Public transport is declining in the rich world.To those who have to squeeze onto the number 25 bus in London,or the A train in New York,the change might not be noticeable.But public transport is becoming less busy in those places,and passenger numbers are flat or falling in almost every American city.That is despite healthy growth in urban populations and employment.
Although transport agencies blame their unpopularity on things like roadworks and broken signals,it seems more likely that they are being outcompeted.App-based taxi services like Uber and Lyft are more comfortable and convenient than trains or buses.Cycling is nicer than it was,and rental bikes are more widely available.Cars are cheap to buy,thanks to cut-rate loans,and ever cheaper to run.Online shopping,home working and office-sharing mean more people can avoid travelling altogether.
The competition is only likely to grow.More than one laboratory is developing new transport technologies and applications.Silicon Valley invented Uber and,more recently,apps that let people rent electric scooters(滑板車) and then abandon them on the pavement.China created sharing-bicycles and battery-powered "e-bikes",both of which are spreading.
Transport agencies should accept the upstarts,and copy them.Cities tend either to ignore app-based services or to try to push them off the streets.That is understandable,given the rules-are-for-losers attitude of firms like Uber.But it is an error.
It is doubtful that most people make hard distinctions between public and private transport.They just want to get somewhere,and there is a cost in time,money and comfort.An ideal system would let them move across a city for a single payment,transferring from trains to taxis to bicycles as needed.Building a platform to allow that is hard,and requires much sweet-talking of traditional networks as well as technology firms.It is probably the secret to keeping cities moving.
(1)What is the change in public transport in big cities? BB
A.It is becoming busier.
B.It is getting less popular.
C.There are fewer traffic delays.
D.There is more new transport.
(2)In the author's opinion,the reason for the decline of public transport is that DD.
A.there are roadworks and broken signals
B.people are becoming healthier and employed
C.cars and bikes are more and more available
D.transport agencies are seemingly less competitive
(3)How does the author develop his idea in Paragraph 3? AA
A.By giving examples
B.By providing research results
C.By stating arguments
D.By comparing different approaches
(4)According to the text,the key to keeping cities moving is DD.
A.to develop an ideal system that satisfies everyone
B.to build a platform that appeals to transport agencies
C.to provide people with more means of transportation
D.to cater for both traditional networks and technology firms
【考點】社會.
【答案】B;D;A;D
【解答】
【點評】
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發(fā)布:2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷:0引用:2難度:0.5
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1.British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime",remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl.
After dinner,whether dining alone or entertaining guests,Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars,Milky Ways,Maltesers,Kit Kats and much more.
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented.1937 was a big year when Kit Kats (his favorite),Rolos and Smarties (his dog,chopper's favorite) were invented.He wrote a history of chocolate,lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory(熟記),such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene",saying. "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England.All of you should learn these dates instead.Perhaps the Headmistress(女校長)will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school."
According to Dahl,the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937.In 1930,Roald Dahl was 14 years old.He was a student at Repton,a famous boys' boarding school in England.It was a tough environment:those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students.
Ironically(諷刺地),it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion.Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory.Every so often,Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler(樣品)box of new chocolates to taste and grade.They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions.
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight.He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge(軟糖)and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves".
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children.I remembered those little cardboard boxes(紙盒)and the newly invented chocolates inside them,and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
For the record,Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream.He said, "I prefer my chocolate straight."
(1)What's the purpose of the first paragraph?
A.To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl.
B.To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate.
C.To introduce main character's daily life.
D.To introduce some important characters.
(2)What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl?
A.He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly.
B.He has a good knowledge of chocolate,especially its history.
C.He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school.
D.He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate.
(3)What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate?
A.It was a great time for children to get educated.
B.Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate.
C.Students could become chocolate experts then.
D.Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then.
(4)
A.the dream about chocolates.
B.Factories with chocolate and fudge.
C.Those boxes with chocolate.
D.Chocolate cakes and ice cream發(fā)布:2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷:0引用:1難度:0.5 -
2.Recently,a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground.If you're a bookworm,a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user,then it's been an exciting month for you.
Emma Watson,who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard,has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through.
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement,which has a simple aim:to get more people burying themselves in literature.Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up,dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim.
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London.Talking about Watson's participation in the project,the manager of Books On The Under ground,Cornelia Oxley,said, "The reaction has been great.It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma,and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey."
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription(題詞).The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom.
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism(饑荒) as possible.She has also started her own book club.
So.Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train?It could make a stranger's life richer.
(1)What does Books On The Underground aim to do?
A.To get more readers to buy their books.
B.To leave books on trains.
C.To find lucky readers.
D.To get more people to read.
(2)Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement.
B.There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book.
C.To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting.
D.Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books.
(3)What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train?
A.critical
B.indifferent
C.supportive
D.pessimistic發(fā)布:2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷:0引用:1難度:0.5 -
3.It can be really hard to learn a new language.I had always enjoyed learning languages in school,but only recently did I start learning German.I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily,but when it came to literature,I really struggled.That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language.
At first,I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age,but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere.As children,we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures,and from there,we can learn and develop.I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK.I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot.Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story.At first,I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other,but this did not work well.The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter,highlight the new words and then look up the definitions.If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary,you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context.Additionally,a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring.
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child,I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner.However,if you feel a bit more confident reading in English,I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J.K.Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books.
(1)What makes it hard for the author to learn German?
A.The author had a poor memory.
B.The author had no interest in it.
C.The author had no one to ask for help.
D.The author couldn't read books fluently.
(2)What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first?
A.Interesting.
B.Stupid.
C.Helpful.
D.Boring.
(3)What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3?
A.How to deal with new words while reading.
B.Why it is helpful to read children's book at first.
C.How to choose a proper book to match your level.
D.How to form the habit of reading in the target language.
(4)Why does the author write this text?
A.To give tips on how to learn a new language.
B.To persuade the readers to learn a new language.
C.To stress the importance of reading in language learning.
D.To share the author's stories of learning a new language.發(fā)布:2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷:5引用:1難度:0.5