Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mob

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Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mob

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Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls.
They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. “I’d have done it, “ insisted Kendall Turner. “It would have been heartbreaking for the village. “ Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box’s change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, “ We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”
Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25th anniversary of the reign of King George V. Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop(背景) to millions of tourist photographs.
Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. “On average, maintaining them costs ￡800 a year per phone box-about ￡44 million annually,” said John Lumb, general manager for BT Payphones.
小题1:Some red phone boxes in Britain have been used for ____.
a. selling flowers    b. cooking   c. reading  d. exhibiting art or poetry
A．a, bB．c, dC．a,b,cD．b,c,d
小题2:Why do the villagers want to keep the red phone boxes?
A．Because millions of people visit Britain to see the red phone boxes.
B．Because the local people could earn a lot of money from the red phone boxes.
C．Because the red phone boxes have already become a symbol of Britain.
D．Because the red phone boxes may be useful for some people in emergency.
小题3:What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage?
A．GreenB．RedC．BlackD．Yellow
小题4:What is John Lumb’s attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes?
A．supportiveB．OpposedC．NeutralD．Indifferent.

答案
      
小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:B
小题1:A
解析

小题1:B。细节考查。根据文章第一段“Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life.”可知选B。
小题1:C。细节考查。根据文章第二段最后一句“We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”可知选C。
小题1:B。细节考查。根据文章第三段“Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes,…”可知英国邮箱颜色是红色的，故选B。
小题1:A。根据文章最后一段John Lumb的话可知其态度是支持性的，故选A。
举一反三
America, has always had people of many different nationalities and languages. The 1990 census (人口普查) indicates that almost 14% of Americans speak a non-English language at home. Yet only 3% reported that they spoke English “not well” or “not at all ”. That means that slightly more than one out of 10 Americans could be considered bilingual. Besides that, many high school and college students---and even some elementary school students---are required to take a foreign language. Actually, a growing number of Americans are coming to appreciate the benefits of using different languages.
Ethnic enclaves (少数民族聚居地) have preserved the language and culture of American immigrants. Some local residents can function quite well in their native language, without having to bother learning English. Regions such as southern Florida and the Southwest have numerous Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. In fact, Spanish speakers---numbering over 17 million---form the largest non-English linguistic group in America. But Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Polish and many other ethnic group add to the linguistic flavor of America. Foreign languages are so commonly used in some ethnic neighborhoods that visitors might think they are in another country!
Although some Americans welcome this linguistic and cultural diversity, others have begun to fear that the English language is being threatened. Since the 1980s, the “English Only ” movement has sought to promote legislation (立法) which would establish English as the “official language” and restrict the use of non-English language. However, some groups, including TESOL, the organization for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other language, object to such “language restrictionism”. But so far, 19 states have passed “English Only” legislation, and the topic is the focus of an ongoing debate.
Whether or not English is the official language of the United States, it remains the “language of wider communication”. Nearly everyone recognizes the need to develop the ability in using English in order to do well in America. American also recognize that English is the international language, and people with good English skills can get by in many international settings. On the other hand, in a world growing increasingly smaller, second language skills can be a great favor. They can build cross-cultural bridges and give people an edge in a variety of career field. Indeed, lack of foreign language skill can limit one’s chances for advancement and keep one in a cultural dead-end street. 
小题1: Ethnic groups have preserved their native languages because ______.
A．their native languages are commonly used in their neighborhoods
B．ethnic groups are not allowed to speak English
C．ethnic groups can do very well in their native languages
D．ethnic groups don’t allow their natives to learn English
小题2:The underlined word “bilingual” in paragraph 1 probably means ______.
A．being able to speak two languagesB．being able to speak one language
C．being able to speak different languagesD．being able to speak many foreign languages
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about “English Only” movement?
A．Its purpose was to establish a legislation of restricting the use of English.
B．TESOL was in favor of “English Only ” by objecting to “English plus”.
C．It was launched because English was being threatened.
D．A large majority of American states support the movement.
小题4:What can be the best title of this passage?
A．The English Only MovementB．Learn to speak English
C．English---an International LanguageD．Being Bilingual

