Question

Bright red post boxes, the Queen and queuing—what do they all have in common? They are all important parts of British life. At least I thought so.

     However, the ability to queue for long periods of time, once believed to be a traditional characteristic of the British, is no longer tolerated by people in the UK, according to a survey done for British bank Barclays.

     Once upon a time, queuing was seen as normal. During World WarⅡ, everyone had to queue up to receive their daily supply of foods. In fact, if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.

     The famous English double-decker buses, with only one entrance, might also help explain why queuing was seen as a part of British life. Almost always, there is queue to get on. www.zxxk.com

     But perhaps the British are tired of being pushed past by the Spanish, the Italians or the French as they queue up to get a table at a restaurant. The people of these other European countries have more than one entrance to their buses, which explains their more relaxed attitude to the queue.

     Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait. But could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out tasks quickly, is the main reason why British people are no longer prepared to queue?

     "Used to buying without delay, customers are even giving up purchases rather than wait their turn," says Stuart Neal of Barclaycard. "Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long if the item they are buying is of low value."

     Perhaps I will have to replace "queuing" with "impatience" in my list of things I relate to the British. 

1. What can we learn about the tradition of queuing in Britain? 

A. It was considered a symbol of a civilized behavior.

B. It was a long time tradition as old as the Queen.

C. It was a product of the slow pace of life.

D. It has made the Britain different from other Europeans. 

2. According to the passage, the British gradually stopped queuing because ______.

A. they prefer shopping online

B. the Internet has changed their way of life

C. what they are buying is of low value

D. they follow the example of foreigners

3. It can be learned from the text that ______. 

A. the British used to buy without delay

B. the British have to queue to receive food

C. the British get impatient with queuing for long

D. the British prefer to take double-decker buses 

4.The author's main purpose of writing the passage is _______.

A. to tell us the influence of the Internet on the British ways of life

B. to compare the cultural difference between Britain and other countries

C. to report his research on the British ways of life

D. to talk about the changes in the attitude to queuing in Britain 

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：英国人一向以绅士风度而著称，排队等候也曾一度是英国特有的景象。然而随着高科技的发展，网络的便捷却使英国人渐渐失去了耐心，有时候顾客宁愿放弃购买的东西也不愿意排队等候，他们最长的等候时间是两分钟。

1.A推理判断题。文章第三段介绍if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.如果人们不排队，那么会被看作是不文明的，由此推断在英国排队等候是文明行为，故答案选A。

2.B推理判断题。作者在文章倒数第三段提出could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out…..，然后再根据文章倒数第二段Used to buying without delay，推断人们习惯了网上购物的便捷，因此在生活中对排队等候这种事情变得不再有耐心，因此可以说是网络改变了人们的生活方式，所以B选项正确。

3.C细节理解题。根据文章倒数第三段Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait，和倒数第二段Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long …..."可知英国人对长时间排队已经变得不再有耐心，所以C选项正确。

4.D推理判断题。作者在文章开头提出queuing和女王一样是英国典型的一种现象，然后在第二段话题一转，提到原属于英国人传统的这一特点却不复存在了，然后对这种变化展开分析，最后用Perhaps I will have to replace "queuing" with "impatience" in my list of things I relate to the British.来照应开头，起到首尾呼应的作用，由此可知文章中心内容就是谈论英国人对于排队等候态度的转变，故答案选D。

考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读。