Whether I’m looking for a good chat with some old Mends or a quiet place to meet a colleague, the pub will be the place I always choose.

I could, of course, go to a bar. But a pub, I always find, is far more comfortable and has a more relaxed atmosphere.

Many people in the UK also have a favorite pub at the end of the road where they live or nearby to where they work. I can almost always guarantee that I’ll bump into someone I know at my “local”, as we British call our nearest pub.

In fact, many people from the UK say that the pub is a cornerstone (基础) of British life. Coming together over a drink, usually of beer, is generally con­sidered the best way to catch up with friends. For those who are a little reserved (内向的), as the British sometimes are, it’s the best way to open up and get chatting.

However, this habit is slowly changing among some British people. According to a survey completed in August by UK trade magazine The Publican, eating, rather than drinking, has become the main source of income for our 52,000 pubs.

The gastropub (美食酒吧), with its greater emphasis on food, is primarily responsible. All over the country, this more expensive type of pub has been springing up, providing a place for more formal meetings with business partners. Wine is often drunk instead of the traditional beer.

But not everyone’s happy. Many people hate the fact that some local pubs are closing because new gastropubs are proving more profitable. “Beer sales are sinking and many pubs are struggling to survive,” Rob Haward, of the British Beer and Pub Association, told UK newspaper The Daily Mail.

For my part, I’m going to do all I can to keep the local British pub alive. It will be the first place I visit when I go back home.

1..   The article is mainly about         .

A. the British pub losing popularity             B. the author’s love of pubs

C. how the British socialize                     D. the local British pub

2..  Many British people say that the pub is a cornerstone of British life because         .

A. it is nearby and convenient

B. it is a great place for meeting friends

C. it is far more comfortable than a bar to have a drink

D. it is easy to bump into people they know in a pub ,

3..  From the text, we can conclude that gastropubs         .

A. will replace the local pubs

B. attach more importance to drinks

C. are somewhere between a restaurant and a bar

D. attract beer lovers as well as wine lovers

4..   Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A. The author is in favor of gastropubs.

B. Wine is thought to show one’s class and taste.

C. British people do not go to pubs as often as be­fore.

D. Local pubs are being seriously affected by gastropubs.

C
On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called a stewardess (女乘务员) over to complain about her seating.
“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the stewardess. “Can’t you see?” she said, “You’ve sat me next to a kafir（异教徒）. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting man. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do — I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”
The woman cocked a snooty look at the black man beside her.
A few minutes later the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who could not help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin. “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is the most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous（令人不能容忍的） that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious（讨厌的） person.” Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”
At that point, the surrounding passengers stood up and gave an ovation（喝彩） while the black man walked up to the front of the plane.
64. Why did the middle-aged lady complain about her seating?
A. Because her seat was not near a window.
B. Because she sat next to a black man.
C. Because she wanted to have a seat in first class.
D. Because the stewardess didn’t answer her question.
65. The underlined words “an obnoxious person” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. the middle-aged lady              B. the black man
C. the stewardess                         D. the captain
66. From the passage we can infer that _________.
A. the middle-aged lady got a seat in first class
B. both the middle-aged lady and the black man got seats in first class
C. neither the middle-aged lady nor the black man got a seat in first class
D. the black man got a seat in first class
67. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. The white people always prefer seats in first class on a plane.
B. More and more passengers travel by plane.
C. The black people are still looked down upon by some whites.
D. Only whites are served well on a plane.

Whether I’m looking for a good chat with some old Mends or a quiet place to meet a colleague, the pub will be the place I always choose.
I could, of course, go to a bar. But a pub, I always find, is far more comfortable and has a more relaxed atmosphere.
Many people in the UK also have a favorite pub at the end of the road where they live or nearby to where they work. I can almost always guarantee that I’ll bump into someone I know at my “local”, as we British call our nearest pub.
In fact, many people from the UK say that the pub is a cornerstone (基础) of British life. Coming together over a drink, usually of beer, is generally con­sidered the best way to catch up with friends. For those who are a little reserved (内向的), as the British sometimes are, it’s the best way to open up and get chatting.
However, this habit is slowly changing among some British people. According to a survey completed in August by UK trade magazine The Publican, eating, rather than drinking, has become the main source of income for our 52,000 pubs.
The gastropub (美食酒吧), with its greater emphasis on food, is primarily responsible. All over the country, this more expensive type of pub has been springing up, providing a place for more formal meetings with business partners. Wine is often drunk instead of the traditional beer.
But not everyone’s happy. Many people hate the fact that some local pubs are closing because new gastropubs are proving more profitable. “Beer sales are sinking and many pubs are struggling to survive,” Rob Haward, of the British Beer and Pub Association, told UK newspaper The Daily Mail.
For my part, I’m going to do all I can to keep the local British pub alive. It will be the first place I visit when I go back home.
【小题1】.  The article is mainly about         .

