There's something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish pried up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.
There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance. The streets were left a mess after hundreds of carnival parades and now, rubbish pries up in both poor and uptown neighbourhoods and in tourist areas like Ipanema or Copacabana beach.
The president of Rio's rubbish collecting company has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible. He says 30% of the city's sweepers have gone on strike. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers' demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk--and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio's residents from littering the streets.
小题1:Rio's street cleaners go on strike to
A．prove their importance
B．threaten the government
C．ask for higher salaries
D．appeal to the public not to litter小题2:The reason why the police are involved is that __
A．the police are called out to put down the riot
B．the police are required to protect some cleaners
C．the police are to collect rubbish for the time being
D．the police are sent to arrest people who litter around小题3:The author's attitude to Brazil's culture of littering is __
A．hopeless
B．approving
C．critical
D．optimistic小题4: The purpose of writing the passage is to __
A．criticize, street sweepers of Rio for misusing their rights
B．call attention to the embarrassing situation of Rio
C．describe the effect or the strike on people
D．inform people of the present situation of Rio
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D
本文主要介绍了巴西首都里约的清洁工在狂欢节以后开始了罢工，要求政府增加他们的工资，同时也介绍了政府对于这一事件的处理。
小题1:C
【试题解析】细节题。根据文章第一段第2行Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries.可知里约的清洁工罢工是因为他们要求更高的工资。故C正确。
小题2:B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第三段最后2行Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.可知一些不愿意罢工的清洁工人被别的人威胁以至于政府要排除警察来保护他们的安全。故B正确。
小题3:C
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章最后一段1,2行But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that.可知culture of littering the streets对于时态的发展并没有什么帮助。可知作者对此持批评的态度。故C正确。
小题4:D
【试题解析】主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了巴西首都里约的清洁工在狂欢节以后开始了罢工，要求政府增加他们的工资，同时也介绍了政府对于这一事件的处理。说明本文主要是告诉我们里约现在的具体情况的。故D正确。
【长难句解析】
1.There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance.
【翻译】不可能有比这更好的时间来证明他们的重要性了。
【分析】本句中考察了形容词比较级的特殊用法，形容词的比较级和否定词连用表示最高级的含义，hardly…better…不可能更好，说明这是最好的。
2. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
【翻译】那些一直在工作的人已经被罢工的人威胁以至于政府已经派出了警察在这些人工作的时候进行保护。
【分析】本句中的have been working是一个现在完成进行时，表示动作从过去开始，一直持续到现在，而且还在发生，强调动作的持续性和反复性。现在完成时更多强调过去动作对现在的影响，和持续到现在。