London Underground

The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At that time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system, was born.

The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot, as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in the first year.

1.. What led the British government to build the London Underground?

A. Traffic jams and pollution

B. Population and pollution

C. Overcrowding and traffic jams

D. The poverty and subway problems

2.. The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “_____”.

A. be troublesome       B. become popular and fashionable

C. keep up with         D. seize

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. To locate the workers’ homes outside London, the government built the subway

B. There were so many problems and delays that in the 18^th century the first subway opened

C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic

D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.

4.. It seems that the writer is going to talk about _____.

A. more problems with subways            B. subways around the world later on

C. the history and culture of London         D. the Beijing subway

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并在答题卡上写上答案。选项中有一项为多余选项。

The people below are all looking for a hotel in Scotland for their holidays. After the description of these people, there is information about six Scotland hotels A-F. Decide which hotel would be most suitable for the people mentioned in questions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter(A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one hotel which you don’t need to use.

________Two women friends who want to do several all-day hikes in the mountains during the spring. They like a place with traditional decorations and wonderful views

 ______A woman with two children aged six and ten, who will spend July in Scotland. The children are interested in animals and plants and the mother enjoys fashions.

 ________A handicapped lawyer who must use a wheelchair but drives her own car. She enjoys concerts, museums, fine architecture and swimming. She will spend the first two weeks of October in Scotland.

__________A writer, a teacher and their one-year-old daughter. They want to be in a quiet place during August. They enjoy good food, and like to take long walks(the baby rides in a back-pack).

_________An old couple, aged 65 and 68. They love mountain scenery and still take easy walks by the lakeside when they can. They hope to enjoy fresh air and some relaxing activities.

A．Edinburgh. Post House

A popular base for visitors to Edinburgh, this fine hotel stands next to the zoological Gardens within easy reach of the many famous sights, shops and entertainments of one of Europe’s most elegant capitals.

B．Gatehouse of Fleet. Cally Hotel

    This impressive hotel, well-known for its good Scottish cooking, is an ideal choice for a relaxing family holiday. Set in 100 acres of private grounds, the Cally, a former stately home, has something for everyone including its own fishing lake, outdoor heated swimming pool, green lawn, tennis court, children’s playground and sauna baths.

C．Glenborrodale. Glenborrodale Castle Hotel

    There can be few better places for a refreshing holiday than this picturesque hotel set in its own 120 acres of beautiful countryside by charming Lake Sunart on the Ardnamurchan Peninsular（半岛）. Boating and fishing are both available here.

D．Inverness. Royal Hotel!   

A unique feature(特点) of the Royal is its fine collection of antique(made in earlier times) furniture, china and glass. This friendly comfortable hotel, a favourite meeting place for the townspeople, is an excellent base for getting to know the Highlands-Lake Ness, Great Gien and Culloden Moor are all within easy reach.

E．Peebles. Tontine Hotel

    The Tontine had a fascinating beginning-it was built in 1808. This homely hotel has been extended to make it a really comfortable base for exploring the Tweed Valley and the attractive Lowland country.

F．North Berwick. Marine Hotel

 Fine hotel overlooks the famous West Links golf course and is close to several sandy beaches. The Marine has its own open-air swimming pool as well as tennis courts, squash courts and saunas. Edinburgh, well-known for its art festivals, is only some 24 miles away.

B
Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注视) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious(潜意识的) level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(进化) to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.
45. This passage is mainly about _______________.
A. the policy of honesty            B. an honesty box to collect money
C. evolution on honesty              D. an experiment on honesty
46. The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers _____________.
A. wanted to get a comparatively more exact result
B. had known they wanted to do something illegally
C. meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues
D. intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price
47. People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because _____________.
A. they want to leave a good impression   B. they fear to be laughed at by others
C. they've got the nature through evolution D. they take the photo for a real pair of eyes
48. Images of a pair of eyes can be applied to all except _____.
A. tickets sales on public transport        B. cold drink sales in public places
C. places with “No spitting!” signs         D. Christmas decorations in one’s home

If I were writing a history of my family, some of the darkest moments recorded would be those surrounding Christmas trees．One would certainly think otherwise；selecting and puRing up our trees have always been filled with risk．For example，one afternoon dangerously close to Christmas Eve my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain，a glorious tree that was so full and tall that we could hardly get it into the house．Once we did，my father immediately realized that we would have to hire a carpenter to build a stand for it．Another December perhaps the very next one，we bought a tree earlier than we ever had before．We were happy with its shape and delighted that its size was manageable．We easily placed it in a stand，decorated it from top to bottom，and then self satisfiedly sat back by the fire in its soft light．Two or three days passed and the truth could not be hidden；we had bought a tree cut so long ago that its needles were coming off．There was nothing to do but undecorate it，take it down，and begin tree shopping again．Our most recent Christmas tree offered still another difficult task．When we brought it home，once again it seemed larger than it was in the great outdoors．I persuaded two young neighbors to stop playing basketball and to help us get the tree into the house and set it correctly in the stand．Unfortunately，no one noticed the mud on our helpers’shoes，so only after removing several reddish brown spots from the carpet were we able to discuss the question of where the lights and ornaments（装饰）were stored．Perhaps those who cut their own trees have tales more painful than these．I don’t care to hear them，as my family’s experiences are enough to cause me to make the following suggestion：”Let’s forget the tree next Christmas．Let’s simply hang some flowers on the front door and over the mirror in the hall．”

The darkest moments in the writer’s family were with the fact that ______．

       A．the family bought big Christmas trees

       B．they had problems decorating their Christmas trees

       C．they had problems picking suitable Christmas trees

       D．they had problems finding carpenters for putting up Christmas trees

We can learn from the passage that the writer would like to ______．

       A．forget about Christmas stories

       B．get the neighbors to put up their trees

       C．buy a better tree to celebrate Christmas

       D．make other decorations rather than Christmas trees

When the writer said”my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain”，he means____．

       A．she bought the tree at a low price         

       B．she didn’t really want to buy it

       C．she had to bargain hard with the salesman  

       D．she couldn’t afford a more expensive one

Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?

       A．How to Select a Christmas Tree         B．No More Christmas Trees for Us

       C．Dark Moments of Life                 D．Christmas Without Trees