Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You only need to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highway and it will take you where you wish to go.
But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver needs to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the loneliest street to the most popular restaurant around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times.
A London taxi driver said the following about his job.
During the night it is usual for him to stop two or three times for some food. He said," I never drink when I am driving, or I would lose my license."
He normally goes home between two and three o'clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That's the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don't make money, no one is gong to give it to you."
London taxi drivers not only "take" but also "give". Every summer hundreds of poor children from London go for a day at the sea-by taxi. Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor(市長(zhǎng)),and a lunch party is also held for the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day's running around the beaches and visiting the market there, the children go home again by taxi, free of charge of course.
【小題1】London taxi drivers try to make more runs sometimes mainly because_______.

 “BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回聲). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and I was on the other side. We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street. The street lights were shining, causing rather a sad feeling.

A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree. But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. I wandered in the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.

I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”

All the lights were off except father’s. Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After an argument he has the habit of creeping up(悄悄地來(lái)到) in my sleep. This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature. With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron(鐵的) door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love—it’s second to none. 

1.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.

a. I opened the door and entered the house.

b. Sadly I ran out into the street.

c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.

d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.

e. I walked about in the street without any aim.

A. b, e, d, c, a        B. b, e, c, d, a             C. b, e, a, c, d        D. b, e, c, a, d

2.What made the writer think of his childhood ?

A. The sight of the street lights.???????????????  

B. The sight of the empty street.

C. The sight of a father with a child in his arms.??

D. The sight of light in his own house.

3. Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?

A. perhaps the father is getting older and older. 

B. perhaps the son has already grown up.

C. perhaps they never agree with each other. 

D. perhaps the father has got used to doing that.

4. According to the passage what does “Love—it’s second to none” mean ?

A. 愛(ài)并沒(méi)有什么??? B. 愛(ài)是第二位的???

C.? 愛(ài)是至高無(wú)上的??? D. 愛(ài)就是沒(méi)什么

5.What conclusion can you come to after reading the passage?

A. The father treats his son in an unfair way. 

B. The father is actually kind to his son.

C. The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. 

D. The father is always finding fault with his son.

“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回聲). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.The street lights were shining, causing rather sad-feeling. I walked around aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits(容許) it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.      
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any moments of regret. However, after an argument he has the habit of tucking me underneath the covers (掖被子) while I am sleeping.
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my face. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love—it’s second to none!

1. 1.

   Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
   a. I opened the door and entered the house.
   b. Sadly I ran out into the street.
   c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
   d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
   e. I walked about in the street without any aim

   1. A.
      b-e-d-c-a
   2. B.
      b-e-c-d-a
   3. C.
      b-e-a-c-d
   4. D.
      b-e-c-a-d
2. 2.

   What made the writer think of his childhood?

   1. A.
      The sight of the street lights
   2. B.
      The sight of the empty street
   3. C.
      The sight of a father with a child in his arms
   4. D.
      The sight of light in his own house
3. 3.

   What can we infer about the reason why the father often shouts at his son?

   1. A.
      The father is getting older and older
   2. B.
      The son has more fashionable opinions than his father
   3. C.
      They usually disagree with each other
   4. D.
      The father has got used to being a leader for long
4. 4.

   What conclusion（結(jié)論）can be drawn after reading the passage?

   1. A.
      The father treats his son in an unfair way
   2. B.
      The father is actually kind to his son
   3. C.
      The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son
   4. D.
      The father is always finding mistakes with his son
5. 5.

   Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

   1. A.
      The Generation Gap
   2. B.
      ASleepless Summer Night
   3. C.
      An Iron Doorinside
   4. D.
      Father’s Love

“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回聲). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and I on the other side.

　 We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.

　 The street lights were shining, causing rather sad-feeling. I wandered aimlessly.

　 A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.

　 But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always puts his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.

　 I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were no people in the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.

　 I thought to myself, “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”

　 In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps. I couldn’t stand his outrageous(蠻橫的)words, “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers?”

　 All the lights were off except father’s.

　 Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret. After an argument he had the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucked me underneath the covers.

　 This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.

　 The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had thought between us did not exist at all. Love—it second to none.

46. Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.

　 a. I opened the door and entered the house.

　 b. Sadly I ran out into the street.

　 c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.

　 d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.

　 e. I walked about in the street without any aim.

A. b, e, d, c, a　　　 B. b, e, c, d, a　　　　　　

C. b, e, a, c, d　　　 D. b, e, c, a, d

47. What made the writer think of his childhood?

　 A. The sight of the street lights.　　　

B. The sight of the empty street.

　 C. The sight of a father with a child in his arms.

　 D. The sight of light in his own house.

48. Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?

　 A. perhaps the father is getting older and older.

B. perhaps the son has already grown up.

　 C. perhaps they never agree with each other.

D. perhaps the father has got used to doing that.

49. According to the passage what does “Love—it’s second to none” mean ?

A. 愛(ài)是至高無(wú)上的 B. 愛(ài)是第二位的　

C. 愛(ài)并沒(méi)有什么 D. 愛(ài)就是沒(méi)什么

50. What conclusion(結(jié)論) can you come to after reading the passage?

　 A. The father treats his son in an unfair way.

B. The father is actually kind to his son.

　 C. The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son.

D. The father is always finding fault with his son.