单县一中高二英语4月周末测试 (pdf版,有音频及文字材料)

文档属性

名称 单县一中高二英语4月周末测试 (pdf版,有音频及文字材料)
格式 zip
文件大小 19.7MB
资源类型 教案
版本资源 人教版(新课程标准)
科目 英语
更新时间 2020-04-05 19:24:43

文档简介

第 1页 共 11页
高二英语周末测试(七)
2020.4. 4
本试卷分第 I卷和第 II卷两部分,共 12页。满分 125分。考试限定用时 90分钟。
第 I卷
第一部分 听力(共两节,满分 30分)
做题时,先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后,你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上
的答 案转涂到答题卡上。
第一节(共 5小题;每小题 1. 5分,满分 7. 5分)
听下面 5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题,从题中所给的 A、B、C三个选项中
选出最 佳选项,并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后,你都有 10秒钟的时间来
回答有关小 题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。
1. What is the woman doing?
A. Buying a handbag.
B. Trying on a piece of clothing.
C. Drawing a picture of the countryside.
2. What is the possible relationship between the speakers?
A. Family members. B. Classmates. C. Co-workers.
3. What is the man angry about?
A. Telephoning while driving.
B. Some women drivers.
C. Traffic lights.
4. What does the woman mean?
A. She will choose the man.
B. The man was late in asking.
C. She may run for the position.
5. What does the woman want the man to do?
A. Set up a museum.
B. Start doing exercise.
C. Stop buying cameras.
第二节(共 15小题;每小题 1.5分,满分 22.5分)
听下面 5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三
个选项中选出最佳选项,并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前,你将有时
第 2页 共 11页
间阅读各个小题,每小题 5秒钟;听完后,各小题将给出 5秒钟的作答时间。每段
对话或独白读两遍。
听第 6 段材料,回答第 6、7 题。
6. How will the man’s brother go to South America?
A. By ship. B. By plane. C. By train.
7. What will the man probably buy for his brother?
A. A toothbrush. B. A silk tie. C. A clock.
听第 7段材料,回答第 8至 10题。
8. Where is Rick working now?
A. In a travel company. B. In a hotel. C. In a law office.
9. How does Rick feel about his trip?
A. Excited. B. Curious. C. Nervous.
10. When will Rick leave?
A. In three days. B. In a week. C. In a month.
听第 8 段材料,回答第 11 至 13 题。
11. What do we know about the grandmother?
A. She lives by herself.
B. She’s as healthy as before.
C. She often does some cleaning.
12. How long has the grandmother lived in Kentucky?
A. Since her husband died.
B. Since she was married.
C. Since her son moved away.
13. What does the grandmother enjoy about her present life?
A. Being busy with housework.
B. Being with relatives.
C. Being with friends.
听第 9 段材料,回答第 14 至 17 题。
14. What was the woman talking about at the beginning of the conversation?
A. Her story of completing a task.
B. Her experience of being lost.
C. Her trip abroad.
15. What did the man do in the bar in Germany?
A. Met his friends.
B. Attended a lecture.
C. Gave a performance.
第 3页 共 11页
16. How did the man find his way back to the bar?
A. By following a man.
B. By looking at a map.
C. By asking an old woman.
17. What do we know about the man?
A. He cannot stand the noise in the bar.
B. He doesn’t like to wear T-shirts.
C. He doesn’t speak German.
听第 10 段材料,回答第 18 至 20 题。
18. Who is the speaker?
A. A radio announcer. B. A police officer. C . A taxi driver.
19. What makes driving a taxi a hard job in London?
A. Bad traffic.
B. Confusing street names.
C. Large population in London.
20. What will the speaker probably do if he’s stuck on the road?
A. Have a map ready.
B. Be understanding.
C. Change directions.
第二部分 阅读(共两节,满分 50分)
第一节(共 15小题;每小题 2. 5分,满分 37. 5分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的 A、B、C和 D四个选项中,选岀最佳选项。
A
Maple Leaf Educational Systems
The Maple leaf Model of International Education
Offering Canadian and Chinese high school graduation diplomas
English and Chinese language skill development with certified ESL and CSL
instructors
Preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school programs
Blending the innovative and enquiry-based western educational model with the
culturally rich and disciplined traditional Chinese educational model, preparing students
to meet the challenges of living and working in an internationally diverse society
Preparing academically motivated students for worldwide university studies
Now accepting applications for the 2021 school year
Accredited by the Ministry of Education British Columba Canada and Chinese
Provincial Education Department
For information: call 4006556857 / Email: international@mapleleaf.net.cn / www
第 4页 共 11页
mapleleafschool.com
