I fell in love with England because it was quaint (古雅)―all those little houses, looking terri­bly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.

Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good man­ners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good man­ners―people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.

I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.

As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public trans­port after 10 p. m. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.

The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.

56. The writer doesn’t like London because she ______.

   A. is not used to the life there now

   B. has lived there for seventeen years

   C. prefers to live in an old-fashioned house

   D. has to be polite to everyone she meets there

57. Where do people usually meet their friends in England?

   A. In a cafe.       B. In a restaurant.          C. In a nightclub.        D. In a pub.

58. The underlined part “it” (in Para. 4) refers to______.

   A. a taxi             B. the money                  C. a bomb                 D. public transport

59. The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he ______.

A. felt lonely in England  B. had never been to France

C. was from a typical French family              D. didn't like the British idea of family

—Shall I give you a ride as it is raining heavily?
—Thank you, _____.

— It’s raining heavily and we can’t go climbing today.

— If only the weather _______ fine.

A．were             B．is                C．would be          D．had been

 —I’m going to play soccer now.

 —________. It’s raining heavily outside.

A. Good idea      B. It’s up to you  C. You’d better not     D. I have no idea

Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal__1.__ an open fire. They were all hungry and the food smelt good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs _2.___the camp fire. But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping-bags were warm and __3._____, so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping-bags and hurried ___4.__. It was raining heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way __5.____the field and then flowed right under their tent!