For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub.Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news. As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved.Many of them have become historic sites.The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called " Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" , which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England. However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society.On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire.There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price. That's how things used to be.Things are beginning to change.It is said that the credit crunch is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business.People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer.Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs. This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p.m..Previously, with 11 p.m.as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly.The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as "binge drinking" , and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities. In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market.British pubs now offer something for everyone.A lot of pubs used to be "Working Men's Clubs" , meaning that women could not usually enter.Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems.Perhaps things are changing for the better after all. The British pubs are allowed to stay open after 11p.m.to _ . A) urge customers to drink quickly B) affect the number of customers C) help reduce social problems D) give pub owners better income
C
(Question)
Does money buy happiness? Not! Ah, but would a little more money make us a little happier? Many of us smirk(,) and nod. There is, we believe, some connection between financial fitness and emotional fulfillment. Three in four American college students--nearly double the 1970 proportion-- now consider it "very important" or "essential" that they become "very well off financially". Money matters. But a surprising fact of life is that in countries where nearly everyone can afford life's necessities, increasing wealth matters surprisingly little. The connection between income and happiness is "surprisingly weak," observed University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart in one 16-nation study of 170,000 people. Once comfortable, more money provides diminishing returns . The second piece of pie, or the second $100,000, never tastes as good as the first. Even lottery winners and the Forbes' 100 wealthiest Americans surveyed by University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American. Making it big brings temporary joy. But in the long run wealth is like health: its complete absence can create suffering, but having it doesn't guarantee happiness. Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have. Has our happiness, however, floated upward with the rising economic tide? Are we happier today than in 1940s, when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub? Actually, we are not. Since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are "very happy" has declined from 35 to 32 percent. Meanwhile, the divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide rate has increased nearly three times, the violent crime rate has gone up nearly four times, and depression has mushroomed. Economic growth has provided no boost to human morale. When it comes to psychological well being, it is not the economy. I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit "the American paradox." More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low... The things that happened after 1957 are given to show that _ . A) people's spiritual needs cannot be fulfilled by wealth B) family problems become more and more serious C) young people are not happy about their life D) social crimes have increased significantly
(Answer)
A
I was thirteen when my father got hurt.Looking back over the years, I sometimes wonder what I could have done differently that day.Spit twice over my shoulder when I saw the single magpie , maybe.But that's the thing about superstitions .You don't know how much power they have until you break them. We lived in a dark shabby house in Bucks.Wood blocks laid over dirt on the floor.That part of England was full of cherry trees.Chalky soil. The rice had caught in the bottom of the pot that morning at breakfast and all I could smell was burned rice.Even now when I think of that day I have the taste of burned rice in my mouth. "I'm going to cut down the old cherry tree," my father announced. "You've been saying that for years," said my mother lightly touching the end of her nose.Her nose ran all year long.Her arms rested on the table, a cup of tea placed between her hands, steam rising into the air."You'll never get round to it." My stomach, balled into a tight little knot relaxed itself. "Millie's going to cry if you cut it down," said my younger brother, Simon, his eyes bright as a fox."Silly Millie, silly Millie." "Hold your noise," said my father patting Simon on the head."And put back that butter.That's a week's ration you've got on your plate." "The war's over," said Simon in a low voice."We haven't had rationing for ages." Simon was right.Even sugar had come off points.However, we still occasionally received food parcels from distant cousins in Canada. My father glared at him and then went on. "Pigs.Burt says he'll come and help me take the tree down if he can have some of the wood." "No," I said springing to my feet."You can't do it.That's my tree.Always has been.Always will be.I won't let you." Tom, took a piece of toast, watching my reaction.My older brother, he knew what the tree meant to me. "Now then, Millie," said my father softening his face."That tree's wild.It's in the way." From the passage, we can infer that _ . A) there were already plenty of food supplies B) the tree was finally cut down by father that day C) Mother showed little interest in the cherry tree D) the tree was a great danger to people walking by
B