2. The London taxi drivers _______.

　 A. work hard because on one would give them money for doing nothing

　 B. never stop driving in the city

　 C. only work between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night

　 D. are very rich

1. To be a London driver is not easy because ______.

　 A. he has to follow the bright traffic signs

　 B. he has to have good driving skills and know all the places in the city

　 C. he has to serve all kinds of passengers at all times

　 D. both B. and C

57、(1分)

　　 Driving a car at high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic(交通) signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish.

　　 But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of a London, from the smallest lane(小巷) to the most popular bar(酒吧) around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times.

　　 A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.

　　 During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (点心). He said. “I never drink when I’m working ---- I would lose my licence(执照).”

　　 He normally goes home between 2 and 3 O’clock in the night, There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make the money , no one is going to give it to you.”

　　 London taxi drivers not only ‘take’ but also ‘give’ , Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea--- by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these fares(车费) all go to the ‘London Taxi Fund for Underprivileged Children.’ At the sea. they are met by the mayor, and a lunch party is also held in honour of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the market, the children go home again-- by taxi, and free of charge, of course!

4. Another word which is often used in place of precipitation is ______.

　 A. wetness　　　　 B. snowfall　　　　 C. rainfall　　　 D. dryness

3. If a state has 152 inches of snow in a year. by how much does this increase the annual precipitation?

　 A. By two feet　　　 B. By four inches　　　 C, By four feet　　　 D. By 152 inches

2. What is the average annual rainfall in inches in the United States?

　 A. Thirty-six inches　　　　　　　　　 B. Thirty-eight inches

　 C. Forty inches　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Forty-two inches

1. The word “precipitation” includes _____.

　 A. only rainfall　　　　　　　　　　　 B. rain, hail, and snow

　 C. rain, snow, and fog　　　　　　　　 D. rain, snow, and ice

56、(1分)

　　 Precipitation, commonly referred to as rainfall(降雨量), is a measure of the quantity of water in the form of either rain, hall(雹子), or snow which reaches the ground, The average annual(每年的) precipitation over the whole of the United States is thirty-six inches. It should be understood, however, that a foot of snow is not equal to a foot of precipitation. A general formula(公式) for computing the precipitation of snowfall(降雪量) is that thirty-- eight inches of snow is equal to one inch of precipitation. In New York State, for example, seventy-six inches of snow in one year would be recorded as only two inches of precipitation. The total annual precipitation Forty inches of rain would be recorded as forty inches of precipitation. The total annual precipitation would be recorded as forty-two inches.

5. According to the writer, it is　　　 to keep up with the Joneses.

　 A. correct　　　 B. interesting　　 C. impossible　　　 D. good

4. Arthur Momand used the name ‘Jones’ in his series of short stories because’ Jones’ is ________.

　 A. an important name　　　　　　　　 B. a popular name in the United States

　 C. his neighbour’s name　　　　　　　 D. not a good name