In many countries the standard of living enjoyed by their people has increased rapidly in recent years. Sadly, not everyone in these countries is so fortunate and many people in rich countries are homeless.

The reasons for homelessness are various, but poverty(贫穷) is undoubtedly one of the main causes. The homeless people may have become jobless and then been unable to pay their rent and so no longer have a roof over their heads. Often, the fact that unemployed people get help from the government prevents this from happening, but not always.

Some homeless people are mentally ill and have no one to look after them. Some are young people who, for one reason or another, have left home and have nowhere to live. Many of them have had a serious disagreement with their parents and have left home, choosing to go to a city and live on the streets. Sometimes they have taken such action because they have been unable to get on with a step-parent.

Many homeless people get into the habit of begging to get enough money to stay alive, but many of the general public refuse to give anything to beggars. Often they are moved on by the police, being accused(指控), whether rightly or wrongly, of forceful begging. There are many who disrespect homeless people.

Some cynics(愤世嫉俗的人) declare that homeless people choose to live the life which they lead. But who would willingly choose to live in a shop doorway, under a bridge or in a cardboard box?

52．According to the text, what causes some people to be homeless?

       A．Lack of money.       B．The increased standard of living.

       C．No government help.                                   D．Agreement with their parents.

53．It can be inferred from the text that _________.

       A．the homeless are willing to live under a bridge or in a cardboard box

       B．you will not find homeless people in countries with a high standard of living

       C．the mentally ill live on the streets because they want the company of other home-

       less people

       D．the unemployed who receive help may still be among the homeless

54．In paragraph 2, “a roof over their heads” most probably means _________.

       A．a cap                      B．a car

       C．a home                   D．a covering

55．The author thinks that the homeless people are                .

       A．pitiful                     B．troublesome

       C．respectable              D．admirable

For years and years people have been saying that the railways are dead．“We can do without railways” people say，as if motorcars and planes made the railways unnecessary．We all keep hearing that trains are slow，that they lose money，that they’re dying．But this is far from the truth．In these days of expensive oil，the railways have become highly competitive with motorcars and planes．If you want to carry people or goods from place to place，they’re cheaper than planes．And they have much in common with planes．A plane goes in a strange line and so does a railway．What is more，it takes you from the heart of a city into the heart of another．It doesn’t 1eave you as a plane does，miles and miles from the city center．It doesn’t hold you up as a car does，in endless traffic jams．And a single train can carry goods which no plane or motorcar could ever do．Far from being dead，the railways are very much alive．Modern railway lines give you a smooth，untroubled journey．Where else can you eat well，sleep in comfort，feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at speed at the same time? And we are only at the beginning．For we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, traveling at 1 50 miles an hour and more．Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on motorways we can't use because we have not enough money to buy the oil and planes we can't fly in for the same reason.

1.Some people think the railways are dead for many reasons except that ______  ．

2.The writer’s idea seems to be that ______  ．

3.According to the writer，which of the following is NOT true?

4.From the underlined sentence at the end of the passage，we can infer that   ．

Parking has long been a major headache for drivers in Shanghai. The Transportation Department is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are one million cars on the road in Shanghai but only enough public parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.

The city is seeing a rise in private car owners. In March, the city sent out 2,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to 14,600 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.

By the year 2020, the number of automobiles in Shanghai will probably reach two million. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles.

Downtown Shanghai is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in downtown areas is not practical and doesn’t provide an ideal solution. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway or bus stations and ride public transport to go downtown. Based on this idea, the city will limit the number of parking lots in downtown areas and demand higher parking fees but build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.

1.The underlined phrase “mapping out” in the first paragraph means __________.

2.About __________ drivers can find places to park their cars in Shanghai now.

3.What can we infer from the second paragraph?

4.According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will __________.

Packaging is an important form of advertising．A package can sometimes motivate someone to buy a product．For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food that comes in a box with a picture of a TV character．The child is more interested in the picture than in breakfast food．Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or a small gift inside a box also motivate many children to buy products or to ask their parents to buy for them．
Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing．Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this．Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free．However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product．The size of a package also motivates a buyer．Maybe the package had “Economy Size” or “Family Size” printed on it．This suggests that the larger size has the most product for the least money．But that is not always true．To find it out, a buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit．
The information on the package should provide some answers．But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement．The words and pictures do not tell the whole story．Only the product inside can do that．
【小题1】From the passage we know the buyer pays more attention to __________．

Packaging is an important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate someone to buy a product. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food that comes in a box with a picture of a TV character. The child is more interested in the picture than in the  breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or small gifts inside a box also motivate many children to buy products—or to ask their parents for them.

    Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing. Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product.

    The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has “Economy Size” or “Family Size” printed on it. This suggests that the large size has the most products for the least money. But that is not always true. A buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit.

    The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that.

The underlined words “a buyer will get something for nothing” (Paragraph 2) most probably mean that _________.

A. a buyer will not get what he wants   B. a buyer will gain more than he loses

C. a buyer will get what he pays for    D. a buyer will get something useful free of charge

Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. On seeing a well-designed container, a buyer often neglects（忽略）what is inside it.

B. A buyer is also attracted by the size of the container.

C. Children are often made to buy a product by its package with attractive pictures.

D. Packaging is often a successful advertisement.

What suggestion does the author give in the passage?

A. The best choice for a buyer is to get a product in a plain package.

B. A buyer should get what he needs most.

C. Do not buy the product which is sold in a glass or dish.

D. A buyer should know that the quality of a container has little to do with the quality of the product.