their cars and travel into the city by train.

Light rail or tramways are another environmentally friendly solution. Many cities across Europe have installed light rail or tramway systems.

The subway in London is used by everyone, rich and poor. It’s the quickest way of getting around the city, whatever your bank balance.

And then there are the cycle hire schemes you find in many modern cities. In London and Paris, you can hire a bike by the hour to get you where you need to go.

While commuters in Beijing abandon their bicycles for cars, cycling to work grows in popularity in the West.

Many cyclists are willing to pay more than 10,000 yuan for their bicycles. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is often pictured cycling to work. David Cameron, the British prime minister, cycled to the House of Commons before he became leader. These days he takes the prime ministerial limousine (豪华轿车).

1.. According to the article, some British people, like the upper class woman, think that        .

A. buses are inconvenient                B. bus services are unnecessary

C. having a car is a sign of success         D. only the upper class should have cars

2. Which of the following measures is taken by transport authorities in the UK to solve city center congestion?

A. The development of cycle hire schemes.

B. Increasing the number of parking spaces in the city center.

C. Installing light rail or tramway systems in out-of-town areas.

D. Banning commuters from traveling alone during rush hour.

3.The author mentions the example of Boris Johnson in the last paragraph to        .

A. express his respect for the mayor of London

B. point to the growing popularity of cycling to work in the West

C. criticize Beijing commuters for abandoning their bicycles for cars

D. show that cars are still the most common means of transportation for famous people in Britain

4. Which of the following might the writer agree with?

A. The British prime minister should give up his limousine.

B. Beijing commuters should learn from British commuters.

C. British solutions to public transport problems are inadequate.

D. Many car owners need to change their attitudes if the traffic problem is to