Dalian---Wuhan---Tianjin---Chongqing---Zhenjiang---Luoyang---Ordos---Shanghai
21. What can you expect from the Maple Leaf Model?
A. Top professors from around the world.
B. Studying in overseas high schools.
C. The development of both Chinese and English language skills.
D. Living and working in an international environment.
22. Which of the following is NOT suggested as a way of contact?
A. Calling 4006556877.
B. Contacting the offices in different cities.
C. E-mailing international@mapleleaf.net.cn.
D. Visiting www.mapleleafschools.com.
23. From the advertisement, we can conclude that the Maple Leaf Model of International
Education now has ______.
A. 7 branches in China B. 8 branches in China
C. 9 branches in China D. 10 branches in China
B
After a few moments, my passenger started a conversation. It began ordinarily
enough: “How do you like driving a cab?”
“It’s OK,” I said. “I make a living and meet interesting people sometimes. How about
you?”
His reply intrigued me. “I would not change jobs even if I could make twice as much
money doing something else.”
I’d never heard that before. “What do you do?”
“I’m in the neurology (神经学) department at New York Hospital.”
I believe that people are put together for a reason. I decided to ask for this man’s help.
We were not far from the airport.
“Could I ask a big favor of you? I have a son, 15, a good kid. He wants a job, but a
15-year-old can’t get hired unless his old man knows someone who owns a business, and I
don’t.” I paused. “Is there any possibility that you could get him some kind of a summer
job?”
He didn’t respond for a while. Finally, he said: “Well, the medical students have a
summer research project. Maybe he could fit in. Have him send me his school record.”
I tore off a piece of my brown lunch bag, and he scribbled his name on it and paid me.
It was the last time I ever saw him.
After I nagged (唠叨), yelled, and finally threatened to cut off his allowance (零用钱),
第 5页 共 11页
my son Robbie sent off his grades to the guy the next morning.
Two weeks later, when I arrived home from work, my son was beaming (眉开眼笑).
He handed me a letter from my passenger, “Fred Plum, MD, Neurologist-in-Chief, New
York Hospital”. Robbie was to call my passenger’s secretary for an interview.
Robbie got the job. He did minor tasks, unpaid, but he fit in well. The following
summer, he worked at the hospital again with more responsibility. As high school
graduation neared, Dr Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation for
Robbie. Much to our delight, he was accepted by Brown University.
Robbie did well in college and medical school, and he eventually did a four-year
residency (住院医生实习期) in obstetrics and gynecology (妇产科). Finally, Dr Robert
Stern, the son of a taxicab driver, became OB-GYN chief resident at
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
Some might call it fate, and I guess it was. But it shows that something as ordinary as
a taxi ride can change your life.
24. What does the underlined word “intrigued” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Confused. B. Benefited. C. Interested. D. Challenged.
25. After the author got the passenger’s name, he ______.
A. found that his son got the summer job immediately
B. had difficulty persuading his son to send his school record
C. found his son wasn’t interested in getting a summer job
D. asked for his help more than once
26. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. The small summer job led to Robbie’s career.
B. The author loves his job and devotes himself to it.
C. Robbie was very eager to work at New York Hospital.
D. Dr. Plum promised to help the author without hesitation.
27. From the article, we can conclude that the author ______.
A. often asked his passengers for favors
B. often forced his opinions on his son
C. tried to do what he could for his son
D. taught his son by example
C
Overhearing a one-sided cell phone call is more distracting than eavesdropping on
both sides of a conversation, a new study finds.
“People find cell phone conversations annoying – survey results indicate that up to 82
第 6页 共 11页
percent of people do,” Veronica Galván, a cognitive (认知的 ) psychologist at the
University of San Diego, told Tech News Daily. “We were curious to see what cognitive
