Question

Think of London and you’re likely to think of the city’s famous bright red double-decker(双层) buses．Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok，and  the noisy tuk-tuk(三轮摩托车) may  come to mind．Picture the American city of San Francisco   and   you  might see  the city’s cable cars(电车)． 

Imagining what these cities would look like without their red  buses，tuk-tuks  or cable cars is  difficult．They  are   symbols  of these cities  that make them different from  anywhere else in  the world．However,these city  symbols，which are so 1oved by tourists，are not  always so well  loved by their  city  1eaders． City  1eaders  want  what  is  best for their  city, which often means the most modern transport．

    In Thailand，Bangkok city authorities have forbidden new tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting．However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful，as it has not changed Thai people’s preference for the inexpensive tuk-tuks over taxis．

  In London，the city’s first ever mayor got rid of the red double-decker buses． which he thought were old—fashioned, by selling them to other countries．His plan worked．but Londoners were upset to lose the charming old buses that they believed represented the best of their city. They made their upset felt，  when the mayor came up for re-election 1ast year．Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back．Now, an improved version(版本)of the double-decker  bus will hit London’s streets in 2012． 

  AS for San Francisco,   several cable  cars remain in  use but mainly  as tourist attractions．They   are too slow to be  used  for anything other than  scenic trips．

 City transport symbols may have palace in their city people’s hearts，but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world．As Londoners have proved，their continued 1ife depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival．

5．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To show the cultural significance of several cities’unique transport systems．   

B．To introduce some old-fashioned means of transport, which are symbols of three tourist cities．

C．To use the old transport symbols to attract more tourists to visit the cities．     

D．To explain why those cities are popular with tourists around the world．

6．Bangkok’s ban on tuk-tuks is unsuccessful due to ________.

A．people’s unawareness of environmental protection

B．tourists’preference for tuk-tuks over taxis

C. the lack of severe punishment for violation

D．1ocals’willingness to take the tuk-tuks   

7．The London double Decker bus is returning mainly because______.

A．it is an improved version     B．The new mayor also loves it

C. it is popular with tourists     D．Londoners fought for it

8．Which example can prove old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?

A．Bangkok city authorities tried to get rid of the cheap tuk-tuks．

B．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election．

C．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker  buses．

D．Only a few cable cars remain in use by tourists in San  Francisco．

9．We can conclude from reading the passage that_______.

A．Tourist cities will lose their charm if their old transport symbols disappear

B．A modern city should get rid of inefficient old transport

C．Old city transport symbols now face the problem of survival

D．The writer is in favor of keeping the old city transport symbols

Answer 1

5.  B。6.  D。7.  D。8.  A。9.  C。

解析:

5.考查作者意图。第一段的内容是提到这三个城市，写作目的就是引出第二段的“They are symbols of these cities that make them different from anywhere else in the world.”，说明这些古式交通工具其实是这些城市的标志。

6.考查事实细节。从第三段“the ban has largely been unsuccessful, as it has not changed Thai people's preference for the inexpensive tuk-tuks over taxis.”可知答案是人们喜欢tuk-tuks导致禁令失败。

7.考查事实细节。伦敦双层巴士的回归，主要原因在于people's willingness to fight for their survival，伦敦人在市长换届选举时，投票使卖掉双层巴士的原市长落选，新市长做出承诺，是伦敦人的抗争才使双层巴士能够回归。

8.考查事实细节。Bangkok city禁止tuk-tuks是因为其噪音大、污染环境，city leaders不喜欢这种交通工具，所以选A。B项伦敦市长的落选证明的是市民喜爱双层巴士；旧金山的cable cars只剩为数不多的几台供游客使用，原因是“They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.”，并不是city leaders的好恶决定它们的命运，而是它们太不实用了。

9.考查推理判断。从这三种城市标志的交通工具的遭遇，我们可以得出结论它们正面临生存问题，it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world，它们还能勉强生存下去靠的是人们对它们的喜爱和保护，但它们的确和现代社会的发展脱节了。作者是在客观地讲述，所以D项与原文的意思不符合；B项也和人们对老式交通工具的喜爱相抵触；A项推论太远，老式交通工具的退出会给游客带来一定得遗憾，但不可能因此城市对游客就失去了吸引力。