A Christina from Spain

  On the last day of the year, the 31^st of December, people wait till 12 pm. Everybody must have 12 grapes(葡萄) to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a group. But we can’t ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.

B Cordon from Britain

On New Year’s Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o’clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It’s lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the new year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.

C Angela from Brazil

In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year’s Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks(焰火)。We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the New Year.

1.Picture___________ is about paragraph 1.

2.Who have parties on New Year’s Day?

A. People in Spain.   B. People in Britain.

C. People in Brazil.  D. Both B and C.

3.From the 2nd paragraph, we can infer (推断)that___________.

A. People listen to the radio at home.

B. Cordon can’t drink much. 

C. Cordon is a tall man with dark hair.

D. there are no people near Big Ben.

4. On New Year’s Day, Brazilians usually wear white clothes because_________.

      A. that reminds them of their happy life

B. they hope that can bring them good luck

C. they think that they look beautiful in white

D. that’s what they have to do during the New Year

5.This article mainly tells us ________________.

     A. what people in Britain do on New Year’s Day

     B. when and where people have New Year parties

     C. why people in different countries like the New Year

     D. what people around the world do on New Year’s Day

Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish. But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the smaller road to the most popular bar around. He has to be at service of all kinds of passengers at all times.

A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows.

During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments (提神). He said, “I never drink when I’m working --- I would lose my license.”

He usually goes home between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make any money, no one is going to give it to you.”

London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”. Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea --- by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these all go to the “London Taxi for Underprivileged Children”. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市长), and a lunch party is also held in honor of the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the markets, the children go home again --- by taxi, and free of charge (支出), of course!

1.From the first paragraph, we can see that________.

A．highways are developing very fast and there are more and more taxis.

B．it is easy to get to any place of the country now

C．it is fun to travel everywhere in a car

D．the writer wants to tell us that a London taxi driver has many difficulties in his driving

2.It is not easy to be a taxi driver in London because ________.

A．he has to know all the places in the city and serve all kinds of passengers at all the time

B．there is much traffic in London and people there like traveling by taxi

C．he has to follow the bright traffic sighs

D．although he works hard he earns little money

3.The underlined phrase “Underprivileged Children” in the last paragraph is about the children ________.

A. who have little knowledge              B. whose families are poor

C. who will go to sea                     C. who like taking a taxi

4.What is the passage about?

A．Traffic in London.                       B．London taxi for children

C．Taxi divers’ job in London.               D．Drivers disliking taxis in London