Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(一)

　　Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

　　Entertainment in London

　　Buying Books

　　Londoners are great readers. They buy vast numbers of newspapers and magazines and even of books especially paperbacks, which are still comparatively cheap in spite of ever-increasing rises in the costs of printing. They still continue to buy proper books, too, printed on good paper and bound between hard covers.

　　There are many streets in London containing shops which specialize in book-selling. Perhaps the best known of these is Charing Cross Road in the very heart of London. Here bookshops of all sorts and sizes are to be found, from the celebrated one which boasts of being the biggest bookshop in the world to the tiny, dusty little places which seem to have been left over from Dickens time. Many of them specialize in second-hand books, in art books, in foreign books, in books of philosophy, politics or any other of the various subjects about which books may be written. One shop in this area specializes solely in books about ballet!

　　Although it may be the most convenient place for Londoners to buy books, Charing Cross Road is not the cheapest. For the really cheap second-hand volumes, the collector must venture off the busy and crowded roads, to Farringdon Road in the East Central district of London. Here there is nothing so grand as bookshops. Instead, the booksellers come along each morning and tip out their sacks of books on to barrows which line the gutters. And the collectors, some professional and some amateur, who have been waiting for them, pounce towards the sellers. In places like this one can still, occasionally, pick up for a few pence an old volume that may be worth many pounds.

　　Both Charing Cross Road and Farringdon Road are well-known places of the book buyer. Yet all over London there are bookshops, in places not so well known, where the books are equally varied and exciting. It is in the sympathetic atmosphere of such shops that the loyal book buyer feels most at home. In these shops, even the life-long book-browser is frequently rewarded by the accidental discovery of previously unknown delights. One could, in fact, easily spend a lifetime exploring Londons bookshops. There are many less pleasant ways of spending time!

　　Going to the Theatre

　　London is very rich in theatres: there are over forty in the West End alone--more than enough to ensure that there will always be at least two or three shows running to suit every kind taste, whether serious or lighthearted.

　　Some of them are specialist theatres. The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where the great opera singers of the world can be heard, is the home of opera and the Royal Ballet. The London Coliseum now houses the English National Opera Company, which encourages English singers in particular and performs most operas in English at popular prices.

　　Some theatres concentrate on the classics and serious drama, some on light comedy, some on musicals. Most theatres have a personality of their own, from the old, such as the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket, to the more modern such as the recently opened Baibican centre in the city. The National Theatre has three separate theatres in its new building by Waterloo Bridge. At the new Barbican centre the Royal Shakespeare Company has their London hometheir other centre is at Stratford-on-Avon.

　　Most of the old London theatres are concentrated in a very small area, within a stones throw of the Piccadilly and Leicester Square tube stations. As the evening performances normally begin either at seven-thirty or eight p. m., there is a kind of minor rush-hour between seven-fifteen and eight oclock in this district. People stream out of the nearby tube stations, the pavements are crowded, and taxis and private cars maneuver into position as they drop theatre-goers outside the entrance to each theatre. There is another minor rush-hour when the performance finishes. The theatre in London is very popular and it is not always easy to get in to see a successful play.

　　Before World War Ⅱ, theatre performances began later and a visit to the theatre was a more formal occasion. Nowadays very few people dress for the theatre except for first nights or an important performance. The times of performance were put forward during the war and have not been put back. The existing times make the question of eating a rather tricky problem: one has to have either early dinner or late supper. Many restaurants in theatreland ease the situation by catering specially for early or late dinners.

　　Television and the difficulty of financing plays have helped to close many theatres. But it seems that the worst of the situation is now over and that the theatre, after a period of decline, is about to pick up again. Although some quite large provincial towns do not have a professional theatre, there are others, such as Nottingham, Hull, Coventry or Newcastle, which have excellent companies and where a series of plays are performed during one season by a resident group of actors. Some towns such as Chichester or Edinburgh have theatres which give summer seasons. Even in small towns a number of theatres have been built in the last few years to cater for the local population.