One day, a farmer’s donkey fell into a dried up well. The animal cried   16  for hours as the farmer tried to  17  what to do. Finally, he decided that the animal was  18  , the well needed to be covered up, and  19   the donkey just wasn’t worth the  20  , so he invited his neighbors to  21   and help him bury the donkey in the well. They all held shovels (铲) and begin to shovel  22   into the well. At first, the donkey  23   what was happing and  24   cried pitifully. Then, to everyone’s  25  , he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked  26   into the well and was  27   at what he saw.  28   each shovel load of dirt that hit his back, the donkey  29   something surprising. He shook it off and took a step up! As the farmer’s neighbors  30   to shovel dirt  31   the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. The donkey stepped  32   over the edge of the well! As with the donkey,  33   is going to shovel dirt  34   you, all kinds of dirt. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, by never giving 35  .

1.A. happily           B. hardly        C. sadly           D. greatly

2.A. carry out        B. think out         C. leave out       D. watch out

3.A. young             B. small           C. old     D. large

4.A. rescuing         B. killing         C. selling        D. buying

5.A. money            B. effort         C. praise         D. time

6.A. come around     B. come over    C. come down   D. come to

7.A. stone     B. earth          C. dirt             D. soil

8.A. realized          B. found         C. heard         D. saw

9.A. again     B. ever           C. never         D. once

10.A. joy       B. amazement    C. disappoint ment    D. excitement

11.A. off       B. down          C. up      D. over

12.A. astonished        B. sorry         C. worried D. angry

13.A. With             B. As      C. For              D. On

14.A. did       B. had             C. made          D. considered

15.A. began          B. stopped C. started      D. con tinued

16.A. at the top of     B. on top of       C. at the foot ofD. in front of

17.A. luckily          B. successfullyC. hard               D. easily

18.A. life       B. world         C. time             D. work

19.A. off     B. on      C. up               D. down

20.A. up       B. away           C. in      D. out

 (山东诸城等四县市2008年高考适应性训练C篇)

Restaurants in Europe，the United States and Japan are testing technology to let diners older their food direct from a semen at their table instead of depending on a fellow human being to note their choice．

      Besides cutting costs，companies that sell the “e-menu” argue the bytes-for-bites approach has a novelty(有新意的)value that can lure younger customers，and various photographs of steaks and gooey desserts tempt diners to order more．It also could extend the TV dinner．How about a computer-game dinner?

      “It's about impulse-buying．” said Adi Chitayat，Conceptie's chief executive．“If a person starts looking at pictures of chocolate cake，the chances are he'll order it．” Frame，a trendy sushi restaurant in Tel Aviv which has installed the system，said sales on tables with the e-menu have increased by about 11 percent．Customers often call ahead to reserve spots equipped with the screens，manager Natalie Edry told Reuters．

    At one of the e-menu tables，information technology worker Gil Uriel and his young family were enthusiastic as they checked out pictures of the dishes on offer and squabbled over desserts．“It's more visual．” said Uriel，as his children clicked away furiously on a games function between courses．“We can still choose，we con still argue—but it's much easier when you call all see it．”

66．The following are the advantages mentioned of “restaurants with e-menus” except that      

      A．customers can see die picture of their ordered foods

      B．they can attract more customers to the restaurants

      C．the restaurants save much cost

      D．eating in them is more comfortable

67．The underlined word “impulse-buying” means       ．

      A．having no patience to buy things

      B．having no idea in purchasing

      C．being encouraged to buy things

      D．being uninterested in purchase

68．According to the last paragraph，we know that       ．

    A．this kind of restaurants are popular among customers

    B．it still takes time for e-menus to be widely accepted

    C．customers show little interest in the e-menus

    D．e-menus only attracts a small number of customers

69．The best title of this passage might be      

      A．Modern Restaurants                         B．Restaurants Try E-menus

      C．Great Changes in Restaurants                   D．A New Attraction

70．This passage might be taken from      

      A．food guide           B．Traveling magazine    C．Advertisement    D．Website