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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    From March 12 to 17 of each year, hundreds of clowns(小丑)get together in the Bonior Regis Town, UK. They all wear tall blue hats and big red noses with colorful faces.

    The first International Clown Festival was in 1987, UK. All the clowns from all over the world came together to celebrate the great festival in England.

    During the festival, people can see clowns from the world. They are together for the world of clown shows. They try their best to please all the people for the festival. In the shows, they have big feet, funny noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people laugh. All people for the festival can have great fun. Of course, children like this interesting festival best.

    Now women can take part in the clown shows, and they are very popular. But in the old days, only men could be clowns.

    There are different kinds of clowns like white faces, red faces, street clowns and clowns for children. All these clowns are popular with people.

    When you hear people talk about Washington D. C.，you may want to know what the letters“D. C.”mean. They mean“District of Columbia(哥伦比亚区)”. Washington D. C. is the capital of the U. S. It's in the District of Columbia，not in the state of Washington. Washington state is on the northwest coast，far from the capital city.

    Washington D. C. is about 220 miles south of New York City. Americans named the capital city after George Washington to remember the famous president. George Washington's home is not far from the city. His home was a simple white country house and it is kept as it was when he lived there. Every year a lot of Americans from all parts of the country take their children to this famous house where“the father of America” once lived.

"Sha Tou" won the first gold medal in the Olympic table tennis events

At the table tennis mixed doubles final of this Paris Olympic Games, Chinese pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, the "Sha Tou" combination, beat the North Korean team with a score of 4 to 2. It is China's first Olympic gold medal in the table tennis mixed doubles, and also the first gold medal in the table tennis events of these Paris Olympics.Having won almost every major prize together, including two mixed doubles world championship titles in 2021 and 2023, Wang and Sun expected their first Olympic gold together as a special one, particularly following Team China's final loss to host Japan in the mixed event's Olympic debut (首次登台) in Tokyo in 2021.

Black Myth: Wukong: the cultural meaning and global influence

    The Chinese game Black Myth: Wukong was put into the market on Tuesday. Within just a few hours of its launch, it topped the best-selling list in 29 countries and regions on the Internet, with more than 11 million online players at the same time. The game's presentation of Chinese culture has not only impressed Chinese players but also attracted a large number of foreign players. As a result, many International gamers are now reading the original book Journey to the West as a "required course" before experiencing the game. 

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Self-driving cars, commonly called robotaxis, are being used at lower prices in Wuhan. It has ambitions(雄心) to become the world's first driverless city.

 "You'll never have to buy a car," a passenger inside one of the white robotaxi said in a video that has been watched over 80 million times on Weibo since last week. 

But the rapid development of the driverless taxis has rattled (-to make someone feel nervous or angry.)And there have also been complaints about traffic jams(交通堵塞).