2001年12月大学英语四级考试真题与答案_第18页

　　51TestIn Britain, if you are found guilty of a crime, you can be sent to prison or be fined or be ordered to do community work such as tidying public places and helping the old. You may also be sent to special centers when you learn special skills like cooking, writing and car maintenance. About 5 percent of the present population are women. Many prisons were built over one hundred years ago. But the government will have built 11 new prisons by next year. There are two sorts of prisons. The open sort and the closed sort. In the closed sort, prisoners are given very little freedom. They spend three to ten hours outside their cells when they exercise, eat, study, learn skills, watch TV and talk to other prisoners. All prisoners are expected to work. Most of them are paid for what they do, whether it is doing maintenance or cooking and cleaning. Prisoners in open prisons are locked up at night, but for the rest of the time, they are free within the prison grounds. They can exercise, have visitors, or study. And some are allowed out of the ground to study or to do community work.

　　14.What do we know about women prisoners in Britain?

　　15.In what way are open prisons different from closed prisons?

　　16.What do we learn about prisoners in Britain?

　　Passage 3

　　51TestLondon taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. No matter how small or indistinct the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble. The reason London taxi drivers are so efficient is that they all have gone through a very tough training period to get special taxi driving license. During this period, which can take two to four years, the would-be taxi driver has to learn the most direct route to every single road and to every important building in London. To achieve this, most learners go around the city on small motorbikes practicing how to move to and from different points of the city. Learner taxi drivers are tested several times during the training period by government officers. The exams are terrible experience. The officers ask you "How do you get from Birmingham palace to the Tower of London?" and you have to take them there in the direct line. When you get to the tower, they won't say "well done". They will quickly move on to the next question. After five or six questions, they will just say "See you in two months' time." and then you know the exam is over. Learner drivers are not allowed to work and earn money as drivers. Therefore, many of them keep their previous jobs until they have obtained the license. The training can cost quite a lot, because learners have to pay for their own expenses on the tests and the medical exam.

　　17.Why are London taxi drivers very efficient?

　　18.How long does the training period last?

　　19.Why does the speaker think the driving test is a terrible experience?

　　20.Why do learner drivers have to keep their present jobs?