You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got. After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.
A.expect small changes |
B.notice small changes |
C.welcome small changes |
D.exaggerate small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
A.Cautiously. | B.Sceptically. |
C.Positively. | D.Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.
A.the relaxed policemen | B.the messy arrivals hall |
C.the bank robbers | D.the tight security |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
A.Back in Britain. | B.Life in Britain. |
C.Britain in Future. | D.Britain in Memory. |
Bicycles for rent could become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners if a scheme launched by Deutsche Bahn is successful.
The German rail operator has launched a bicycle-hire scheme designed for simple one-way trips.
“It’s a new concept,”said Andreas Knie, head of the project.
Users must first register with Call-A-Bike at a cost of 15 euros(US$14.7). With a simple phone call, they can hire one of the many bikes parked outside stations, at a cost of 3 to 5 cents per minute. At the end of their journey, they ring a computer and tell it where the bike is parked.
The bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
No one will be breaking speed records with Call-A-Bike bicycles. They weigh in at 25 kilograms, at least double the weight of a normal bicycle, though they do have eight gears(齿轮).
“They are pretty heavy, but we don’t want people taking them on the train or into the subway,” Knie said.
They are also designed with parts that do not fit a normal bicycle. Even the screws are irregular and the bike looks so odd that thieves would stand out.
Vandalism and theft have led to the downfall of previous schemes which date back to Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme.
In that short-lived experiment, anti-establishment groups painted bikes white and left them around the Dutch capital.
However, many were taken permanently and repainted, while the police took away others on the basis that ownerless bikes were street rubbish.
Copenhagen, Vienna and Helsinki also have free bike schemes, in which users deposit a coin in Copenhagen’s case 20 crowns(US$2.50)—to free a bike from a rack.
“The advantage these schemes have is ease of use. But because they’re so cheap, people tend to hold on to the bikes and then there are none on the streets,”the person in charge said.
Oslo is also planning a bike-hire system where users will pay a symbolic fee of 50 Norwegian crowns(US$6.50)for unlimited use in the city for a year.
Users will buy an electronic identity card as a key that will register when the bike is parked or taken from a rack.
59. How many European countries have already launched the free bike schemes?
A. Four. B. Five. C. Six. D. Seven.
60.What can be learned about Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme?
A. The bicycles were twice as heavy as a normal bicycle.
B. A heavy rain stopped the scheme from being carried out.
C. Some bicycles were damaged or stolen and the scheme failed.
D. The police ended the scheme for traffic safety
61.What can be inferred from the text?
A. Bicycles for rent have become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners.
B. The bikes in Germany are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
C. German bicycles for rent are designed specially so that they will draw people’s attention.
D. Germany has taken some measures to stop the bicycles for rent from being taken away.
62.Which do you think is the best title?
A. Free Bicycles for Europeans.
B. Tough Transporters.
C. Customer is King.
D. Unpractical Scheme.
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NEW-The House & Home section, Thursday, filled with useful, interesting features(特别报道)and articles about making the most of all sorts of living spaces.
NEW-An Enlarged, two-part Weekend section, Friday with more ideas about movies, shows, art exhibitions, outdoor and indoor recreation.
Latest news and sports results daily. And of course, daily world and national news, Sunday’s special sections and all the other great features you’ll continue to find in the Times.
Find out just how much you can obtain from the Times every day.
Call 1-800-311-1969 or use the postage-paid order card to order convenient home delivery at 50% OFF our regular price.
56. If you want to find out the more information of films you should _________.
A. call 1-800-311-1969 B. go over the House and Home section
C. read the Art section D. read Weekend section
57. From the passage we know that _______.
A. the Times sells at a lower price than before
B. the Times has improved a great deal and everyone likes to read it
C. many of the good features of the Times remain unchanged
D. you will learn everything by reading the Times every day
58. The owner of the passage advertises ________.
A. to introduce the new sections
B. to announce the new sections of the Times
C. to make known his new plan of the Times
D. to persuade people to buy the Times
Tens of thousands of Chinese have joined a debate (辩论) on whether students should be separated into science(理科) and liberal
arts(文科)classes in high school, a practice that allows them to stay competitive in college entrance exam by choosing preferred subjects. The debate came after the Ministry of Education began to ask for opinions from the public on Friday on whether it was necessary and possible to stop the dividing system, which has been accepted for decades.
In a survey started by www. qq. com, more than 260 000 people cast their votes, with 54 percent of those voted for the abolishment (废除)and 40 percent against.