effects overhearing cell phone conversations might have, since they are now so pervasive
in everyday life.”
To see how precisely cell phone chatter might distract people, Galván and her team
had about 150 volunteers complete a task where they had to unscramble letters to form
words – for instance, rearrange “suohe” to form “house”. As the volunteers performed the
task, the scientists carried out a conversation in the background that volunteers were
unaware was part of the study. Half the volunteers overheard one side of a chat carried out
on a cell phone, while the rest overheard the conversation as a discussion between two
people in the room with them. The discussions involved topics such as shopping for
furniture, a birthday party and meeting a date at the mall.
The people who overheard the one-sided mobile phone call thought the background
conversation was far more distracting than those who heard it as a chat between two
people.
People not only thought cell phone conversations were more attention-catching, but
they also remembered more words and content from the cell phone discussions than they
did from two-sided conversations and made fewer errors recognizing which words were
part of the phone call. Past research suggests this is due to how one-sided conversations
are more unpredictable than ones where people can hear both sides of a discussion.
“Not knowing where the conversation is heading is what makes cell phone calls more
distracting,” said study co-author Rosa Vessal at the University of San Diego.
Galván recalled how distracting cell phone calls could be in her own life. “We’d been
doing the study for a couple of months, and I was at the store looking at clothes, and the
lady next to me was on a cell phone saying, ‘Yeah, he was in jail last night,’” Galván said.
“I had no idea what she was talking about – it was just a snipped-off conversation without
context (语境), and it really was different from a conversation you could hear both sides
of.”
28. What does the underlined word “distracting” mean in the first paragraph?
A. Annoying. B. Frightening. C. Puzzling. D. Interesting.
29. Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment that Galván did according to
the article?
A. Males and females were asked to perform the task separately.
B. The researchers told volunteers to ignore the distractions.
C. Volunteers were asked to unscramble letters while they were distracted.
D. Volunteers needed to recognize whether some words were part of the conversation
they overheard.
第 7页 共 11页
30. According to the experiment’s results, when overhearing a one-sided cell phone call,
people ______.
A. tended to be more aware of the loud voice of the speaker
B. usually felt annoyed that the speaker was using a cell phone in public
C. couldn’t help trying to figure out constantly where the conversation is heading
D. finished their unscrambling tasks faster than those who heard a chat between two
people
31. How does the article mainly develop?
A. By providing examples.
B. By making comparisons.
C. By following the order of time.
D. By presenting a result and analyzing its reasons.
D
Big dogs apparently die younger than smaller ones mainly because they age quickly,
researchers say.
Normally, larger mammals live longer than smaller ones; for instance, elephants can
get up to 70 years old in the wild, while house mice reach only 4 years. But the opposite
seems true when you compare animals within one species---in mice, horses and perhaps
even humans.
We can especially see how much it hurts to have a bigger body with dogs, a species
that comes in various shapes and sizes. The heaviest known dog may have been Zorba, an
English breed that weighed 155 kilograms, while the smallest dog alive may be Meyzi
which is less than 110 grams.
Large breeds often die young compared with smaller ones, with a 70- kilogram Great
Dane having an average life span (寿命) of about 7 years, while a 4-kilogram toy poodle
can expect to live up to 14 years.
To figure out the possible tradeoffs of large size, researchers figured out at what age
dogs from 74 breeds died, using data from more than 56,000 dogs that visited veterinary
(兽医) teaching hospitals. The researchers focused on why large dogs lived shorter lives
on average.
