In the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. equal. Some of them decided to "drop out" of American society and form their own societies. They formed utopian communities, which they called “communes”, where they could follow their philosophy of “do your own thing”. A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called "Drop City." Following the ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller, they built dome-shaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, the followers of San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school houses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm became famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin’s followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the group were arrested for growing marijuana.

　　Not all communes believed in the philosophy of “do your own thing”. However, Twin Oaks, a commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner’s “conditioning” techniques to do things that were good for the community. In 1972, Italian architect Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an “archeology”. Soleri believes that people must live closely together so that they will all become one.

Why did some young Americans decide to “drop out” of society during the 1960s?

　　A. They were not satisfied with American society.

　　B. They wanted to grow marijuana.

　　C. They wanted to go to the Vietnam War.

　　D. They did not want all people to be equal.

Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live?

　　A. In dome-shaped house.         B. In old school houses.

　　C. On a farm in Tennessee.        D. In an archeology in Arizona.

Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to build dome-shaped house?

　　A. Paolo Soleri.  　             B. B.G.Skinner.

　　C. Steve Gaskin.                D. Buckminster Fuller.

What was the Twin Oaks commune based on?

　　A. The philosophy of “do your own thing”.

　　B. Virginia in the late 1960s.

　　C. The ideas of psychologist.

　　D. The belief that people must live closely together.

What is an “archeology”?

　　A. A person who studies archaeology.

　　B. A large building where people live closely together.

　　C. A city in Arizona.

　　D. A technique to control people.

For many cities in the world，there is no room to spread out further，________New York is an example.

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .

ADVANTAGES

Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works

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

Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.

Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .

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.

　　DISADVANTAGES

　　Poor service. 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 tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.

　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint. 

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

Drinking 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.

When is alcohol not able to get?

　 A. At 9: 00 pm      B. At 10: 00 pm     C. At 11: 00 pm      D. At 12: 00 pm

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. You have to pay to visit the museums.

　 B. Only clothing with brand names are sold in London .

　 C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

D. The public transport is poor there.

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.

The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

　　A. railroad 　　B. manifestation　　 C. speed 　　D. nature

In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

　　A. highly enthusiastic 　 B. both positive and negative　  C. unchanging　 　D. Disinterested

According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A. thrillers 　 B. boys’ books　　C. romances　　D. important novels

The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A. largest category(类别) 　B. highest quality　  C. earliest writers 　D. most difficult language

Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B. Major nineteenth century writers

C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D. The railroad as a subject for literature

You'd better book a ticket ________ if you want to see the 2012 London Olympic Games.

A．in advance　　　　　　      B．in charge

C．in trouble        D．in order