Question

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 mobile­phone 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, middle­class 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 open­minded 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 metal­made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car­hire 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.

16．After a short overseas holiday, people tend to ________．

A．notice small changes

B．expect small changes

C．welcome small changes

D．exaggerate small changes

17．How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?

A．Cautiously.  B．Positively.

C．Sceptically.  D．Critically.

18．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

19．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

此篇涉及人们对家乡变化的关注，短期离家和长期离开家乡的人们对家乡变化的感悟是不一样的。

16．A　信息理解题。由第二段第一句“…small changes have probably surprised you…”可知答案。其他选项不能根据文章得出。

17．B　推理判断题。由第五段中“…but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because…”可知B项正确。

18．C　信息理解题。由倒数第二段第一句“…policemen with guns in the airport…”及倒数第二段最后一句“…their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.”可知C为正确答案。

19．B　主旨大意题。第一段即为全文的主旨段，从全文也可看出文章讲的是离开家乡一段时间再回来，人们便会感知家乡的变化。