III. 閱讀理解

Every city in the world has taxis to take tourists to interesting places. London is the only city in the world where taking a taxi is an interesting experience for tourists. This is partly because of the special black cabs（出租車）, which are found in no other country. But it is also because of the drivers themselves. While British people are famous for being polite and reserved, London taxi drivers are well known of their willingness to talk.

Some customers say that once the door shuts and the cab moves off they are captive audience. It is impossible to get the taxi drivers to stop talking.

“They’re self-confident and free thinking,” says Malcolm Linskey, the author of a history of taxi drivers in London. “They answer to nobody but themselves and that comes across in their conversation.”

They are also expensive. London has the most expensive taxis of any city in the world except Tokyo. That’s why Ken Living-stone, the mayor of London, is planning to make taxi drivers discuss their fares with customers before they take a ride.

Drivers agree that their fares are expensive. That’s because their black taxis cost more than other cars, they say. And the customer is also paying for a more driving expertise than anywhere else in the world.

Before someone can qualify as a London taxi driver, that person has to pass a test known as “The Knowledge”. This involves memorizing the name and location of every street within six miles of a point in the exact center of London. The trainee must also learn the exact location of every important building within these streets. Finally he or she must be able to use this knowledge to work out the shortest distance between any two destinations within this area.

It can take up the three years to pass “The knowledge”. Every day it is possible to see trainee taxi drivers on the streets of London, taking careful notes of popular destinations before finding the route to their next stop. Cab driving is a job often handed down in families. Many taxi drivers take their children out in their spare time to memorize routes they will need to know when it is their turn to do “The Knowledge”.

The effect of this is to make London taxi drivers experts at their job. They also have bigger brains. Recent research by scientists at the Institute of Neurology in London found that the hippocampus—the part of the brain that remembers things—was larger and more developed in cab drivers. They have to fit the whole of London into their heads, so their brains grow bigger.

1．Taking a taxi in London is an interesting experience for tourists because of the following statements except that _______.

   A．the special black cabs can’t be found in other countries

B．the drivers are polite and reserved

C．the drivers are talkative

D．the drivers are self-confident and free thinking

2．Taking a taxi in London is very expensive because _________.

   A．the drivers answer to nobody but themselves

B．the drivers can discuss their fares with customers before the ride

C．the drivers are the most qualified

D．the black cabs are the safest

3．It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

   A．London has the most expensive taxis in the world

B．“The Knowledge”is a test that can be done easily

C．trainee taxi drivers are not often seen on the streets

D．many taxi drivers tend to make their children taxi drivers

4．London cab drivers have bigger brains because _______

   A．they are experts at their job

B．they have many streets and routes in their minds

C．their hippocampus is larger and more developed

D．their heads are bigger 

. I don't know           if she's coming.

A. at certain           B. for certain          C. with certain         D. on certain

第二節(jié)：書面表達（滿分30分）

請根據(jù)以下圖畫，寫一篇英語短文，描述今昔交通方式的變化以及這些變化給人們生活(便利、費用、健康等方面)帶來的影響。(字數(shù)：120 words )

 My money __. I must go to the bank to draw some of my savings out before I’ve __ in hand.

A. has run out ; none                                        B. is running out ; none       

C. has been run out ; nothing                           D. is being run out ; nothing

 Practising Chinese Kung Fu can not only ______ one’s strength, but also develop one’s character.

A. bring up         B. take up            C. build up           D. pull up

任務(wù)型閱讀: The people below are looking for someplace to enjoy some entertainments in Beijing.

After the description of these people, there is information about places A — F. Decide which place

would be the most suitable for the person mentioned in 66 — 70 and write down the correct letter

( A — F ) on your answer sheet. One place is not suitable for all.  

_____ 66. Stephen studies art in Beijing University. He shows great interest in paintings and he is especially interested in those oil paintings that reflect the variety of life.

_____ 67. Mark has just come to China and he is very interested in Chinese culture. He has been waiting for a long time to have a chance to see a wonderful Chinese acrobatic (雜技的) performance in China.

_____ 68. Oscar is a student from Yangzhou University, visiting his friends who share the same interest in music. They are planning to find someplace to enjoy rock and roll and pop songs.

_____ 69. Charles works in Philips Company, Shanghai Branch. He is going to Beijing on business in middle September. He will be free in the evening, so he wants to go to someplace to enjoy some music performed by foreign bands.

_____ 70. Carol studies Chinese in Beijing. She is free recently during the day time, so she would like to find someplace where she can attend some kind of activity so that she can learn some details about Chinese modern literature.

A. Capital Theatre: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills (寒戰(zhàn)) will run down your spine (脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.  Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13 — 19.

B. Huangshicheng Gallery: A group ink pain ting exhibition is running. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display. 

Time:9 a.m.— 5 p.m. until September 10.  

C. The Wangfung Art Gallery: A joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle-aged artists will be hosted by the gallery. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wonderous variety of life in unique styles. 

Time: 9 :30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., daily.

D. Anyuan Museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an indepth study of the development of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949. 

Time: 9 a.m. — 4 p.m., daily.

E. The Olympic Center: "The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring back fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals.

Time: September 16.

F. Grand Theater of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities: La Petite Band, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform as part of activities across the world to commemorate (紀念) the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. 

Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11 — 14.

 After the meeting, she invited us to dinner at her home and treated us ______ delicious food.

A. with             B. for                    C. of                 D. to

 Eliza remembers everything exactly as if it _________ yesterday.

A. was happening     B. happens       C. has happened    D. happened

 It’s good manners _______ .

       A. for Chinese people to open the present as soon as he/she receives it.

       B. for both Chinese and British people to open the presents the moment they receive them.

       C. for both American and British people to open the presents when they get back home.

       D. for both American and British people to open the presents immediately they receive them.

 I wonder what it is that counts when it _____ learning a foreign language.

A. comes to    B. focuses on   C. speaks of    D. deals with