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Passage One
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker(面包師) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the eginning.
By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall were among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the paths of the fire. With nothing left to burn , the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren ,the architect , wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, and the new St Paul’s is among them.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place : a city for the future and not just of the past.
21. The fire began in ____.
A. a hotel B. the palace
C. Pudding Lane D. Thames Street
22. The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means _____.
A. home B. children
C. wife and husband D. wife and children
23. It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that______.
A. some people lost their lives B. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire
C. many famous buildings were destroyed D. the King’s bakery was burned down
24. Why did the writer cite (引用)Samuel Pepys ?
A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.
B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.
C. To show that poor people suffered most.
D. To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.
25. How was the fire put out according to the text?
A. The King and his soldiers came to help.
B. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.
C. People managed to get enough water from the river.
D. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.
Passage Two
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside of it and to go into their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings. One can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward( 回報,獎賞) of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional (偶爾的) walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.
26. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. People who like country things prefer to live outside the city.
B. People who work in London prefer to live in the country.
C. Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London.
D. Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.
27. One can use the same money for _____ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
A. getting a small flat with a garden
B. having a small flat with a garden
C. renting a small flat without a garden
D. buying a small flat without a garden
28. When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those ____ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
A. who live in the country
B. who have spent time working in the garden
C. who have a garden of their own
D. who have been digging, planting and watering
29.People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that ____ if they had to live it outside London.
A. their life was meaningless B. their life was invaluable
C. they didn’tdeserve a happy life D. they were not worthy of their happy life
30. The underlined word “rest” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
A. the rest time B. the rest people
C. the rest of the country D. the rest of the parks and of the sea
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