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案
Cultural practices, cultural differences, local manners, and mores: traveling the globe can be a behavioral minefield, even when you have the best intentions. Everything from greeting to eating can be an opportunity to do the wrong thing, and not only embarrass yourself, but offend your host countrymen. Look out for the following cultural mistakes and try to avoid them while going abroad.
1.Touching Someone
Where It"s Offensive
Korea, Thailand, China, Europe, the Middle East.
What"s Offensive
In Mediterranean countries, if you don’t touch someone"s arm when talking to them or if you don"t greet them with kisses or a warm embrace, you"ll be considered cold. But backslapping someone who isn"t a family member or a good friend in Korea will make them uncomfortable. In Thailand, the head is considered sacred--never even pat a child on the head.
What You Should Do Instead
Observe what locals are doing and follow suit. In Eastern countries remember that touching and public displays of affection are unacceptable. In places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, men and women are forbidden from talking, let alone touching.
2.Blowing Your Nose
Where It"s Offensive
Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, France
What"s Offensive
Some cultures find it disgusting to blow your nose in public--especially at the table. The Japanese and Chinese also dislike it even with a handkerchief.
What You Should Do Instead
If traveling through Eastern and Asian countries, don’t use handkerchief but choose disposable（可溶解的）tissues. In France and in Eastern countries, if you"re dining and need to clear your nose, excuse yourself and head to the restroom.
3.Talking Over Dinner
Where It"s Offensive
Africa, Japan, Thailand, China, Finland.
What"s Offensive
In some countries, like China, Japan, and some African nations, don"t start chatting while everyone else is digging into dinner, because mealtimes are for eating, not talking. Also avoid conversations in places a country might consider sacred or reflective---churches in Europe, temples in Thailand, and saunas in Finland.
What You Should Do Instead
Keep quiet!
4.Removing Your Shoes…or Not
Where It"s Offensive
Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand
What"s Offensive
Taking off shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party will be regarded as uncivilized, but failing to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands will be considered disrespectful.
What You Should Do Instead
If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on.
5.Knowing Your Right from Your Left
Where It"s Offensive
India, Morocco, Africa, the Middle East
What"s Offensive
Many cultures still prefer to eat using traditional methods--their hands. In these cases, food is often shared, which is why it"s important to wash your hands before eating and observe the right-hand-is-for-eating and the left-hand-is-for-other-duties rule. If you eat with your left hand, expect your fellow diners to be offended.
What You Should Do Instead
Left-handed? Attempt to be ambidextrous --- even children who are left-handed in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hand.
小题1:In which country can you greet someone with a kiss?
A．ThailandB．EnglandC．QatarD．Hawaii
小题2:If you’re in Japan and you’ve got a bad cold, what should you do at dinner?
A．Excuse yourself and leave for home.B．Blow your nose with a handkerchief.
C．Use some disposable tissues when neededD．Go to the restroom.
小题3:Before entering your friend’s house in a foreign country, you’d better ______.
A．greet the host or hostess firstB．follow others’ behaviors
C．remove your shoes firstD．respect their customs
小题4: To enjoy your dinner in India, you have to ______.
A．avoid talking over dinnerB．keep your shoes on
C．share food with othersD．eat with your right hand

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案
Three-Dimensional （3D） movies have been becoming more and more popular in recent years．It seems 3D TV sets may be going into family households in the near future．While new digital 3D technology has made the experience more comfortable for many, for some with eye problems, long 3D viewing may result in an aching head, doctors say．

