London congestion chargingThe charge was introduced on Monday 17 February 2003 t

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London congestion charging
The charge was introduced on Monday 17 February 2003 to encourage people to leave their cars behind and use public transport when travelling in central London. It was introduced due to the high pollution levels and traffic congestion（拥挤）.
The Inner Ring Road forms the congestion zone boundary and includes roads such as Marylebone Road, Euston Road, Park Lane and Edgware Road. Drivers can travel along these roads without paying the charge. Maps of this zone are published in the national press and are available from a range of outlets as well as online.
People who travel regularly between work and home have to pay £5 for each day they wish to travel through or within the charge zone between the hours of 7.00 am and 6.30 pm, Monday to Friday. They have a choice about how they pay the £5. They can pay online, via the Internet, phoning, texting on their mobile phones and over the counter at petrol stations and convenience stores. They also have a choice about how often they pay. They can pay daily, weekly, monthly or annually.
Not everyone has to pay the £5. Among these are residents, emergency services, registered-disabled drivers, taxis and those using alternative energy vehicles. These people/organizations have to apply for exemption (免交), which can be done online.
The London Congestion Charge works by using around 900 cameras at the boundary and within the zone. The cameras read the registration plates and send the information to a computer, which checks whether the owner has paid the charge and, if not, whether the owner has claimed exemption. If drivers have not paid the charge by 10 pm that day (and are not exempt) a penalty notice is sent to his/her home address. The longer that the penalty is not paid, the larger the fine. Persistent offenders have their vehicles removed.
For more information, call 0845 900 1234 or visit Transport for London’s congestion charge website at http://www.cclondon.com/.
1. This text is aimed at _______.
A. businesses B. students C. London residents D. everyone
2. This text offers readers information about _______.
A. the weather forecasts of London
B. the days and times for people to pay the charge
C. the number of drivers who fail to pay the charge each day
D. the names of shops where you can get Congestion Charge maps
3. What can we learn from the text?
A. All people in London have to pay the charge.
B. London residents can pay the charge in different ways.
C. Registered-disabled drivers have to go to an agency to apply for exemption.
D. 900 cameras are used to judge whether the driver has gone through the red light.

答案

小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:B

解析

略

举一反三

Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there

is one word more than you need
A. agree          B. suffer        C. system       D. notice        AB. through
AC. dangerous     AD. space       BC. limited     BD. absorbs      CD. let out
For years scientist have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more    41    than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.
Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to    42     eye-pain, headache and other p

roblems. Some pollutants can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists 43 that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution. People began to 44 the problem in the early 1970s, when it was that builders began making houses and offices which did not waste energy. To do this they built buildings that 45 the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using man-made building materials. These materials are now known to 46 harmful gases. As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control 47 for building green plants. Scientist do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe t

hat a plant’s leaves take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant produces oxygen 48 its leaves and through its tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square meters of space. Studies of different plants show that each 49 different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and healthier place.

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Wall Street is the banking center of New York City. But how did the street get its unusual name? To find out, we must go back to the early years of exploration in North America.
New York Cit

y was first called New Amsterdam by the explorer Henry Hudson. He was working for a Dutch trading company when he

entered what is now the lower Hudson River area in the year 1609. There he found an island that was a perfect trading harbor. The Manhattan Indians lived there.
Dutch traders built a town on the end of Manhattan Island. It became a rich tra

ding center. But the British questioned the right of the Dutch to control the area. The two nations went to war in 1652.
The governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, worried that British settlers in New England would attack his town. He ordered that a protective wall be built at the north edge of Manhattan. The wall was more than 2,290 feet long. It extended from the Hudson River to the East River.
The British never attacked New Amsterdam. So the wall was never tested in war. But the path beside it became known as Wall Street. Later, Wall Street became a street of banks and business.
Dealing in stocks and shares in the stock markets began in the 17th Century. An informal market developed around the co

ffee houses in the City of London gradually. In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became the informal Stock Exchange, and it was formally established till 1802. at that time London was the largest share market, and the growth of the Industrial Revolution helped the establishment of local share markets in other parts of the country --- more than 330 of them when there were most. These markets first began moves towards combination in 1890, when the Council of Associated Stock Exchanges was formed. By 1967 all the “Country” Exchanges had got together themselves into

