Think of London and you will probably remember the bright red double-decker buses. Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and the noisy tuk-tuks may come to mind. Think of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars.
Imagining what these cities would look like without those is difficult. They are symbols of these cities that make them different. However, these city symbols are not always so well loved by their city leaders. City leaders want what is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport.
In Bangkok, city leaders have banned(禁止)tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting. However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful as it has not changed Thai people’s love for the cheap tuk-tuks over taxis.
In London the city’s first ever mayor(市长)removed the red double-decker buses, which he thought were old fashioned. His plan worked, but Londoners were unhappy to lose the nice old buses they believed represented the best of their city. They made their unhappiness felt when the mayor came up for re-election. Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back.
As for San Francisco, several cable cars are still in use but mainly as tourist attractions. They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.
City transport symbols may have a place in their city people’s hearts, but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world. As Londoners have proved, their continued life depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival.
小题1: What’s the author’s purpose of writing the first paragraph?
A．To introduce some city transport symbols.
B．To explain why some cities are popular.
C．To talk about modern transport in some cities.
D．To attract more tourists to visit some cities.小题2:The London double-decker bus is returning mainly because .
A．the new mayor loves it
B．Londoners fought for it
C．it is an improved transport
D．it is popular with tourists小题3: Which proves the old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?
A．Only a few cable cars are still in use in San Francisco.
B．Bangkok city leaders tried to remove the cheap tuk-tuks.
C．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election.
D．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker buses.小题4: What can we infer from the passage?
A．Modern cities should remove old city transport symbols.
B．The writer thinks highly of the old city transport symbols.
C．Old city transport symbols face the problem of survival.
D．Tourist cities will lose their attraction without the symbols.