The scientists found that large breeds apparently aged more quickly; the speed at
which the risk of death increased with age was greater with larger breeds than smaller ones.
Indeed, among dog breeds, an increase of 2 kilograms in body mass leads to a loss of
approximately 1 month of life expectancy. “Their lives seem to end in fast motion,” said
researcher Cornelia Kraus, a biologist at the University of G?ttingen in Germany.
The investigators now want to look at the growth and health histories of a large
number of dogs and figure out the leading causes of death for large dogs. For instance,
第 8页 共 11页
bigger canines apparently suffer from cancer more often, which could make sense; large
dogs grow more than smaller breeds do, and cancer is rooted in abnormal cell growth.
These new findings might be able to help unravel (解密) the biological links between
growth and death, the scientists added.
32. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. Smaller dogs usually age at faster rates than big dogs.
B. Dogs’ sizes don’t vary much compared to different species.
C. The life spans of dogs differ a lot based on their body sizes.
D. The biggest dog is about 100 times heavier than the smallest dog.
33. If a 70-kilogram Great Dane has an average life span of about 7 years, how long will
an 80-kilogram dog be expected to live according to Paragraph 6?
A. 7 years and 5 months. B. 6 years and 7 months.
C. 7 years and 10 months. D. 6 years and 2 months.
34. The underlined word “tradeoffs” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. disadvantages B. exchanges C. chances D. improvements
35. According to the last three paragraphs, the scientists are planning to _____.
A. find out what larger dogs do to stay healthy
B. find out ways to extend the life spans of dogs
C. find out why cancer attacks bigger dogs more often
D. find out the most common causes of death for larger dogs
第二节(共 5小题;每小题 2. 5分,满分 12. 5分)
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两
项为 多余选项。
When you sleep, do you ever realize that you are dreaming? If yes, then you have had
a lucid dream (清醒梦 ). ___36___ Only some people are able to have them. Now,
scientists have found ways to help more people to have lucid dreams, Live Science
reported.
Denholm Aspy from the University of Adelaide in Australia found that certain skills
are key to helping people have lucid dreams.
First, people can train themselves to figure out whether they are dreaming or not. For
example, someone may look at a clock, look away, and then look back. ___37___ Then,
they might dream about this trick while sleeping. But in their dreams, the time on the clock
may change very quickly. So people know they are dreaming.
Another trick is to wake up after five hours of sleep. ___38___ During this time,
repeat the words, “The next time I’m dreaming, I’ll remember that I’m dreaming.” Then,
go to bed again to enter rapid eye movement (REM,快速眼球运动) sleep. In REM sleep,
第 9页 共 11页
people are more likely to be aware of their dreams.
Scientists found that those who used these tricks had a 17 percent success rate at
having lucid dreams. ___39___
In a lucid dream, people might study a hobby and then become better at it in real life,
according to Aspy. For example, you might learn to play the piano in a lucid dream.
___40___
A. Then, stay awake for a while.
B. The time should stay the same.
C. This was far higher than if they did nothing.
D. People learn new skills faster in a lucid dream.
E. It is hard for most people to have a lucid dream.
F. Then, your real-life piano skills might improve.
G. Some people will need more time to fall asleep and have a dream.
第三部分 语言运用(共两节,满分 30分)
第一节(共 15小题;每小题 1分,满分 15分)
阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的 A、B、C和 D四个选项中,选出可以填
入空白处 的最佳选项。
Every year, as soon as Halloween is over, our son Matthew waits for the lights. As
the days grow shorter and the nights longer, as the temperatures 41 and the leaves fall,
he waits for the 42 .
The neighbors across the street always put up a light display for the holidays and
Matthew loves to wait for them to be turned on, which usually 43 right after
Thanksgiving. 44 , he begins his monitoring a month before their arrival. And then,
