In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting.

One morning I got into three different taxis and announced, “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno.” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver, “Reno? That is in Nevada?”

Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house. A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of George Washington Bridge—a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”

One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received.

“Let’s go across the park.” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000.”

“$25,000?” He asked.

“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”

“No, man. I work 8 hours and I don’t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too.”

As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.

“Hey, there’s another bank,” I said, “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”

“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money—taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low—but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.

1.Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?

A. Because he was able to help the author to find a new job.

B. Because he wanted to go home and relax.

C. Because it was far away from his home.

D. Because he thought that the author would commit suicide.

2.What is the author’s interpretation of the driver’s reluctance “to wait outside the Chemical bank”?

A. The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low.

B. The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally.

C. The driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible.

D. The driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery.

3.Which of the following statements is true about New York taxi drivers?

A. They are ready to help you do whatever you want to.

B. they often refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves.

C. They are sympathetic with those who are out of work.

D. They work only for money.

 

Sri Lanka is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, and it is easy to see why. This little country never fails to please visitors.

Arrive

The national airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, which flies from Colombo to London and a couple of other European cities. The country’s main airport is Colombo Bandaranaike, located 29km north of the capital city.

Why now?

The best time to visit Sri Lanka’s southern beaches is from November to April. So by going early in the season, you’ll get the best weather. Also in November, Deepavali, known as “Diwali” or the “Festival of Lights”, is Sri Lanka’s main religious festival, celebrated throughout the country.

See

There is plenty to see in Sri Lanka. The ancient capital cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura are worth seeing, and so are many outstanding ruins. Other mustsees are the rock fortress (要塞) of Sigiriya, towering over the jungle as far as the eye can see, and Dambulla’s cave temple, the country’s largest and best preserved. Both are UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Sites. Kandy is a picture-like town, which was the last stronghold of the Kandyan Kings. Today it is a cultural relic centre where age-old customs, arts, and crafts remain.

Do

Sri Lanka owns about 1,600km of beautiful palm-shaded beaches as well as warm, pure seas and colorful coral reefs. You can explore the underwater world, and surfing and diving are available too. Away from the shore, wildlife is a big draw for Sri Lanka, and Yala National Park is one of the best places in the word to see wild animals including leopards (豹) and elephants.

Taste

Sri Lanka is celebrated for its excellent food, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables on menus everywhere. Fish and seafood are a big part of the local diet.

Did you know?

Sri Lanka is known for its tea, but it is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of cinnamon(肉桂).

1.Which of the following is a cultural relic centre of Sri Lanka?

A. Kandy. B. Anuradhapura.

C. Polonnaruwa. D. Colombo.

2.If you want to know something about “Diwali”, you’d better go there in .

A. September. B. October. C. November. D. May.

3.We learn from the passage that Sri Lanka .

A. is in the Pacific Ocean

B. is famous for its excellent food

C. is the world’s largest producer of tea

D. has only flights to London

4.The author wrote the article in order to .

A. introduce the picturesque landscape of Sri Lanka

B. let readers know what is famous for in Sri Lanka

C. make Sri Lanka well known throughout the world

D. let people get more travel information about Sri Lanka

 

Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized nations.They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago.1.________

The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly.Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this had led to new kinds of sicknesses.2._________ So they are called "diseases of civilization".Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such diseases.

Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none.3._________ However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.

Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones.They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits.They did not have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains. 4. _________ We eat six times more salt than our ancestors.We eat more sugar.We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.

5._________ But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.

A.Stone Age people lived a simple life.

B.But today, we enjoy eating a lot of these.

C.In that case, they would live much healthier.

D.Ancient people also got lots of physical exercise.

E.These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.

F.People today probably don't want to live like our ancestors.

G.Modern people used to suffer from "diseases of civilization".

 

It was the district sports meet.My foot still hadn’t healed (痊愈) from a(n) _____ injury.I had _____whether or not I should attend the meet.But there I was, _____for the 3,000-meter run.

“Ready … set …” The gun popped and we were off.The other girls rushed _____ me.I felt ___ as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray!” shouted the crowd.It was the loudest _____ I had ever heard at a meet.The first-place runner was two laps (圈) in front of me when she crossed the finishing line.“Maybe I should _____,” I thought as I moved on._____, I decided to keep going.During the last two laps, I ran _____ and decided not to _____ in track next year.It wouldn’t be worth it, _____ my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer _____ than the one I’d heard earlier.I turned around and _____, the boys were preparing for their race.“They must be cheering for the boys.”

I was leaving _____ several girls came up to me.“Wow, you’ve really got courage!” one of them told me.

“Courage? I just _____ a race! ” I thought.

“I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl.“We were cheering for you.Did you hear us? ”

Suddenly I regained _____.I decided to _____ track next year.I realized strength and courage aren’t always _____ in medals and victories, but in the _____ we overcome.The strongest people are not always the people who win, _____ the people who don’t give up when they lose.

1.A.slighter B.worse C.earlier D.heavier

2.A.expected B.supposed C.imagined D.doubted

3.A.late B.eager C.ready D.thirsty

4.A.from behind B.ahead of C.next to D.close to

5.A.ashamed B.astonished C.excited D.frightened

6.A.cheer B.whisper C.cry D.noise

7.A.slow down B.drop out C.go on D.speed up

8.A.Therefore B.Otherwise C.Besides D.However

9.A.with delight B.with fear C.in pain D.in advance

10.A.keep B.arrive C.race D.attend

11.A.even if B.only if C.unless D.until

12.A.weaker B.longer C.lower D.louder

13.A.well enough B.sure enough C.surprisingly enough D.strangely enough

14.A.while B.when C.as D.since

15.A.finished B.won C.passed D.lost

16.A.cheer B.hope C.interest D.experience

17.A.hold on B.turn to C.begin with D.stick with

18.A.measured B.praised C.weakened D.increased

19.A.sadness B.struggles C.diseases D.tiredness

20.A.or B.nor C.and D.But

 

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