Rush hour traffic is a problem in many big cities around the world. Commuters(上下班者)rush to and from their jobs in cars, buses, subways, trains, and even on bicycles. Large cities in the United States have two rush hours—one in the morning and one in the evening. But in cities in other parts of the world, there are four rush hours. In Athens and Rome, for example, many workers go home for lunch and a nap. After this midday break, they rush back to their jobs and work for a few more hours.
In Tokyo, there's a big rush hour underground. Most of the people in Tokyo take the subways. The trains are very crowded. Subway employees called packers wear white gloves and help pack the commuters into the trains when the doors close. They make sure that all purses, briefcases, clothes, and hands are inside the trains.
In Seoul, many commuters prefer to take taxis to get to work.. To hail a cab，many people stand at crossroads and raise two fingers. This means they'll pay the cab driver double the usual fare. Some people even raise three fingers! They'll pay three times the normal rate。
Streets in Rome are very crowded with automobiles and mopeds(摩托自行车)during rush hours. The city can't make its streets wider, and it can't build new highways, because it doesn't want to disturb the many historic sites in the city, such as the Forum and the Coliseum. It took the city fifteen years to construct a new subway system. Construction had to stop every time workers found old artifacts and discovered places of interest to archaeologists(考古学家).
In many big cities, there are special lanes on highways for carpools. These are groups of three or more people who drive to and from work together. They share the costs of gas and parking and take turns driving into the city.
Getting to work and getting home can be difficult in many places around the world. Rush hour traffic seems to be a universal problem.
小题1:Big cities have traffic problems during rush hours because there are _______
A．special lanes on highways
B．many commuters
C．four rush hours
D．many cars on the street小题2:Most of the commuters in Tokyo _______
A．take subway trains to work
B．are packers
C．take taxis to work
D．carry briefcases to work小题3:To “hail a cab” means to _______
A．pay double the normal fare
B．try to get a cab
C．prefer to take taxis
D．to stand at crossroads小题4:Commuters in carpools probably_______
A．live in the city
B．take the subway to work
C．save money on gas and parking fees
D．have special license plates(牌照)
小题1:B
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:C
题目分析：
小题1:细节题。第一段第二句Commuters(上下班者)rush to and from their jobs in cars, buses, subways, trains, and even on bicycles.上下班者急于去工作或回家，他们乘坐小汽车，公共汽车，地铁，火车，甚至是骑自行车。因此导致交通拥挤。故选B
小题2:细节题。第二段第二句Most of the people in Tokyo take the subways.在东京大多数人们乘坐地铁。故选A
小题3:推断题。第三段In Seoul, many commuters prefer to take taxis to get to work. To hail a cab，many people stand at crossroads and raise two fingers.在首尔，许多上班族更喜欢乘坐出租车。可知，人们站在十字路口，举起两根手指是为了拦出租车,而并非是为了付双倍的钱。故选B
小题4:细节题。第五段They share the costs of gas and parking and take turns driving into the city.他们分担汽油和停车的费用。故选C
点评：本文不难，文脉清晰，主要讲述了交通拥堵是全球性的问题，并举出了以东京、首尔、罗马等城市的交通状况和人们出行的方式。对于诸如此类的说明文，细节题绝对占多数，只需将题目带到文章中，寻找答案即可。同时为了节省时间可以先看题目，再根据题目来找答案。