each day between Thanksgiving and 45 the lights are turned off, he waits, 46 , from
midafternoon on.
And when each evening's moment comes, you don't have to be with 47 . You
know it no matter where you are in the house. The rhythmic 48 . The dancing around
the house. Pure 49 on his face! And it happens every single night.
Despite all his 50 , in the world's view — his severe mental disabilities, his
two-year-old 51 in a twenty-three-year-old body, his inability to speak — Matthew
knows 52 very profound, that light will shine in the darkness, and no matter how long
the 53 is, without 54 , eventually , those lights will shine again. There will come a
season when those lights will shine again.
Whatever 55 I find within and around me, I look to my son, and remember that a
light can break the darkness.
41. A. rise B. change C. drop D. stay
第 10页共 11页
42. A. lights B. neighbors C. tricks D. holidays
43. A. happens B. tests C. obtains D. delivers
44. A. Instead B. Then C. Therefore D. However
45. A. unless B. until C. after D. since
46. A. nervously B. impatiently C. excitedly D. quietly
47. A. it B. her C. one D. him
48. A. poems B. excitement C. clapping D. fighting
49. A. surprise B. sadness C. glory D. delight
50. A. limitations B. advantages C. characters D. beliefs
51. A. brother B. sister C. mind D. memory
52. A. nothing B. something C. everything D. anything
53. A. holiday B. display C. street D. wait
54. A. fail B. pity C. stop D. plan
55. A. happiness B. darkness C. sympathy D. warmth
第Ⅱ卷
注意事项:
用 0. 5毫米黑色签字笔将答案写在答题卡上,写在本试卷上无效。
第三部分 语言运用(共两节,满分 30分)
第二节(共 10小题;每小题 1. 5分,满分 15分)
阅读下面材料,在空白处填入 1个单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Chinese Women's Volleyball Team once achieved great honor in the last century,
56._______ inspired so many people throughout the whole country. But during the last
decade, as the old volleyball players retired 57.____ the new ones were not strong
enough, the team met with various 58. ____ (difficult). After 59. ______(win) an
important match, Chinese Women's Volleyball Team announced 60.________(they)
return. Chinese Women's Volleyball Team had a very important match 61.______ Brazil
team in the Rio Olympic Games. The hope to win was very little, because Brazil team was
the champion of last two Olympic Games and Chinese team only won one match for the
last 18 records. What's more, almost all the audience 62. __ (support) Brazil team. It
seemed that to win the match was 63.____ (possible) for the Chinese team, but under
the guidance of coach Lang, the girls were very strong and determined 64. __ (fight)
for the last minute. Even when they lost the first game, they never gave up.Especially for
第 11页共 11页
the last two points, they were so brave and 65 (final) won the match.
第四部分写作(满分 15分)
假定你是李华,你的美国朋友Michael正在一家孔子学院学习汉语和中国文化,
知道中国人很重视家风传承。他在给你的电子邮件中提到想了解你家的家风以及家
风对你的影响。请你给他回复一封电子邮件。
注意:1.词数 80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.信的开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
参考词汇:家风 family spirits
Dear Michael,
I'm glad to know that you are learning Chinese language and culture. ____________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
高二英语周末测试(七)
参考答案 2020. 4. 4
第I卷(共95分)
第一部分 听力(共20小题; 每小题1.5分,满分30分)
1—5 BCABC 6—10 BACAB 11—15 ABCBC 16—20 ACAAB
第二部分阅读理解(共两节,满分50分)
第一节(共15小题;每小题2.5分,满分37.5分)
21 -23 CBB 24-27 CBAC 28 -31 ACCD 32-35 CBAD
第二节(共5小题;每小题2.5分,满分12.5分)
36 -40 EBACF
第三部分语言运用(共三节,满分30分)
第一节(共15小题;每小题1分,满分15分)
41—45?CAADB ??46—50?CDCDA ?51—55?CBDAB
第II卷(共55分)
第二节(共10小题; 每小题1.5分,满分15分)
56. which 57. and 8. difficulties 59. winning 60. their
61. against 62. supported 63. impossible 64. to fight 65. finally
第四部分 应用文写作(满分15分)
Dear Michael,
I'm glad to know that you are learning Chinese language and culture. As for my family spirits, there are definitely some good qualities. My parents lay emphasis on the importance of courtesy, honesty, bravery, perseverance and diligence. Moreover, they have set good examples for me. Under the profound influence of such spirits, I'm always friendly to people and ready to help others. Whenever I encounter difficulties, I always think of ways to overcome them. Owing to this, I have made great achievements in my study and life.
Hopefully this can offer you a deep understanding about Chinese family spirits.
Yours,
Li Hua

