Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr John Evans had never found the time or the money—to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all expenses paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century.“There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling=1/20 pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then，” he said.

During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a whistle stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move

him about if he gets tired.“I don't like the chair business—people will so think I am getting old，” he said.

His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized—no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped, “I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket.”

1.It was reported that Mr Evans's healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his________ .

A. wine drinking         B. proper smoking

C. mild temper           D. sense of humor 

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A.A single trip from Mr Evans's home to the White City used to be ten shillings.

B.The first place for Mr Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament.

C.He appreciated people's arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit.

D.Mr Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century. 

3.The word “quip” in the last sentence most probably means  ________.

A. to make a witty remark          B. to express a happy message

C. to make a wish                 D. to tell a joke 

4.What might be the best title for this passage?

A. 110-Year-Old Tourist           B. Secret for Long and Healthy Life

C. Free Return Ticket             D. Sightseeing in London 

PART FOUR  WRITING (45 points)

SECTIONＡ (10 points)

Direction: Reading the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks with no more than three words for each answer that best fits the passage.

Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things, for example, to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices, schools, etc, and to buy goods from abroad; and only the people of the country can supply the money.

One of the most important taxes is income-tax which a person pays according to the amount of his income, whether he is a merchant, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, a miner or anything else. This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money directly to the government.

Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewelry, new clothes, tobacco, wine, etc, when they are brought into a country. Such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are late sold in shops. We call it “indirect” tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeepers.

People usually complain about(抱怨) having to pay taxes, but they forget that the money is spent on things that they and their families need. We need policemen to catch thieves, to see that men obey the laws, to direct traffic, etc, and they must be paid what they earn; children need education and there must be schools and teachers; we want our streets to be kept clean, and the wages of men who do this kind of work have to be paid. Above all, the country must always be ready to defend itself against attacking enemies, and we can’t have an army without paying for it. Besides, if a country wants to develop, there are many other things to do.

Taxes, therefore, cannot be avoided. We buy our food and clothes and pay for our amusements; but, there are several things that the State finds the money for, and that is necessary for us if our society is to continue. We have no real reason to complain, therefore, when we are asked to supply money to be spent for the good of ourselves and for our fellow-citizens.

Tax is a   71   part of our life

Why must we pay taxes?

⊕The State need the money for our society to   72  .

⊕We supply money for the good of ourselves and   73  .

How do we pay taxes?

⊕  74 

The tax is paid according to one’s   75  .

The tax is paid to the government.

⊕  76 

The tax is paid through   77  .

The tax is paid as part of the price of goods.

Where does tax money go?

⊕To   78   — to keep us safe

⊕To teachers — to   79   the children

⊕To cleaners — to   80   clean

⊕To the army — to defend our country

B
One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wage. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare, say, a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig(钻油机) in the North Sea with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and teacher have is many years of training in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years, when they were studying instead of earning money, should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.
Another factor we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is, regardless of the talents he may bring to it. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling secondhand cars or improving the taste of toothpaste by adding a red stripe to it. Yet it is almost certain that the used car salesman earns more than the nurse, and that research chemist earns more than the school teacher.
Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic(精神的) wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying monotony(单调) of his work. It is significant that that those jobs which are traditionally regarded as “vocations” --- nursing, teaching and the Church, for example --- continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.
Although the amount of money that people earn is in reality largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point for such an investigation would be to try to decide the ratio which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicate by two factors: firstly by the “social wage”, i.e, the welfare benefits which every citizen receives; and secondly, by the taxation system, which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Allowing for these two things, most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities become disillusioned, and might even end up by emigration(移民) (the so-called “brain-drain” is an evidence that this can happen). If it is more, the gap between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead social tensions and ultimately to violence.
74. The professional man, such as the doctor, should be well paid because ______.
A. he has spent several years learning how to do his job
B. his work involves much great intelligence than, say, a bus conductor’s
C. he has to work much harder than most other people
D. he knows more than other people about his subject
75. The “brain-drain” is an evidence that ______.
A. well-educated people are prepared to emigrate whenever they can get a better paid job
B. people with jobs or responsibility expect to be highly paid
C. high taxation is a useful and effective instrument of social justice
D. the poor are generally more patriotic(爱国的) than the rich
76. As far as rewarding people for their work is concerned, the writer, believes that ______.
A. we should pay for socially-useful work, regardless of the person’s talent
B. we should pay people according to their talents
C. market forces will determine how much a person is paid
D. qualified people should be the highest paid
77. The argument of the “psychic wage” is used to explain why ______.
A. people who do socially important work are not always well paid
B. people who do monotonous jobs are highly paid
C. you should not try to compare the pay of different professions
D. some professional people are paid more than others

Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest – fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all – expense – paid birthday treat to the capital he just could not refuse.

He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked.

Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said.

During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr Gareth Wardell.

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair – people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized – no wine, no tobacco and no anger.

Before setting off from Swansea with his 76 – year – old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”

The very reason that Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world is that                .

       A．he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe

       B．he was too busy to go too far away from home

       C．he couldn’t afford both the time and the money

       D．he believed “East or west, home is the best”

Mr Evans didn’t like the wheelchair simply because                 .

       A．he was not used to traveling in it

       B．the wheelchair was of poor quality and not easy to operate

       C．he actually preferred walking to sitting in it at home

       D．he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．Mr Evans had to work hard to raise his family when young.

       B．The trip to London excited Mr Evans very much.

       C．Mr Evans could not really enjoy the trip because of his age.

       D．Humor was one of Mr Evans’ characters.

The probable explanation to Mr Evans’ long life lies in                  .

       A．his good living habits      B．his hard working for the family

       C．his sticking to his hometown   D．his living conditions near the Swansea

Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or the money – to make the trip from his house near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling ="1/20" pound) return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then, “he said.

During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle–stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament (国会).

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair business – people will so think I am getting old,” he said.

His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized–no alcohol, no cigarette and no angry. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket. ”

1.It’s reported that Mr. Evans’s healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his _____.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

3.The word “quip” in the last sentence most probably means _____.

4.What might be the best title for this passage?