Passage B 单项选择 根据短文内容， 从各题的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案，并将其代表字母涂（填）在答题卡（纸）的相应位置。

The taxi plays an important role in Britain. When thinking of London, many image （形象）come to mind: Big Ben, the Ferris Wheel（摩天轮）,red telephone boxes…and black London taxis.

But what is so special about a simple taxi? First of all, in shape and style, a London taxi is very different from an ordinary one. It looks like a half-car and half-van（半厢式货车）. It has plenty of room in the back. That means it's easy for disabled people to use. And the black color makes it special on the road.

Besides, taxi drivers play an important part in your travel. They have to pass a taxi driving test, and in London it is very difficult. As there are many tourists in London, drivers must know many roads by memory.

Apart from（除此之外）driving you to your destination, it is normal for the driver and the passenger to have a conversation. A taxi is a social space which the driver and you share. The image of a London taxi driver is one that friendly and talkactive. Every time I take a taxi, I ask how the driver is. Then we usually talk about sports or news events.

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When you come to Auckland (奥克兰), you will easily find a pub (酒吧)either in small towns or in big cities. In these pubs many different kinds of drinks such as wine, beer, coke, coffee and juice are served. You can find out the local (当地的) culture. However, if you don't know the pub culture, you may lose face or even get into trouble(惹上麻烦).

    Most pubs in Auckland have no waiters, so you have to go to the bar to you're your own drinks. If you don't know this, you may wait a very long time until you know you have to go and get your own drinks. When you are standing in front of the bar waiting for service(服务). you are able to talk with others. The bar is the only place where you can talk freely. But while you are talking with others or talking about what you want to order, you must be careful.

    Remember, you'll never go into the pubs unless you are over 18.

    One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.

    Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. He was a wealthy man who also gave a lot of money to schools and public libraries. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.

    The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.

    In 1986, people realized that Carnegie Hall had never kept proper records of its history. Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall's concert history.

    Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall's history. Question: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Answer: "Practise, practise, practise."

    Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

    Sometimes, the word "green" means young, fresh and growing. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience. In the 15th century, a greenhorn was a young cow or an ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had no experience in war. By the 18th century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

    Someone who is good at growing plants is said to have a green thumb(大拇指). The expression comes from the early 20th century. A person with a green thumb can make plants grow quickly and well. The Green Revolution (绿色革命) is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. It was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

    Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling—jealousy(嫉妒). The green eyed monster is not a dangerous animal from outer space. It is an expression used about 400 years ago by the British writer William Shakespeare in his play Othello. It describes the unpleasant feeling when someone has something he wants.

    In most places in the world, a green light is a signal(信号) to move ahead. In everyday speech, a green light means approval(赞成) to continue with a project.

Did you watch the 19 Asian Games opening ceremony in Hangzhou on September 23rd, 2023? Were you surprised when the final torchbearer (火炬手) Wang Shun and the digital (数字的) torchbearer lit the main torch together?

Sha Xiaolan, the chief producer (总制片人) of the opening ceremony, said, "We've fully integrated (融入) AR and 3D technologies into the opening ceremony. This was probably the greatest integration of technology into something like an opening ceremony of this kind."

The opening ceremony started from the Kongming Lanterns at the beginning. In between, there were shows of the three mascots through 3D technology. And you could enjoy the digital fireworks and digital torchbearer in the end.

"You saw a little of such technologies during the closing ceremony at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. But now we have better techniques and creativity." Sha said. "We integrated these technologies into the ceremony to show that Hangzhou is trying its best to hold environmentally-friendly Asian Games. We were improving and making things better," Sha said. "I think the opening ceremony is beyond our expectations."