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 (夸大) small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
| A．Cautiously. | B．Skeptically. |
| C．Positively. | D．Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by ______ .
| A．the tight security | B．the messy arrivals hall |
| C．the relaxed policemen | D．the bank robbers |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life in Britain. | B．Britain in Memory. |
| C．Britain in Future. | D．Back in Britain. |
Many Chinese have been greatly shocked by the traffic accident caused by the drunk driver Sun Weiming, who has killed five and injured some others in Chengdu, Sichuan. However, such a case is not rare.
Today, the traffic accidents may have been regarded as a social problem. The car has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows actually from rude behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral(道德的) rights of others. In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless but just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one's actions could bring death or damage to others. A minority of the killers go even far beyond carelessness that can be imagined.
Researchers have estimated 
that as many as 80 percent of all automobile accidents can be attributed to(归属于) the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can change drivers' reactions incorrectly, slow their judgment, and make them blind to the dangers that might otherwise be obvious. The experts warn that it is important for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep his/her emotions under control.
Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem isn't only put upon drivers. Street walkers regularly ignore or break traffic regulations. They are blamed in most vehicle walker accidents, and many cyclists even believe that they are not subject（受…支配） to the basic rules of the road.
Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicles have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through regular road inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the acci
dent rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to make people believe that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the road.Traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem because .
| A．auto driving has become dangerous and harmful in today's society |
| B．people usually pay no attention to law and morality when driving |
| C．they have caused serious psychological problems among drivers |
| D．the car has killed and disabled more people than any weapon in history |
Who are NOT mentioned as being responsible for the road accidents?
| A．Careless bicycle-riders. | B．Careless people walking in the street. |
| C．Irresponsible auto drivers. | D．Irresponsible auto manufacturers. |
Discussing solutions to traffic accidents, the author seems to be.
| A．doubtful and hopeless |
| B．angry and disappointed |
| C．objective (客观的) and concerned |
| D．anxious and annoyed |
Many ___ choose to give up meat because they believe it is cruel to kill animals for food.
| A．vegans | B．vegetarian | C．fruitarians | D．researchers |
According to the text, “vegetarians” ref
er to people who choose ___.
| A．not to eat meat or fish | B．to eat meat or fish |
| C．not to eat protein | D．to eat vegetables |
____ only eat fruit and vegetables that have not been killed when harvested.
| A．Vegetarians | B．Veggies | C．Vegans | D．Fruitarians |
According to the text, which one of the following is not mentioned?
| A．Only in China, there are so many people eating meat. |
| B．There are many vegetarians in Europe. |
| C．Vegetarian diets are healthier than the average western diet. |
D．There are many reasons for people turning vege tarians. |
Mark was walking home from school one day when he saw the boy in front of him fall over and drop all of the book
s he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a basketball and a walkman（随身听）. Mark stopped and helped the boy pick up these things. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry some of his things. As they walked, Mark knew that the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved computer games, basketball and history, and that he was having lots of troubles with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed happily with a few laughs and some small talk, and then Mark went home. They often saw each other at school, had lunch together once or twice, and then they both finished middle school. They ended up in the same high school where they sometimes saw and talked with each other over the years. At last just three weeks before they finished high school, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill asked Mark if he still remembered the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever think why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker(锁柜) because I didn’t want to leave anything for anyone else. I had put away some of my mother’s sleeping pills and I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I began to 
understand that if I killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”When Mark met him the first time, Bill was going _______.
| A．to have a basketball game | B．to his classroom |
| C．to see Mark | D．back home |
From what Bill was carrying, we can know that he _______.
| A．was a good student | B．liked sports and music |
| C．liked all the subjects in school | D．was a good friend |
Mark and Bill _______.
| A．were in the same middle school and high school |
| B．were in the same middle school but not in the same high school |
| C．often had lunch together at school |
| D．had known each other before they began to study in middle school |
In this passage, the phrase “break up” means _______.
| A．相处很好 | B．和好如初 | C．关系破裂 | D．保持联系 |
When Mark helped Bill to pick up some of his things, he _______.
| A．knew he could save Bill’s life |
| B．knew who Bill was and wanted to help him |
| C．didn’t know why he was going to help him |
| D．didn’t know what he was doing was very important to Bill |
A great French writer said that we should help everyone as much as possible because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. To this effect, he tells a simple story.
An ant was drinking at a small river and fell in. She tried hard to reach the side, but made no progre
ss at all. The poor ant, almost tired out, was still bravely doing her best when a bird saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade (叶片) of grass, which supported her like a boat, and thus she
reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass she heard a man coming near. He was walking along barefooted and carrying a gun in his hand. As he saw the bird he wished to kill her, and he would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just before he raised his gun to 
fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the bird immediately flew away. It w
as an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life. According to the French writer, we often need help from others, therefore we should________.
| A．not help others | B．help those who may be helpful to us |
| C．get as much help as possible | D．help others as much as we can |
The ant finally got on the bank _______.
A．when t he water pushed her |
B．with the help of a piece of wood |
| C．with the help of a blade of grass | D．when the bird reached out a leg for her |
The French writer tells the story in order to show _______.
| A．how an ant saved a bird | B．how brave the ant is |
| C．how clever the bird is | D．even the small can help the great |
People who are outdoors in cold weather should avoid actions like suddenly lifting a heavy basket full of snow. Even walking through heavy, wet snow can strain a person’s heart.
Many people aren’t conditioned to the physical stress of outdoor activities and don’t know the dangers of being outdoors in cold weather. Those who like winter sports can suffer accidental hypothermia if they don’t make certain preparations.
Hypothermia means the body temperature has fallen below normal. It occurs when your body can’t produce enough energy to keep the internal (内部的) body temperature warm enough. It can kill you. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia.
Children, the elderly and those with heart disease are at special risk. As people age, their ability to keep a normal internal body temperature often decreases. Elderly people can suffer hypothermia without knowing they’re in danger because they can’t notice the cold conditions as quickly as the young.
Besides cold temperatures, high winds, snow and rain can also steal body heat. Wind is especially dangerous because it removes the layer of heated air from around your body. At 30 degrees Fahrenheit in a 20-mile-per-hour wind, the cooling effect is equal to calm air at four degrees. Similarly dampness (湿气) causes the body to lose heat faster than it would at the same temperature in drier conditions.
To keep warm, wear more clothes. This traps air between layers. Also, wear a hat or head scarf. Much of your body’s heat can be lost through your head. Keep your hands and feet warm, too, as they tend to lose heat rapidly.
Don’t drink alcohol before going outdoors or when outside. Alcohol makes you feel warm at first because blood vessels in the skin expand. But heat is then drawn away from the body’s important organs.The underlined word “strain” in Paragraph 1 means ________.
| A．injure | B．warm | C．control | D．burn |
What is implied in the passage about hypothermia?
| A．It means the body temperature falls rapidly. | B．Most heart attacks are caused by it. |
| C．It is not as scary as people think. | D．It can threaten a person’s life. |
Based on the passage, one of the reasons why the elderly are at special risk of suffering from hypothermia is that _______.
| A．they like exercising outside in cold mornings |
| B．they can’t notice cold conditions if they are not told |
| C．their body temperature is generally lower than young people’s |
| D．their ability to keep a normal internal body temperature is not so good |
What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
| A．What causes the body to lose heat faster. | B．The advantages of drier conditions. |
| C．What else can steal body heat. | D．Dangers of high winds. |
Which of the following is NOT a result of drinking alcohol before going outdoors?
| A．Feeling warm at first | B．The body’s heat is taken away |
| C．Blood vessels in the skin expand | D．The risk of hypothermia is reduced |