Question

【题目】

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.

【1】After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.

A. notice small changes

B. expect small changes

C. welcome small changes

D. exaggerate small changes

【2】 How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?

A. Cautiously.

B. Positively.

C. Sceptically.

D. Critically.

【3】 When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.

A. the relaxed policemen

B. the messy arrivals hall

C. the tight security

D. the bank robbers

【4】Which might be the best title for the passage?

A. Life in Britain.

B. Back in Britain.

C. Britain in Future.

D. Britain in Memory.

Answer 1

【答案】【1】 A

【2】 B

【3】 C

【4】B

【解析】本文讲述侨居国外的英国人离开英国多年后重回英国的不同感受，这些感受我们司空见惯而无法察觉，只有他们才能体会。

【1】 A 细节理解题。根据文章第二段第一句中“…small changes have probably supposed you…”可知，在短期海外度假后，人们会注意到小变化，故A项正确。

【2】 推理判断题。 根据第五段最后一句中“…I believe foreign settlers have improved this country …more open-minded…”可知，Debit对移民的态度是肯定的。故B项正确。A项意为“慎重的”，C项意为“怀疑的”，D项意为“批评的”，都与语境不符。

【3】 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段第一句中“To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening…”可知，当到达英国机场，Christine为紧张的安全措施所震惊。故C项正确。A项与语意相反，B、D项为提及。

【4】 主旨大意题。根据第三段第一句以及全文叙述可知，本文讲述了侨居国外的英国人离开英国多年后重回英国的不同感受，故B项正确；A项范围太大，C项文中未提及，D项无文章无关。