第一篇Centers of the Great European CitiesThe centers of the great cities of Europe are meeting places by tradition. People gather there to drink coffee and chat late into the night. a mixture of locals and tourists make for an exciting, metropolitan atmosphere.Squares, plazas (广场) and arcades (拱廊) form the heart of Europe’s cities.Venice in Italy has the Piazza San Marco - a beautiful square surrounded by shops, churches, restaurants and cafés. In Barcelona, Spain, La Bosqueria is a lively market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of goods. London’s Covent Garden is filled with fruit and vegetable stalls by day and musicians, acrobats (杂技演员) and artists by night. The government buildings at the center of many cities often are architecturally impressive. In London, they serve as a beautiful backdrop (背景) to the coffee tables that line the streets and the banks of the Thames.These vibrant (有活力的) hearts are the product of centuries of evolution, social historian Joel Garreau told US News and World Report recently. "The reason people think Venice is so great today is you don’t see all the mistakes," said Garreau. "Those have all been removed." Most European cities were laid out before the invention of the car, so bars, restaurants and cafés were near to people’s homes. Today, the focus of many Europeans’ life has moved away from the centers. They live in the suburbs and outskirts, driving to supermarkets to get their supplies. But on a continent where people treasure convention, there are still those who hold onto traditional ways, living and shopping locally. These people, together with tourists, provide the city centers with their reason for existence.Coffee culture plays a part in keeping these city centers flourishing. This is particularly true of Paris whose citizens are famous enthusiastic conversationalists. This skill is developed over many hours spent chatting over espressos (浓咖啡) and cigarettes.Religion also plays a role in developing sociable atmosphere. People in Roman Catholic countries used to visit the Church on an almost daily basis. Entire communities would gather in the same building and then move out to the markets, cafés and bars in the surrounding streets. An enormous example of this relationship between church and society is the Duomo. The huge marble cathedral in Florence, Italy is surrounded by bakeries and coffee shops, and caters not only to the tourist crowds, but also the local community. Why do people think that Venice is so great.()
A. Because it is a famous tourist attraction
Because you can reach anywhere by boat
C. Because it is well-known for its merchants
D. Because all the mistakes have been removed
第一篇 デパートやスーパーで買物をする。買った品物を、お店の人が紙で包む。そしてビニールの袋に入れる。何枚も何枚も紙やビニールを使うときもある。私たちはそれ(A)があたりまえだと思っている。でも、このたくさんの紙や袋は本当に必要なのだろうか。家へ帰って品物を出したら、ごみ箱の中が紙やビニールでいっぱいになる。 最近、皆でごみを少なくしようという意見が強くなってきた。この包装紙やビニール袋もたくさんのごみになっているそうだ。それでデパートでも、この過剰包装はだんだん少なくなって簡単になった(B)。大きいスーパーでも、いろいろな工夫が始まった。あるスーパーでは、買物をするときに自分で袋を持っていったら、カードにスタンプを押してくれる。そしてスタンプが集まったら、買い物券をくれる。別のスーパーでは、再生紙の袋を使うようになった。また、布で作った買物袋も売るようになった。 私たちが、スーパーなどで、毎月一回「袋はいりません」と言ったら、一年間で数億枚の袋が残るそうだ。一番簡単な環境保護(C)。 下線(A)の「それ」は次のどれを指しているか。
A. デパートやスーパーで買物をすること。
B. 買った品物をお店の人が何枚もの紙やビニールを使って包装してくれること。
C. 家に帰って品物を出してから、紙やビニールをごみ箱に捨てること。
D. ごみを少なくしようという意見。