A netizen from Chengdu said: “Sciences can activate the mind, while arts could strengthen their learning ability.”
But some people disagreed with him. A netizen nicknamed “gentle scholar” said the students would have more burden if they have more subjects to study. “You don’t even know how difficult the courses are. I suggest a survey among students.”
“Abolish the current system of division? We have to study nine subjects? Finally we will study everything and have learnt little,” wrote another netizen.
Li Yanling, an education expert in Beijing, called on education authorities to consider students’ school burden.
Chinese students are required to choose either arts or science subjects after ten years’ education, which include six years in primary school, three years i
n junior high school and one year in senior high school.
Besides the Chinese language, mathematics and English, which are must for everyone, science students are required to take physics, biology and chemistry, while arts students study politics, history and geography. Choosing preferred subjects can help students__________.
A.have more chance to look for jobs in future |
B.find a good job after graduation |
C.have more advantages to enter a university |
D.show interest in daily life |
Netizen nicknamed “gentle scholar” __________.
A.is for the abolishment | B.is against the abolishment |
C.doesn’t care the abolishment | D.prefers students to learn more |
Which of the following statements is NOT true? .
A.The debate is on whether the students should choose science or liberal arts classes in high school |
B.More people on the Internet are for the abolishment |
C.The students who are against the abolishment think abolishing the current system of division will heavy their burden. |
D.Science students are required to take physics, biology and chemistry besides |
Chinese, math and English. What must a Chinese student learn in 2008?
A.Chinese, math and English. | B.Physics, biology and chemistry. |
C.Politics, history and geography. | D.Both B and C |
There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring(拳击场). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her—just dad.
What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that. ”
Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent su
pportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt, ” she says.
Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (对手) during the 1970s.
That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier-GenerationⅡ”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.
Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.
The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect. ” Laila to
ok up boxing because of ________.
A.her father’s great status | B.a Mike Tyson fight |
C.her admiration for her father | D.her interest in boxing |
From the passage we can know ________.
A.Laila’s husband is still a boxer now |
B.Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing |
C.Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport |
D.when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids |
What does the underlined sentence in Para. 5 mean?
A.That fight proved that Laila was a person of physical power. |
B.That fight made female boxing more popular. |
C.That fight provided people with a good change to enjoy themselves. |
D.Laila made her first public appearance in that fight. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passsage?
A.A female boxer—Laila Ali | B.The best-known fight |
C.Ali/Frazie-GenerationⅡ | D.Muhammad Ali and his daughter |
This is a story that happened in Europe in the 17th century. Tulips (郁金香) were introduced into Holland before the 17th century but it did not take long for the flowers to gain popularity among the upper classes. Flowers of such beauty soon became symbols of power and the rich tried their best to lay their hands on some to display them in their gardens. When more people learned of the prices that the rich were willing to pay for tulips, they knew they just found a “get-rich-quick” gold mine.
By 1634, the whole country was so attracted by tulips that all other activities almost came to a stop. People were trading in tulips and even buying and selling bulbs (球茎). At that time, one rare bulb cost as much as ten tons of cheese.
Many made a fortune in the beginning. As the prices moved in one direction, they only needed to buy low and sell high, buy high and sell higher. After the gains, confidence rose and many sold away all their property in order to invest more money in tulips, hoping to make more money. The desire was so strong that those who were watching also rushed to the tulip market. Everyone thought that the high demand for tulips would continue forever and prices could only go up because more and more people from all over the world would start to like tulips.
When the prices of tulips was much higher than it should be, few people bought them for planting in their gardens. The real demand for the flowers seemed greater than it really was. Many people were buying them for speculation (投机), not appreciation. In 1637, for some unknown reasons, a group of people suddenly realized the danger. The prices of tulips began to fall and the market crashed. When confidence was destroyed, it could not be recovered and prices kept falling. Soon the nobles and the rich became poor. Cries of suffering were heard everywhere in Holland. Why did the upper classes buy tulips in the beginning?
A.Because the prices of tulips were low. |
B.Because they wanted to make a fortune. |
C.Because tulips were introduced from abroad. |
D.Because tulips were beautiful and represented power. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.greed(贪婪) was the reason why so many people were mad about tulips |
B.tulips became popular among the upper classes very slowly |
C.people who were mad about tulips bought them for appreciation |
D.when the prices were extremely high, most people planted tulips in their gardens |
The passage is mainly about ________.
A.Europe in the 17th century | B.buying and selling tulips |
C.being mad about tulips | D.the life of the nobles and the rich |