Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.

But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.

Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.

Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.

Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.

So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.

There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.

46. We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.

   A. traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city

   B. traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

   C. if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

   D. public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

47. According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam？_____

   A. In cities, traffic jam is unavoidable.

   B. Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.

   C. Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.

   D. For a successful city, traffic jam is not unpreventable.

48. By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means_______.

   A. declining             B. developing 

C. rich and successful     D. strong and healthy

49. According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true? _____

   A. The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.

   B. New York and Los Angeles are the most successful cities in the USA.

   C. It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.

   D. Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.

50. What can we learn from the last paragraph? _______

   A. Traffic jam has caused terrible bad effects in cities such as Bangkok and Lagos.

   B. The traffic jam in San Francisco has resulted in the capital becoming empty.

   C. The traffic jam level in Jakarta is lower than that in the US.

   D. California is as crowded and successful as San Francisco.

In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers (探险者) landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the "moon people" they met. In turn, the "moon people" expressed their surprise. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don' t even use your inner space?"

H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas.  The "Chunnel", a tunnel (隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.

But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities." The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome (太阳能穹顶) would cover the whole city.

Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells' "moon people" would agree. Would you?

The explorers in H. G. Wells' story were surprised to find that the "moon people"

A. knew so much about the earth

B. understood their language

C. lived in so many underground cities

D. were ahead of them in space technology

What does the underlined word "it" (paragraph 2) refer to?

A. Discovering the moon's inner space.     B. Using the earth's inner space.

C. Meeting the "moon people" again.       D. Traveling to outer space.

What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

A. Offices, shopping areas, power stations.   B. Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.

C. Gardens, car parks, power stations.       D. Tunnels, gardens, offices.

What would be the best title for the text?

A. Alice Cities –- cities of the future        B. Space travel with H. G. Wells

C. Enjoy living underground                 D. Building down, not up

“BANG! BANG!” Setting off firecrackers(爆竹), which has been the most typical custom on the Spring Festival, is the happiest part of the Festival for most Chinese kids. They light the fuse(导火线) nervously, run away in a hurry, cover their ears with their hands and watch the colorful display with a big smile on their faces. Faced with the beautiful scene, they feel they are the happiest ones in the world as if they had never had a more exciting experience.

While setting off firecrackers can bring kids so much fun, these firecrackers can also be dangerous. Therefore, many Chinese big cities including Beijing began to ban them in the 1980s. Such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities because the government took security, noise and pollution factors into consideration. As a replacement, some buy tapes with firecracker sounds to listen to, some break little balloons to get the sound too, while others buy firecracker handicrafts to hang in the living room.

This year good news came for teens in Beij ing. The ban on firecrackers was cancelled on September 9, 2008. It will add much fun to the coming Spring Festival in tile capital. Hearing the news, many kids were wild with joy.

According to Chinese custom, lighting firecrackers is a must during the Spring Fesrival. People believe the sound of the firecrackers drives away demons(恶魔) and bad luck for the coming year. Their beautiful colours and sound also bring much excitement during this most important traditional Chinese festival.

Since the ban, people complained that the Spring Festival was too quiet and not traditional enough. Children lost the fun and grown-ups lost their childhood memories.

Some even worried that if the ban continued, the next generation would only know the custom of lighting firecrackers through books. This would be a great loss for tradition.

Everybody knows that we can’t give up eating for the slight risk of choking(因噎废食). So in recent years, many cities have resumed the old custom at the request of local residents. This year Beijing kids will also be able to join in.

However, every year there are kids injured by setting off fireworks in a dangerous way. So while enjoying yourself, please bear safety in mind.

Don’t light fireworks among crowds, inside a bottle or with a part of your body right over it.

No matter how much fun firecrackers are, the most important thing is to keep away from danger. We wish every kid an exciting and safe Spring Festival!

Title：Firecrackers back in Beijing on the Spring Festival

The 115-year-old prestigious (有名望的)Oxford Dictionary will now include popular new Chinese terms like“shanzhai” “youtiao” and “fangnu”, as part of the modern Chinese language．
As China plays a more and more important role in the world economy, the Chinese language is forever developing, attracting more attention from people who want to understand this ancient yet lively language．
For instance, the word “shanzhai” is used to describe the countless knockoffs（名牌仿制品）of iPhones or designer bags imprinted with Louis Vuitton logos．
Another new term in the new edition is the word “fangnu”, or a “mortgage slave” —a term used to describe the phenomenon in large cities where well-educated youth complain of a miserable existence due to the heavy burden of a home mortgage．
All these new or often fashionable terms can be found in the new Oxford English –Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary that was unveiled(公布于众的)in the recently concluded Beijing International Book Fair last week．
The dictionary now is available for retail sales since the beginning of this month．This dictionary is the largest single volume English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary and contains 670,000 words and phrases after five years of preparation．Sixty editors from the Oxford University Press and its partner in China—the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press—worked together on the project．According to Julie Kleeman, the dictionary’s chief editor, most of the firm’s editors were Chinese, while about one fourth were native-English speakers．
“We don’t want to make it florid（绚丽的）, we want it to be modern and conversational．．．many of the words in the present dictionary are no longer in use,” said Kleeman．“The need for studying Chinese by foreigners today is totally different from decades ago．．．Precise, native and practical—that is our main advantage,” she said．
Kleeman said newer publications updates will be available only for the online version as language often changes too quickly for book versions to keep pace．The online version will also offer a Chinese phonetic pronunciation guide．The online version, allowing access via different platforms from the PC to the iPad, will be ready “as soon as possible”, Kleeman said．
【小题1】 According to the above passage, we learn that ________．

Coupons to spend
“How did you spend your coupons?”
On their first day back to school, many students in Hangzhou greeted each other this way.
The coupons referred to the 100 yuan coupons each student received form the city government before the Spring Festival holidays. Over 260,000 primary school and middle school students were given coupons. They could use them in local stores and supermarkets, or to see movies and buy books.
The same coupons have also been given to low income families in Hangzhou. Other cities, including Chengdu and Nanjing, also gave coupons to their citizens. More cities are expected to follow their lead.
Why are local governments doing this?
These programmes are all part of a broader effort in China to increase domestic demand in the face of the global financial crisis.
The crisis has seriously affected China’s exports and investments (投资). Many factories in southern cities have been closed down. Some companies are laying off workers or reducing their pay. The stock market and real estate market have been falling.
In a time of financial crisis, people usually respond by saving money. They are uncertain about the future and are afraid that more difficult times may be ahead. Now many people are choosing not to spend money carelessly. Major chain stores have seen a sharp slowdown in sales, analysts say.
But spending keeps an economy healthy. If people don’t spend, there will be too many products in the market. Then shops will stop buying products from factories. When factories receive no orders, they close down. The workers there accordingly lose their jobs. Also, if people don’t spend, the service industry suffers. The total result is that the whole economy breaks down.
Issuing coupons is a practical and effective way to increase domestic demand in the current situation, said Jiang Zengwei, vice-minister of China’s Ministry of Commerce. Hangzhou reported a rise in customers in local markets during Spring Festival holiday.
However, issuing coupons is only a temporary measure. To increase consumers’ confidence, the government needs to establish a sound secure social system in the long term. When people don’t have to worry about education, health care and their pension, they will be more willing to spend instead of saving.
【小题1】Why are local governments issuing coupons?