Question

Bright red post boxes, the Queen and queuing—what do they all have in common? They are all important parts of British life. At least I thought so.

However, the ability to queue for long periods of time, once believed to be a traditional characteristic of the British, is no longer tolerated by people in the UK, according to a survey done for British bank Barclays.

Once upon a time, queuing was seen as normal. During World War II, everyone had to queue up to receive their daily supply of foods. In fact, if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized(不文明的)．

The famous English double­decker buses, with only one entrance, might also help explain why queuing was seen as a part of British line. Almost always, there is a queue to get on.

But perhaps the British are tired of being pushed past by the Spanish, the Italians or the French as they queue up to get a table at a restaurant. The people of these other European countries have more than one entrance to their houses, which explains their more relaxed attitude to the queue.

Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait. But could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out tasks quickly, is the main reason why British people are no longer prepared to queue?

“Used to buying without delay, customers are even giving up purchases rather than wait their turn，” says Stuart Neal of Barclaycard. “Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long if the item they are buying is of low value.”

Perhaps I will have to replace “queuing” with “impatience” in my list of things I relate to the British.

1.What can we learn about the tradition of queuing in Britain?

A. It was a product of the slow pace of life.

B. It was a long time tradition as old as the Queen.

C. It was considered a symbol of a civilized behavior.

D. It has made the British different from other Europeans.

2.According to the passage, the British gradually stopped queuing because___.

A. they prefer shopping online

B. they follow the example of foreigners

C. British buses have more than one entrance

D. the Internet has changed their way of life

3.It can be learned from the text that________.

A. the British get impatient with queuing for long

B. the British have to queue to receive food

C. the British like to eat in foreign restaurants

D. the British prefer to take double­decker buses

4.The author's main purpose of writing the passage is______.

A．to tell us the influence of the Internet on the British ways of life

B．to compare the cultural difference between Britain and other countries

C．to talk about the changes in the attitude to queuing in Britain

D．to report his research on the British ways of life

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：英国人一向以绅士风度而著称，排队等候也曾一度是英国特有的景象。然而随着高科技的发展，网络的便捷却使英国人渐渐失去了耐心，有时候顾客宁愿放弃购买的东西也不愿意排队等候，他们最长的等候时间是两分钟。

1. C细节题。推理判断题。文章第三段介绍if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.如果人们不排队，那么会被看作是不文明的，由此推断在英国排队等候是文明行为。

2. it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out…..，然后再根据文章倒数第二段Used to buying without delay，推断人们习惯了网上购物的便捷，因此在生活中对排队等候这种事情变得不再有耐心，因此可以说是网络改变了人们的生活方式。

3. A细节理解题。根据文章倒数第三段Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait，和倒数第二段Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long …..."可知英国人对长时间排队已经变得不再有耐心。

4.

考点：考查日常生活类阅读