　　Music in Britain

　　It is debatable whether the tastes of kings reflect those of their subjects. However, three English monarchs certainly shared their peoples linking for music. Richard Ⅰ, the Lionheart, composed songs that he sang with his musician, Blondel. It is said that when the king was a prisoner in Austria, Blondel found him by singing a song known only to him and the king, who took up the tune in the tower of the castle in which he was secretly imprisoned. Henry VⅢ , notorious for his six wives, was a skilled musician and some of his songs are still known and sung. Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, delighted in singing ballads. The great composer and pianist Felix Mendelssohn was a welcome guest at their court, where he would accompany the Queen and the Prince when they sang.

　　The British love of music is often unfamiliar to foreigners, probably because there are few renowned British composers. The most famous is Henry Purcell , whose opera Dido and Aeneas is a classic. The rousing marching song Lillibulero attributed to Purcell, now used by BBC as an identification signal preceding Overseas Service news bulletins, was said to have sung James Ⅱ out of three kingdoms when he fled from Britain in 1688. Sir Edward Elgar is known for his choral and orchestral works, some of which have been made more widely known by the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Benjamin Britten , a composer with a very personal style, has become world-famous for such operatic works as Peter Grimes and Billy Budd. Ralph Vaughan Williams was deeply influenced by English folk music, as is shown by his variations on the old tune Green-sleeves . In recent years there has been a great revival of folk music, and groups specializing in its performance have sprung up all over Britain. This phenomenon has its roots in the work of Cecil Sharp , who collected folk songs and dances.

　　Present-day concern with music is shown by the existence of something like a hundred summer schools in music, which cater for all grades of musicians, from the mere beginner to the skilled performer. These schools, where a friendly atmosphere reigns, provide courses lasting from a weekend to three or four weeks, and cover a wide range, from medieval and classical music to rock-and-roll and pop. There are also important musical festivals in towns such as Aldeburgh, Bath, and Cheltenham. Pop-music festivals draw thousands of people, especially young people. In the great cities there are resident world-famous orchestras and from all over the world great performers come to play or sing in Britain. In many towns there are brass bands, and the players are often such people as miners or members of the local fire brigade, for music in Britain is not just an elegant interest, it is above all democratic.

　　1. Which of the following do the great readers in London probably buy the least?

　　A) Newspaper

　　B) Magazine

　　C) Paperback

　　D) Hardback

　　2. Chafing Cross Road is very famous because______.

　　A) all kinds of bookstores are along the streets

　　B) it lies right in the center of London

　　C) they have the cheapest books in London

　　D) the biggest bookstore in the world is there

　　3. What can you learn about Farringdon Road?

　　A) Its to the east of London.

　　B) Its a street of bookstores.

　　C) Its a center for second-hand books.

　　D) Its where worthless books are sold.

　　4. What does the author mean by saying some of them are specialist theatres?

　　A) Those theatres only have operas show

　　B) The theatres are especially good for their ballet show

　　C) These theatres offer really affordable ticket

　　D) They each hold a special type of play or show

　　5. Because of the theatre performances, the area around Piccadilly and Leicester Square tube stations gets crowded______.

　　A) before seven-thirty

　　B) between seven and eight

　　C) at about eight oclock

　　D) from seven-fifteen to eight

　　6. What kind of change did World War I1 bring to the theatres?

　　A) The putting forward of dinner

　　B) The costume of the performance

　　C) The time of the performance

　　D) The restaurants nearly offer different food

　　7. What, according to the author, caused the decline of theatre business?

　　A) There are not professional theatres in large provincial towns.

　　B) During World War Ⅱ, a lot of theatres were destroyed.

　　C) Some people begin to choose stay at home and watch TV.

　　D) The performance of the plays is becoming worse and worse.

　　8. According to the author, three music lovers of the royal family members are ________________________

　　9. The British love of music is not known to foreigners for__________________.

　　10. The courses offered by summer school in music where a friendly atmosphere reigns last ________________________

　　原文精译

　　伦敦的娱乐

　　买书

　　伦敦人很爱读书。【1】他们平时买很多报纸，杂志，还有书籍，尤其是平装书，印刷成本日益增高的今天，平装书相对来说比较便宜。他们始终青睐合宜的书，如纸张好的硬皮书。

　　伦敦许多街道的店铺，专卖书。【2】最知名的当属伦敦市中心的Charing Cross Road。在这里你可以找到大大小小、各种各样的书店，有最著名的书店，声称是世界上最大的书店，也有狭小脏乱的小书屋，看起来似乎从Dickens年代遗留下来的。其中很多书店经营二手书，涉及的领域有艺术、国外作品、哲学、政治以及其他五花八门的话题，其中有个书店只卖关于芭蕾的书籍!