"There are a lot of people walking around with very minor eye problems, which under normal situations, the brain deals with naturally," said Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmologist （眼科医师） in Chicago．He said in a 3D movie, these people face a completely new sensory experience．"That translates into greater mental effort, making it easier to get a headache," Rosenberg told Reuters．
In normal vision, each eye sees things at a slightly different angle．"When that gets processed in the brain, that creates the perception （感觉） of depth," said Dr Deborah Friedman, an ophthalmologist in New York．The images people see in three dimensions in the movies are not calibrated （校准的） in the same way that their eyes and brain are．"If your eyes are a little off to begin with, then it"s really throwing a whole degree of effort that your brain now needs
to exert （竭尽全力）," he said．                    
Dr John Hagan, a Kansas City ophthalmologist, said some people who do not have normal depth perception cannot see in 3D at all．He said people with eye muscle problems, in which the eyes are not pointed at the same object, have trouble processing 3D images．
Rock Heineman, a spokesman for RealD, a provider of 3D equipment to theaters, said headaches and nausea were the main reasons 3D technology never took off．
Heineman said older 3D technology used two film projectors（放映机）, one that projected a left-eye image and one that projected a right-eye image．Three-D glasses would allow viewers to see a different image in each eye．
"People often complained of headaches and it was really because the projectors weren’t lined up," Heineman said．
Now his company has developed a new single digital projector, which switches between the left and the right-eye image 144 times a second, to help overcome some of the old problems．
"By going to a single digital projector, those problems were solved," he said．Friedman said he thinks most people will do fine with 3D movies and with 3D TVs, but Rosenberg said people may quickly tire of the novelty （新鲜事物）．"I suspect there will be a lot of people who say it"s sort of neat, but it"s not really comfortable," he said．
小题1:The text is mainly about ____．
A．the reasons why people like 3D movies
B．how to improve 3D technology
C．the development of 3D technology in recent years
D．causes of headaches and nausea when people watch 3D movies
小题2:The underlined phrase "took off" could be replaced by "______"．
A．became popular
B．flew in the sky
C．left hurriedly
D．removed one"s clothes
小题3:This article implies that _____．
A．people do not like new things like 3D movies
B．3D TVs will completely take the place of old TV sets
C．3D technology is the most important technology ever
D．those with eye muscle problems should not watch 3D movies
小题4:We can learn from what Rosenberg said in the last paragraph that
A．a single digital projector could solve all the problems with 3D technology
B．people will gradually become comfortable with 3D movies and TVs
C．the appeal of 3D movies and "TVs may fade
D．most people will actually enjoy the 3D experience

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案
Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city"
The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life．For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities．But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention．At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight．Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China"s first "slow city" by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago．
At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor．To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember．Here, growing old gracefully is natural．
Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words "slow city" before this．
"The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited Yaxi village," says Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today．
"Vassallo was deeply impressed by this village"s natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city," says Zuo．"That was how Yaxi became connected with Cittaslow．
The Slow City must also be committed to protect and maintain the natural environment as well as promote a sustainable way of development ?all of which are the current strategies adopted in Gaochun．"We"ve been doing this for years," adds Zuo．
Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy in 1999．It was a spin-off from the Slow Food movement which started, also in Italy, in 1986 as a protest against the first McDonald " s opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome．The movement championed a return to healthy, nutritious home-grown, home -cooked food．
Slow Food has since expanded globally to more than 130 countries．Its mission has also broadened to include the promotion of sustainable foods and local small businesses, and the localization as opposed to globalization of food production．
Cittaslow is an expansion of the Slow Food movement, and it actively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary （烹饪的）heritage．
小题1:According the passage, Cittaslow is a（n） ____．
A．organizationB．personC．lifestyleD．honor
小题2:What" s the reaction of the residents at Yaxi to the award according the passage? They feel
A．very excited．B．very shocked
C．indifferentD．very happy
小题3:Why is the village Yaxi awarded the title of “slow city”? Because          .
A．it is full of excitement and activities of nightlife
B．the residents at Yaxi enjoy a leisure life
C．it is very rich and has a lot of attractions
D．foreign people like small towns than big cities.
小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that         .
A．young people at Yaxi enjoy their life very much
B．China is more and more popular with foreign people
C．the first McDonald’s in Europe was opened in Spain
D．the lifestyle of “slow city” will be good to environment and people

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案
They like using the Internet．They have lots of pocket money to spend．And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us．Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards．Most have to use a parent’s card．They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic．If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK．Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK．According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children．Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street．They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercast is through prepaid cards such as Internet Cash in the US and Smart cards in the UK．Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.
小题1:What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A．Sellers.B．Buyers.C．Teenagers.D．Parents.
小题2:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access．
B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.
C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.
D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.
小题3:A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.
A．a new machineB．special coins and notes
C．prepaid cardsD．pay-as-you-go mobile phones
小题4:What is the passage mainly about?
A．Online shopping traps.B．Internet users in the US and the UK.
C．New credit cards for parents.D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.

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