Question

Commuters (上下班往返的人) who drive to work will face a parking charge of up to ￡350 a year.Ministers are backing a workplace parking charge which will come into force in Nottingham in 2013 and is likely to be adopted across the country.The scheme will see firms with more than ten parking places for staff charged ￡350 a year for each space in two years.

Employers would be free to pass on the charge to their staff—meaning it would effectively be a tax on driving to work.The scheme aims to reduce traffic by preventing unnecessary car journeys and raise funds to improve public transport，but critics say it is just an excuse for councils to fill their coffers (金库)．

Some ten million Britons drive to work each day，and the British Chambers of Commerce says the new charge could total ￡3.4 billion a year if rolled out nationwide.

Already some firms in Nottingham have threatened to leave the city，where 40,000 commuters use their cars to get to work.A spokesman said the scheme was nothing more than a tax on jobs.“It is very unfair to discriminate against those employers who have parking spaces，which get vehicles off the streets，” he said.“And these charges apply around the clock，which is especially unfair on shift workers who rely on their cars because public transport is not available.This is more about increasing the government’s income than reducing traffic.”

However，Transport Minister Sadiq Khan gave the plan an official approval during a visit to Nottingham. The council says the tax will raise as much as ￡100 million over ten years—one fifth of the cost of a new transport system for the city.

Another transport spokesman Theresa Villiers said the tax would have a devastating impact on businesses struggling to cope with the economic decline.

But Richard Hebditch of the Campaign for Better Transport said the tax would raise money to invest in better transport.“We put forward the idea of workplace parking taxes as a fairer way to raise money to invest in the future local transport services.We are pleased that the people of Nottingham will be the first to benefit.”

1.Supporters argue that the scheme________.

A．can help improve the parking conditions for the staff

B．should be applied to ail commuters driving to work

C．is certain to be carried out despite the objections

D．will relieve traffic pressure and improve public transport

2.According to the objectors，the scheme is unfair for________.

A．the firms with parking lots

B．the workforce without cars

C．the employees parking their cars on the streets

D．the staff driving to work in the daytime

3.Which word can best describe Theresa Villiers’s attitude towards the scheme?

A．Neutral. B．Negative.

C．Understanding. D．Positive.

4.It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．many firms are willing to pay the charges for their staff

B．the public transport in Nottingham is in great need of improvement

C．the author believes Britons will benefit from the scheme

D．those firms with more commuters will leave Nottingham

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.B

【解析】文章大意：本文主要讲述了Nottingham将出台政策对工作场所停车收费及由此引发的激烈讨论。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The scheme aims to reduce traffic by preventing unnecessary car journeys and raise funds to improve public transport，but critics say it is just an excuse for councils to fill their coffers (金库)．”可知，支持者认为这个方案能够缓解交通压力，改善公共交通。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段的第三句可知，A项正确。

3.态度推断题。根据第六段内容可知，Theresa Villiers对这个方案持否定态度。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第三段中的“The council says the tax will raise as much as ￡100 million over ten years—one fifth of the cost of a new transport system for the city.”以及最后一段内容可推知，Nottingham的公共交通急需改善。