They once seemed more at home on the busy streets of Asia like Delhi, Calcutta and Bangkok but cycle powered rickshaws (人力车) can now be seen taking people across town in many European cities. Many people believe that rickshaws are a good way of experiencing a city close-up, while also cutting down on traffic jams and pollution. In Berlin, one of the first cities to introduce this new model of transport, more than 200 bike-taxis go along at 15km per hour, past many tourist attractions and city parks.
“It is completely environmentally friendly; we have new models with an engine to help the driver up the hills but they use renewable energy.” said a spokesman for VELOTAXI, the leading rickshaw company which has carried a quarter of a million people this year.
While the city still has 7,000 motor-taxis, rickshaw company officials say their taxis’ green ideas, speed and safety make them more than just a tourist attraction. While now increasingly out of fashion in Delhi, Berlin people have eagerly accepted the new fleet since their launch in 1997.
“It’s better than a taxi, better than a bus, better than the train,” said ULF Lehman, 36, as he leapt out of a rickshaw near the world famous Brandenburg gate. “It feels so free.”
“This is something out of the ordinary, you feel you are on holiday in Bangkok instead of Berlin,” said another traveler.
In Amsterdam, driver Peter Jancso said people like to be driven around in his bright yellow rickshaw and pretend to be a queen in a golden carriage. “I like my passengers to feel important,” he said as he dropped off another passenger. Another visitor noted how cheap it was compared with a normal taxi.
Although increasingly popular in Europe, it is the opposite in India, where hand-pulled rickshaws are considered inhuman and a symbol of India’s backward past.
Nearly 500 bike-rickshaws are running in London and are not required to pay the city’s road tax but things may change as other taxi drivers complain of unfair treatment.Where are rickshaws becoming more popular?
| A．Delhi, Berlin, Paris. | B．Berlin, Amsterdam, London. |
| C．Athens, London, Berlin. | D．Amsterdam, Bangkok, Delhi. |
Why are rickshaws no longer as widely used in India as in the past?
| A．They have been banned because they are inefficient. |
| B．They are a reminder of a bad period in India’s history. |
| C．The streets of India are too crowded for them to move through easily. |
| D．Indians now prefer to travel by car because they are richer. |
What does the underlined sentence “This is something out of the ordinary, you feel you are on holiday in Bangkok instead of Berlin” suggest?
| A．The passenger didn’t like taking a rickshaw as it reminded him of Bangkok. |
| B．The passenger was impressed when taking a rickshaw and considered it unusual. |
| C．The passenger enjoyed being on holiday in Berlin more than in Bangkok. |
| D．The passenger disapproved of rickshaws because they were not original to |
Berlin.What is the author’s attitude towards rickshaws?
| A．He thinks they will reduce pollution |
| B．He believes they will be of no use. |
| C．He gives no personal opinion. |
| D．He thinks they are old-fashioned. |
When people in the U.S. have company or when they're invited to (formal or informal)get-together, they usually make a point of trying to make others feel comfortable and relaxed.On the whole, they tend to be informal. Men shake hands, but usually only when they're introduced. Male friends and business associate who haven't seen each other in a while may shake hands when they say hello. Women usually don't shake hands when being introduced to each other. When a woman and man are introduced, shaking hands is up to the woman. Americans rarely shake hands to say goodbye, except on business occasions. American women are used to being independent. They are used to going to places by themselves, making their own money, and often living alone. Sometimes they will ask men for help, but they usually don't want to be protected. Since the women's movement started, it's not always clear whether women expect men to open doors or help them into their coats. American women may start conversations with men or even ask them to dance.
There are a lot of Americans who don't smoke or drink, and many who don't want people to do those things in their houses. It's always best to ask for permission before you,bring alcohol to a dinner or before you light up a cigarette, if you are with people you don't ,know very well. Non-smokers have become more militant (好战的) about smoking in public places. Many restaurants, for example, have set up special areas for smokers.
House guests may bring gifts when they come to visit, and they often offer to help in some way. As a guest, you may want to ask your host or hostess if there's anything you can do to help in the kitchen. In many cases, the gesture is more important than actually helping."…the gesture is more important than actually helping." Here "gesture" means_________.
| A．态度 | B．话题 | C．姿态 | D．言行 |
When American people are introduced to each other, ____________.
| A．men seldom shake hands | B．women often shake hands |
| C．a woman decides if she will shake hands with a man | |
| D．a man decides if he will shake hands with a woman |
___________is not mentioned in the passage.
A. How to visit an American family B. When American women's movement started
C. American women are independentD Non-smokers hate smoking in public places. Which one is NOT right? ________________.
A None of Americans want people to smoke or drink in their houses
B Many Americans don’t smoke or drink
C Many special areas for smokers have been set up in the US
D It’s best to ask before you smoke in America
People say that a mother’s love knows no boundaries (边界). This is true when it comes to my mother. She has given up many things so that my sisters and I could live a better life.