　　Charing Cross Road是伦敦人买书最方便的地方，却不是最便宜的。【3】如果想买真正便宜的二手书，买家需要离开繁忙拥挤的街道，到伦敦东区Farringdon Road的探险。这里没有大型的书店，卖书者每天早晨来，把整麻袋书放在推车上，就在贫民区道旁。买家，有业余的，也有专业的，一直在等他们，朝这些卖家奔去。这些地方，偶尔可以用几便士买一本旧书，而其价值可能很多英镑。

　　Charing Cross Road 和 Farringdon Road都是买书的知名地点。但全伦敦都有书店，也许地方不太有名，但书同样多种多样，让人激动。这些书店营造出来的共鸣，让最忠诚的买家感觉很舒服。在这些书店，只是浏览书籍的人也会经常得到意想不到的快乐。事实上，很容易就是在淘书的过程中过完一生。享受时间，很多方式并没有搜书这么有乐趣!

　　去剧院

　　伦敦剧院到处都有：仅仅西区就超过40家，足以保证至少两到三场演出，可满足不同兴趣的观众，或严肃，或轻松。

　　【4】有些是专业剧院，如the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden，它们主演歌剧和皇家芭蕾，这里可以听到世界上最伟大的歌剧演员的演出。英国国家歌剧公司入住伦敦大剧场，鼓励歌剧演员，特别是本土的演员，大部分的歌剧用英语表演，价位符合大众。

　　有些剧院主要上演经典作品和严肃戏剧、轻喜剧、音乐剧。大部分剧院有自己的个性，老剧院如位于海马克特的Theatre Royal，现代剧院如最近刚开的巴比肯。国家剧院在滑铁卢桥旁有三个独立剧院。在伦敦的Barbican中心the Royal Shakespeare Company落了脚，其另一中心在艾冯河畔斯特拉特福。

　　伦敦大部分老剧院都集中在一个小区域，在皮卡迪利大街和莱斯特广场地铁之间。【5】晚间表演一般是晚上7:30或8点开始，这个区在7:15到8点之间会有个小小的高峰期。人们从附近的地铁蜂涌而出，人行道很拥挤，出租车、私家车想方设法停到位，把看剧的人送到剧场的入口处。表演结束后也是个小高峰期。伦敦的剧院很流行，想进去看一场成功的表演并不很容易。

　　二战前，剧院表演开始的要晚一点，去看戏是很正式的一件事。现在，很少有人特意为看戏穿正装，除非是第一次看或表演非常重要。【6】战争期间，表演时间提前，直到现在也保持原样。目前的演出时间让吃饭成为相当棘手的问题：需要早一点吃晚饭或晚间宵夜。剧院附近的饭店提供早一点的晚饭或晚上的夜宵，缓解了这种情况。

　　【7】电视的普及和演出经费拮据致使很多剧院倒闭。但看起来最糟的情况已经结束，萧条一段时间之后，剧院开始复兴。有些大城镇没有专业剧院，但其他一些城镇如诺丁汉、赫尔、考文垂、纽卡斯尔，有很不错的公司，每一季都有一批演员表演一系列的戏剧。有些城镇如奇切斯特、爱丁堡的剧院，夏季会有演出季。即使在小城镇，过去几年内也已建了一批剧院来满足当地人们的需求。

　　英国音乐

　　国王的品味是否反映了臣民的品味，这是值得商榷的。但，【8】下面这三个国王却和自己的臣民共享音乐。理查德一世 ，被称为勇士，谱曲，和乐师布隆德尔一起演唱。据说，他在奥地利坐监时，布隆德尔唱了一首只有他和国王知道的歌曲，国王在秘密囚禁的城堡中听到了这首曲子，由此布隆德尔找到了国王。亨利八世 ，虽因有六个妻子而臭名昭著，却是个优秀的乐师，他的一些曲子至今仍在传唱。维多利亚女王 和丈夫阿尔伯特亲王以唱民谣为乐。伟大的作曲家和钢琴师菲利克斯门德尔松是宫廷中的常客，女王和王子唱歌时，他在伴奏。