six regional exchanges, and in 1973 all seven exchanges in the British Isles came together to form The Stock Exchanges of Great Britain and Ireland, and its member firms spread from Aberdeen to the Channel Islands and from Lancaster to Limerick.
1.    Manhattan was named after __________.
A. a Dutch explorer
B. a British colonist
C. an Indian tribe
D. the Dutch governor
2.    The British and the Dutch went to war in 1652 because __________.
A. they both liked the rich island
B. they both wanted to have Wall Street
C. they both wanted to control the rich area
D. they had questions in some aspects unsolved
3.    The wall _________.
A. was used in the war
B. was never used in the war
C. was destroyed later
D. was so weak that the British never tested it
4.    In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became _________.
A. the place the merchants had their ventures
B. an informal stock exchanges
C. a formal stock exchanges
D. the biggest market in Britain

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Until a relatively short time ago, traveling abroad was limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople. Flying abroad was not common for the average person. In time, however, plane travel became safer, more convenient, and less expensive. As a re

sult, people of different backgrounds now fly to distant places for pleasure and businesspeople fly to one country for a breakfast or lunch conference, and then fly to another country for a dinner meeting.
With the world becoming smaller, many young adults make the decision to study in foreign universities. It is an exciting, challenging experience to live in a foreign country. Anyone who can study abroad is fortunate; but, of course, it is not easy to change from one culture to another. One faces many difficulties.
The stude

nt who studies in a foreign country leaves behind

a familiar, loving, comfortable environment. Back home, he has his family, friends, and acquaintances. He knows the language, politics, money, food, social customs, and so forth. He knows all the unclear aspects of his native culture, such as body language, and bargaining practices, etc. in short, he knows “the system” in his native country. Then one day he leaves all this behind and suddenly finds himself in a place where everyone and everything is st

range, perhaps even confusing. All this strangeness is a major surprise to a person’s self-confidence. This sudden change often leads to a reaction called culture shock.
Foreigners experience different degrees of culture shock. The symptoms range from being ill at ease to being seriously depressed. Feeling homesick, unhappy, and very sensitive are other signs of culture shock. It is easy to understand that the endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would produce dissatisfaction, and perhaps even hostility. People are always at ease in a familiar environment. A mature, realistic person experiences mild, temporary symptoms; the insecure newcomer suffers more seriously from a culture shock.
During the inevitable period of adjustment, the international student tends to complain about everything in the

new environment. In fact, the student is likely to exaggerate the problems. When the student meets another miserable person from the same country, he will pour out his unhappy feelings. Together they can complain in their native language. Although this compl

aining provides temporary satisfaction, it certainly does not help him adapt to a new society. Being negative will never get rid of the feelings of frustrations. The mature person understands that a positive attitude, determination, and flexibility are important in making the change successful. A sense of humor is a big help.
1.    Nowadays, flying abroad is ___ ____.
A. limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople
B. more convenient but less safe
C. common for the average person
D. not common for the average person
2.    “The system” in the third paragraph includes the following except _________.
A. social customs
B. bargaining practices
C. politics
D. foreign culture
3.    Culture shock affects foreigners _________.
A. in just the same way
B. in the same degree
C. in quite similar ways
D. in different degrees
4.    Endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would create _________.
A. dissatisfaction
B. discomfort
C. hostility
D. all of the above
5.    The following are important in fighting culture shock except _________.
A. determination
B. a positive attitude
C. a sense of humor
D. hostility