My mother comes from a large family and her parents died when she was quite young. She dropped out of school when she was fifteen because no one could afford to pay her studies. At the age of 19, she married my father and when they had my sisters and I, they moved to the United States so that we could have a better life. My parents did not know English but somehow they communicated with other people. My mother stayed at home and raised us while my father was working. There were so many dangerous incidents that happened where we lived that my mother finally decided that we all moved to Texas when I was seven.
My mother has worked so hard to give us everything. She always tells us that all she wants is for us to be happy.
As the saying goes, “You don’t appreciate (意识到) something until it’s gone.” Well, I finally had a chance to experience it. My mother went to Mexico this winter because she needed to have an operation. It was the first time in my life that my mother was not ther
e to hold and comfort me. Those two weeks when she was away made me realize how much I love her. All she has done for me is incredible (难以置信的). When I suffer she suffers with me. I have to show her how much I care about her. She means the world to me. Which is the RIGHT order of the following events?
a. My mother married my father.
b. My mother went to Mexico to have an operation.
c. We all moved to Texas.
d. My mother dropped out of school.
e. They moved to the United States.
f. My mother’s parents died 
when she was young.
| A．a, b, f, c, d, e | B．d, e, a, c, f, b | C．f, d, a, b, e, c | D．f, d, a, e, c, b |
What does the underlined word “it” refer to in the fourth paragraph?
| A．My mother’s experience. | B．My mother’s care for me. |
| C．The meaning of the saying. | D．My mother’s love. |
The writer didn’t realize that he loves his mother very much until ______.
| A．they moved to Texas | B．his mother told them all she wanted was for them to be happy |
| C．his mother left home for an operation | D．his mother died |
According to the passage, we can infer that the writer writes the passage in a(n) ______ mood.
| A．affectionate (挚爱的) | B．humorous | C．serious | D．bitter |
In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”。To many people the cause is obvious (明显的): they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat. Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.
| A．they are too slim | B．they work too hard | C．they are too fat | D．they lose too much body fat |
Accord
ing to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?
| A．150. | B．300. | C．600. | D．270. |
Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?
| A．Yes, there is plenty of evidence. | B．Of course, there is some evidence to support this. |
| C．There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this. | D．We are not sure. |
The Americans in 1910 ________.
| A．ate more food and had more physical activities | |
| B．ate less food but had more physical activities | |
| C．ate less food and had less physical activities | D．had more problems |
Dear Abby,
This is my first letter to you, al
though I have been reading your column for many years. I need an outside opinion.
I am a grandmother in my 70s and have just returned from visiting my daughter, her husband and their three dearly loved children--all under the age of 5--and I'm upset with some of their parenting ways.
For example: They lock the doors to their children's bedrooms at night because the children might 
get out of their beds and wander around the house, and we may not hear them."
If one child should get punishment, all three are punished, and if one 
child says a naughty
word, all three are given hot sauce (辣酱汁) in the mouth. I know these parents love their children very much, but are these ways of disciplining them wise? Please understand, it is not my aim to interfere (干涉).
--- Gram
Dear Gram,
Children's bedroom doors should not be locked. Should a flash fire break out, it would be a nightmare (噩梦).Punishing all the children when only one has earned the punishment is a good way to make them grow up to hate each other. Children who use "naughty" words should not be punished with hot sauce in the mouth-they should be taught the proper and acceptable word to use instead of the "naughty" word.Gram's daughter _____________.
| A．is very strict with her children | B．does not love her three children |
| C．always punishes her children at night | D．often gives her children hot sauce |
Gram writes the letter in order to ____________.
| A．disclose her daughter's ways as a mother |
| B．criticize her daughter's ways as a mother |
| C．express her anger about her daughter s ways as a mom |
| D．get others' opinion about her daughter's ways as a mom |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Gram seems to care for her grand children very much. |
| B．Gram is against some of her daughter's ways as a mom. |
C．Abby i s for only one of Gram's daughter's ways as a mom. |
| D．Abby agrees with Gram about her daughter's ways as a mom. |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place, but tours of the country have pros and cons.
GOOD NEWS
Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
Pop music. Britain is the only country to compete with the US on this score.
Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Japanese to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
BAD NEWS
Poor service. “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to disappoint the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is unbelievably popular.
Rain. Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”. What do tourists complain most?
| A．Poor service. | B．Poor public transport. |
| C．Rain. | D．Overpriced hotels. |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol unlikely to be available in quantities?
| A．At 8: 30 pm. | B．At 9: 30 pm. | C．At 10: 30 pm. | D．At 11: 30 pm. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The public transport is poor there. |
| B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there. |
| C．You cannot find Chinese food there. |
| D．You have to pay to visit the museums. |