　　【9】外国人不很了解英国人对音乐的热爱，可能因为知名的英国作曲家很少。最有名的是亨利普赛尔 ，戏剧《珀赛尔狄多与埃涅阿斯》是个经典。献给普赛尔的进行曲Lillibulero让人振奋，现在BBC把这个音乐用作海外资讯之前，据说唱的是抛弃三个王国的詹姆斯二世，1688年他逃离了英国。爱德华艾尔加爵士 因合唱和管弦乐曲目而知名，其中一些作品因著名的小提琴家耶胡迪梅纽因而更广为人知。本杰明布里顿 ，作曲非常具有个人特色，因戏剧作品《彼得格里姆斯》和《比利巴德》而举世闻名。拉尔夫沃恩威廉姆斯 深受英国民间音乐的影响，比如他对老歌《绿袖子》的改变。近几年，民间音乐复兴开来，全英国都有专业表演组织。这个现象根植于塞西尔夏普 的作品，他收集民间音乐和舞蹈。

　　目前对音乐的关注表现在一百所夏季音乐学校的存在，这些学校满足各个级别的音乐者，从初学者到熟练的表演家。【10】这些学校氛围友好，有的课程只有一个周末，也有课程持续三、四周，音乐种类众多，中世纪音乐、古典音乐、摇滚乐和流行音乐。奥尔德堡，巴斯，切尔腾纳姆等城镇有重要的音乐节，流行音乐节吸引成千上万人，尤其是年轻人。大城市有世界闻名的乐队，来自世界各国的伟大艺术家来英国表演。很多城镇都有军乐队，乐手一般是矿工、当地的消防队员，在英国音乐不仅仅是高雅的，更重要，它是民主的。

　　1. 答案D

　　解析：根据题干，考生可锁定文章的第一段。伦敦人买的最多的是报纸、杂志和平装书，有时也会买硬皮书。但相比较而言，硬皮书买的最少。

　　2. 答案A

　　解析：根据题干中的Chafing Cross Road，考生可锁定文章的第二段。第二段讲到这条街著名的原因在于，买书的人可以在这里找到各种各样的书店。

　　3. 答案C

　　解析：根据题干中的Farringdon Road，考生可锁定文章的第三段。Farringdon Road是二手书的中心，这里没有书店，只有小推车;这里的书并不是没有价值，偶尔几便士买到的书可能价值几百英镑。所以C为正确答案。选项A是个干扰项，Farringdon Road在伦敦东区，并不是在伦敦东边。

　　4. 答案D

　　解析：根据题干中的some of them are specialist theatres，考生可锁定文章的第六段。作者随后举了例子来说明什么是specialist theatres，这些剧院只上演某一类戏剧。

　　5. 答案D

　　解析：根据题干中的Piccadilly and Leicester Square tube stations，考生可锁定文章中的第八段。晚间表演一般在7:30到8点之间，所以从7:15到8点之间交通会有小高峰期。

　　6. 答案C

　　解析：根据题干中的World War II，考生可锁定文章的第九段。二战给表演带来的影响是，演出时间提前了。

　　7. 答案C

　　解析：根据题干中的the decline of theatre business，考生可锁定文章的第十段。段首讲到，电视的普及和演出经费拮据导致剧院生意萧条。

　　8. 答案Richard I, Henry VIII and Queen Victoria

　　解析：根据题干，考生可锁定文章的第十一段。段中提到了三个皇家成员，对音乐非常感兴趣。

　　9. 答案there are few renowned British composers

　　解析：根据题干，考生可锁定文章的第十二段。段首讲到英国音乐不为人知的原因，英国知名的作曲家比较少。

　　10. 答案from a weekend to three or four weeks

　　解析：根据题干，考生可锁定文章的最后一段。课程的时间有长有短，有的仅仅只有周末两天，有的却可持续三、四周。