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A German company was concerned about talks in Moscow trying to sell some 100 million dollars worth of equipment to a Russian State company. Talks went smoothly but differences remained. So Martin Bayer himself, the CEO of the German Company, decided to come to Moscow to head the talks. Besides caring about his business, the CEO wanted to go to Russia to hunt bears.
Martin Bayer was one of the greatest hunters of our time (and the Russians knew about it). He went to the Sahara more than hundred times and hunted lions, crocodiles; he hunted polar bears in the North Pole and tigers in the rain forests of India. But he had never hunted Russian bears.
So the Russians decided to organize a bear hunt for Mr. Bayer to sweeten the talks. This wasn"t a simple task. Some people in the west still believe that bears may be found and seen everywhere in Russian cities just like squirrels may be seen in our back yards. This is not true. The closest place one may find bears in the wild is maybe 2,500 miles away from Moscow. However, a solution was quickly found. The Russian businessmen went to Moscow Circus（马戏团）and for $2,000 bought a very old bear. This bear used to amuse and amaze audiences in many countries for 30 years, but got and looked too old, and was retired.
“Be careful, the Russian bears are very dangerous, and frightening,” they told to Mr. Bayer. “If compared to the Russian bears, your African lions are nothing more than harmless cats.” The bear was brought to a forest 50 miles from Moscow and was left there. Mr. Bayer was told that bears were plentiful in that forest and that many cattle and even people had been eaten in the surrounding villages.
Meanwhile, an 18-year old female drove through the forest on a motorcycle and suddenly saw a bear (no bears had been seen in those places for 200 years). She was frightened, fell, left her helmet and her motorcycle and ran away.
Mr. Bayer was excited and ready to hunt. This could become the most successful part of his extraordinary hunting experience. The next moment Mr. Bayer saw a bear in a helmet driving on a motorcycle through the forest in front of him. The bear had a happy expression on his face, as he was doing something he had been doing in the circus for 30 years: circling on a motorcycle!
Mr. Bayer lives in a private mental institution near Hamburg happily ever after. The equipment was never sold to Russia. It was sold to Iraq instead.
1. Why did the Russians invite Mr. Bayer to hunt bears?
A. Russian bears are famous for their cruelty.
B. They managed to find a bear for hunting.
C. They expected the trade to be successful.
D. There was a bear in Moscow Circus.
2. Why did the Russians say “Be careful, the Russian bears are very dangerous, and frightening”?
A. To tell Mr. Bayer that many people had been killed by bears.
B. To make Mr. Bayer feel the hunting really challenging.
C. To warn Mr. Bayer to mind his safety while hunting.
D. To tell Mr. Bayer that the bear is really dangerous.
3. We can infer from the last paragraph that __________.
A. Mr. Bayer has gone ma
B. the bear injured him badly
C. he has worked in a mental institution since then
D. the trade has gone smoothly between Russian and Iraq
4. Which would be the best title of the passage?
A. Mr. Bayer, a Brave Hunter     B. Russian Bears, Dangerous Animals
C. Don’t Hunt in Russia       D. Don’t Deal with the Russians

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I entered St Thoma’s Hospital as a medical student at the age of 18 and spent five years there. I was an unsatisfactory student, for my heart, as you might have guessed, was not in it. I wanted, I had always wanted to be a writer, and in the evening, after my high tea, I wrote and read. Before long, I wrote a novel, called “Liza of Lambeth”, which I sent to a publisher and was accepted. It appeared during my last year at the hospital and had something of a success. It was of course an accident, but naturally I did not know that. I felt I could afford to give up medicine and make writing my profession; so, three days after I graduated from the school of medicine, I set out for Spain to write another book. Looking back now and knowing as I do the terrible difficulties of making a living by writing, I realize I was taking a fearful risk. It never even occurred to me.

The next ten years were very hard, and I earned an average of £100 a year. Then I had a bit of luck. The manager of the Court Theatre put on a play that failed ; the next play he arranged to put on was not ready , and he was at his wits’ end. He read a play of mine and, though he did not much like it, he thought it might just run for the six weeks till the play he had in mind to follow it with could be produced. It ran for fifteen months. Within a short while I had four plays running in London at the same time. Nothing of the kind had ever happened before. I was the talk of the town. One of the students at St Thomas’s Hospital asked the famous surgeon with whom I had worked whether he remembered me. “Yes, I remember him quite well, “he said. “ One of our failures, I’m afraid. “

1. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. The author was very pleased to have his book published but he didn’t realize it was something of an accident.

B. The success of his first book led the author to think he could afford to make writing his profession.

C. The author knew he was running a terrible risk when he decided to become a writer.

D. The author became a writer after graduation but was not a successful one.

2. In the second paragraph, “… he was at his wits’ end “means ________.

A. he was having a nervous breakdown B. he was out of his wisdom

C. he did not know what to do D. he almost went mad

3. The manager of the Court Theatre agreed to put the author’s play on the stage because _____________.

A. he thought it would run for fifteen months

B. he knew it was one of the author’s best plays shown in London

C. he had just put on a play that failed

D. the play he had arranged to put on was not ready

4. The author became the talk of the town. The reason was that __________.

A. he talked with a great many people in London about his plays

B. the plays he wrote were excellently performed in London

C. his performances in the Court Theatre were unexpectedly

D. he was criticized by an eminent surgeon as one of their failures

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