Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.

But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.

Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.

Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (經(jīng)紀(jì)行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.

Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.

So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.

There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.

53. We can conclude from the first paragraph that____.

A. traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city

B. traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

C. if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

D. public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

54. According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam?

A. In cities, traffic jam is unavoidable.

B. Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.

C. Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.

D. For a successful city, traffic jam is not unpreventable.

55. By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means____.

A. declining                               B. developing

C. rich and successful                    D. strong and healthy

56. According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true?

A. The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.

B. New York and Los Angeles are the least successful cities in the USA.

C. It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.

D. Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2011-2012學(xué)年廣東省梅州市葉塘中學(xué)高三英語(yǔ)第一次月考試卷 題型:閱讀理解

Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.
But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.
Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (經(jīng)紀(jì)行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.
【小題1】 We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.

A.traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city
B.traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with
C.if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved
D.public officials are always criticized for misusing their power
【小題2】According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam?_____
A.In cities, traffic jam is unavoidable.
B.Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.
C.Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.
D.For a successful city, traffic jam is not unpreventable.
【小題3】By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means_______.
A.decliningB.developing
C.rich and successfulD.strong and healthy
【小題4】 According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true? _____
A. The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.
B. New York and Los Angeles are the most successful cities in the USA.
C. It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.
D. Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.
【小題5】What can we learn from the last paragraph? _______
A.California is as crowded and successful as San Francisco.
B.The traffic jam in San Francisco has resulted in the capital becoming empty.
C.The traffic jam level in Jakarta is lower than that in the US.
D.Traffic jam has caused terrible bad effects in cities such as Bangkok and Lagos.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2013屆安徽省池州一中高三第三次月考英語(yǔ)試卷(帶解析) 題型:寫(xiě)作題

下面這幅圖片描繪的是一幅反映十一黃金周交通堵塞及交通壓力問(wèn)題的場(chǎng)景。請(qǐng)根據(jù)你對(duì)這幅圖片的理解用英語(yǔ)寫(xiě)一篇短文。你的短文應(yīng)包含以下內(nèi)容:
描述圖中所表達(dá)的相關(guān)信息;
分析此現(xiàn)象的原因;
提出你的建議(至少兩條)
注意:
可參用下面文章開(kāi)頭所給提示,你必要地發(fā)揮想象。
詞數(shù)120左右。開(kāi)頭已經(jīng)寫(xiě)好,不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。
作文中不得提及考生所在學(xué)校和本人姓名。
提示詞:高速免費(fèi)政策 toll-free road policy ; 
交通擁堵traffic congestion

On the eight-day national holiday many drivers became victims of traffic jam on main highways. As is shown in the picture,                                         
                                                                                

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2014屆河北邯鄲高三摸底考試英語(yǔ)卷(解析版) 題型:單項(xiàng)填空

Driving along the Congtai Road in the rush hour, you will surely get _______ in the traffic jam.

A. stuck   B. to be stuck   C. to stick   D.sticking

 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2015屆江西省高一第二次月考英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解

Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30 and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door , she nearly tripped over (被絆倒)Sheba.

“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (獸醫(yī)).

When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.

“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”

“Sure.” said the doctor.

Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.

“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately, ”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”

At that moment, a police car screeched (發(fā)出尖銳的聲音)to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.

“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.

“She’s fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now. ”

Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white—faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.

“My God, ” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”

“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat:it turned out to be three human fingers.”

1.What was Joanne supposed to do at 6:30?

A.To walk her dog.                        B.To see her doctor.

C.To attend a club meeting.                 D.To play tennis with her friends.

2.Joanne wanted to get back to her home again __________ .            .

A.to dress up for the meeting                B.to phone the police station

C.to catch the badly hurt burglar             D.to wait for her dog to be cured

3.From the passage, we can infer that________ .          .

A.Sheba fought against the burglar

B.the police found the burglar had broken in

C.Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting

D.the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog

4.In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is _________  .

A.clever            B.friendly           C.frightening         D.devoted

5.The underlined word “a burglar” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A.a(chǎn) cleaner          B.a(chǎn) physician         C.a(chǎn) thief            D.a(chǎn) murderer

 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2014屆山西省高一下學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:單項(xiàng)填空

—You are late again,Tom?

—Sorry,but I got ________a heavy traffic jam.

A.caught in

B.taken in

C.put off

D.held by

 

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