附:听力原文材料
Text 1
W: How do I look?
M: Not bad. Does it fit all right?
W: Uh, a bit tight around here.
M: I really like the color. It matches your handbag.

Text 2
W: We haven’t seen much of you lately in the company. Have you been away on business?
M: No, I’ve been away on holiday. I’ve got a cousin in Edinburgh.

Text 3
M: It drives me mad when people use their cell phones at the wheel.
W: Hmm. What happened?
M: I nearly had an accident because the woman was talking on her cell phone while driving and didn’t see the traffic lights turn red. She nearly killed me!

Text 4
M: Sarah, I’m prepared to run for class monitor, and I’m wondering if I, er…if I can count on your support.
W: Oh, maybe if you had asked me sooner, but my roommate’s running, too, and I’ve already promised her that she had my support.

Text 5
W: Have you bought a new camera again? You’re turning my flat into a camera museum!
M: I’ll stop. I’ll try. But I probably can’t. I see a new model and my knees go weak!

Text 6
W: May I help you, sir?
M: Yes, please. I want to buy a personal gift for my brother. He’s taking a trip to South America.
W: Is he going by ship or plane?
M: He’s flying. My gift will have to be something light in weight. What can you suggest?
W: What about this tie? It’s made of pure silk.
M: My sister already gave him one. I’d like something unusual. Let me look around…oh, that clock looks nice, but…
W: Hey, here is a gift for the man who has everything.
M: Oh, a folding toothbrush! That’s a wonderful idea! I’ll take it.

Text 7
W: Have you heard that the boss of the law office where Rick works wants him to fly to Brazil and do a month’s work there?
M: That’s nice. He will love it because everything will be paid for, such as air travel, meals, hotel…and this is his first time to get out of the States.
W: Indeed. You won’t believe how much he is looking forward to it, and how much his little sister admires him! He’s going to enjoy lying on the beaches when work is done, and he promised to buy his sister gifts.
M: Who else is going besides him?
W: He’s going alone.
M: When will he be leaving?
W: He was told about it three days ago, and I think he’ll leave in a week.

Text 8
M: Oh, who is the beautiful old woman in front of the house?
W: That’s my grandmother.
M: Oh, then that must be your house in the background. Where is it?
W: No, that’s my grandmother’s house. She lives in Kentucky. We live in Boston, about two-and-a-half hours away by plane.
M: Then, does she live with your uncle or aunt?
W: No. Since her husband died, she has lived alone.
M: Alone? But she is so old! Who takes care of her?
W: She takes care of herself, though she is 81 this year and is beginning to slow down a little. She has a cleaning lady who comes for a few hours a week to clean house and help with the shopping.
M: But isn’t she lonely without family?
W: Of course not. She has lived in the same neighborhood since she was first married, so she knows all the neighbors, young and old, and she has lots of friends.
M: Why doesn’t she live with you? Don’t you miss her?
W: Well, actually, we talk to her on the phone every week and visit her at least once a year, but we are busy with our lives and so is she. We love to have her visit, but we all know that if she lived with us, we might not get along so well.

Text 9
W: And I realized we were completely lost, but at least we got there in the end.
M: Funny you should say that because, er, a similar thing happened to me one time when I was abroad. We were actually doing a concert in this bar in Germany.
W: Really?
M: I was actually about to appear on stage, you know, with the band, and I just thought, “I’ll just go out for a little walk and get some fresh air,” ‘cause I had about a half an hour before we had to go on.
W: Uh-huh.
M: And I went outside, you know, had a look around, walked around for a bit…and then I decided to go back and, uh, I couldn’t find it! It was about two minutes before we were supposed to start.
W: No, you’re joking!
M: Yeah! I thought, “Ah! What am I gonna do?”
W: Could you ask for directions?
M: Well, I tried. I asked this old woman, but she didn’t speak English, and I don’t speak German…
W: Don’t you? Oh, right.
M: And then, I realized I couldn’t remember the name of the bar, or the street it was on or anything. So, you know, I was in the middle of a town I didn’t know, not knowing the language…and luckily, I saw someone wearing one of our T-shirts. He was obviously going to the concert, so I sort of followed him back to the bar.
W: Wow, that was lucky! Thank goodness!
M: And when I got there, the guys were like, “Where have you been? We thought you’d run out on us!” Anyway, we managed.

Text 10
M: Hello. I’m Callum Robertson, and this is London Life. In the program today, let me ask you a question first: What do you think would be the hardest job in Britain? A police officer? Perhaps a deep-sea fisherman? Well, no, according to recent research, being a London taxi driver takes that prize. It’s really a hard job, really difficult. One reason is the traffic. It’s getting worse and worse in London. For most of us, if we have to sit in a traffic jam for a few minutes, we get anxious. But imagine if you had to do that all day, every day as your job. What’s more, passengers get into the taxi and want to get from A to B as quickly as possible. They’re in a hurry, and that makes things worse for the drivers. To prepare for the test, would-be drivers have to remember ways and places of interest around Central London. This is an area which has about 25,000 streets. They need to be able to take passengers from A to B without having to look at a map and without having to ask for directions. It usually takes nearly three years to pass the test, so it is also found in the research that parts of the brains of taxi drivers are actually larger than those in the general population. It seems as if learning all the streets and ways makes a part of the brain grow. Well, anyway, this is a most tiring job. Next time you’re stuck in a traffic jam and feel mad, spare a thought for the taxi drivers, who have to spend most of their working life in them.