48. Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

A. Ninety-five theatres have received funding.

B. Everyone will get at least one free ticket.

C. It may not benefit all the young people.

D. Free tickets are offered once every day.

47. According to the supporters, the plan should ______.

A. benefit the television industry

B. focus on producing better plays

C. help increase the sales of tickets

D. involve all the young people in England

46. Critics of the plan argued that ______.

A. the theatres would be overcrowded

B. it would be a waste of money

C. pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets

D. the government wouldn’t be able to afford it

56. The report from NHTSA suggests that　　　　　 　

A. fewer people were injured in crosswalks　

B. crosswalk safety has been greatly improved　

C. much has been done to reduce traffic accidents　

D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalks remain a serious problem　

答案　 53.B　 54.C　 55.C　 56.D

Passage 10

(09·天津C篇)

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26-funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money-was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.

One theatre source criticized the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”

There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

54. What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?　

A. Fixing more traffic lights　

B. Providing more crosswalks　

C. Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets.　

D. Drivers don’t give way　

53. Which of the following is true according to the text?　

A. Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70　

B. Old people are more likely to meet with accidents happened per hour.　

C. Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people　

D. About seven traffic accidents happened per hour.　

52. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express 　　　　　.　

A. one must be brave to be honest　

B. it’s difficult to be honest when others are not 　

C. one should be honest when making a deposit　

D. honesty in one’s actions can help him in the future　

答案　 49.B　 50.A　 51.D　 52.D　

Passage 9

(09·四川D篇)

Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.　

　 A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared　 with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.　

　 The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) advise that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of　 time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears.　

FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.　

Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006, Bur among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) says.　

51. What does the author expect to show by Jeff’s story?　

A. Honesty the author expect to show by Jeff’s story?　

B. A bad thing can be turned into a good one.　

C. Helping others cheat can do good to nobody.　

D. One should realize the wrong in his bad deeds.　

50. Which of the following can best explain Judy Garland’s words?　

A. Be your true self rather than follow others.　

B. Don’t copy others or you can’t be the first class.　

C. Make efforts to be the first instead of the second.　

D. Don’t learn from others unless they’re excellent.　

49. The underlined part “appear through smoke and mirrors” in the first paragraph means “ 　　　”　　　 　

A. to be honest　

B. to be unreal　

C. to become clear 　

D. to come from an imagined world