George Markov was a famous writer in Bulgaria. In 1969 he suspected that he was going to be imprisoned or killed because one of his plays was regarded as being an attack on leaders of Bulgaria. Markov managed to reach England and got a job with the BBC, writing something in Bulgaria.
   Some of the BBC programmes were critical of life in Bulgaria. Perhaps as a result of this, Markov received an anonymous telephone call warning him that he would be killed. In September 1978, Markov stopped his car in London and started to walk to his office. When he was passing a bus line, a man in the line seemed to drop his umbrella accidently. Markov felt a sudden pain in the leg.
    When Markov reached his office, he spoke about the matter to a friend. A few hours later, he began to feel hot. He was sent to hospital and died four days later. The doctors examined his body, and they were puzzled about the cause of his death. Scientists were asked to help and they found a tiny metal pellet in Markov’s leg. The scientists believed that the two holes in it must contain an unknown poison in them.
    A few weeks before Markov was “shot” with a poisoned pellet fired from an umbrella, another Bulgarian had the same experience in France. Towards the end of August 1978, Kostov felt a sharp pain in the back when he was leaving a railway station in Paris. He was ill for a few days but became well. When news of Markov’s death became known, Kostov was asked to return to hospital for examination. Doctors found a tiny pellet in his back, but it had stuck in an area from which the poison had not been able to spread.
The police in both countries are still searching for the reasons why both men were attacked. They hoped to catch their attackers.

1.Which of the statement is right about the underlined word?

   A．stranger　　　 B．well-known　 C．friendly   　　 D. unknown

2．Which of the following was not mentioned in the passage?
    A．George Markov was working for the BBC
    B．George Markov wrote many plays at that time
    C．kostov was “shot” with a poisoned pellet
    D．Both kostov and  George Markov died at last
3．According to the passage, Markov’s suspicions turned out to be       
    A．wrong　　 B．right　　　　　 C．reasonable 　 D．unreasonable
4．Who killed Markov?
    A．Bulgarian  B．not known 　　　 C． French 　　 D．British

5. We can infer that _________

A. Leaders in Bulgaria disliked  George Markov

B. The police didn’t find the person who killed George Markov

C. George Markov wrote some critical plays

D. George Markov lived in Bulgaria all his life

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(優先考慮的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

1. 1.

   Critics of the plan argued that ______.

   1. A.
      the theatres would be overcrowded
   2. B.
      it would be a waste of money
   3. C.
      pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets
   4. D.
      the government wouldn’t be able to afford it
2. 2.

   According to the supporters, the plan should ______.

   1. A.
      benefit the television industry
   2. B.
      focus on producing better plays
   3. C.
      help increase the sales of tickets
   4. D.
      involve all the young people in England
3. 3.

   Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

   1. A.
      Ninety-five theatres have received funding.
   2. B.
      Everyone will get at least one free ticket.
   3. C.
      It may not benefit all the young people.
   4. D.
      Free tickets are offered once every day.
4. 4.

   We can infer from the passage that in England ______.

   1. A.
      many plays are not for young people
   2. B.
      many young people don’t like theatre
   3. C.
      people know little about the plan
   4. D.
      children used to receive good arts education
5. 5.

   According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems ______.

   1. A.
      controversial
   2. B.
      inspiring
   3. C.
      exciting
   4. D.
      unreasonable

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with ??2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost ??470 million.

One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(優先考慮的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”

There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

Critics of the plan argued that ______.

    A. the theatres would be overcrowded

    B. it would be a waste of money

    C. pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets

    D. the government wouldn’t be able to afford it

According to the supporters, the plan should ______.

    A. benefit the television industry

    B. focus on producing better plays

    C. help increase the sales of tickets

    D. involve all the young people in England

Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

    A. Ninety-five theatres have received funding.

    B. Everyone will get at least one free ticket.

    C. It may not benefit all the young people.

    D. Free tickets are offered once every day.

We can infer from the passage that in England ______.

A. many plays are not for young people

 B. many young people don’t like theatre

    C. people know little about the plan

    D. children used to receive good arts education

According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems ______.

A. controversial      B. inspiring      C. exciting      D. unreasonable

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26―funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money―was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.

One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(優先考慮的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”

There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

46. Critics of the plan argued that ______.

    A. the theatres would be overcrowded

    B. it would be a waste of money

    C. pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets

    D. the government wouldn’t be able to afford it

47. According to the supporters, the plan should ______.

    A. benefit the television industry

    B. focus on producing better plays

    C. help increase the sales of tickets

    D. involve all the young people in England

48. Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

    A. Ninety-five theatres have received funding.

    B. Everyone will get at least one free ticket.

    C. It may not benefit all the young people.

    D. Free tickets are offered once every day.

49. We can infer from the passage that in England ______.

    A. many plays are not for young people

    B. many young people don’t like theatre

    C. people know little about the plan

    D. children used to receive good arts education

50. According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems ______.

    A. controversial

    B. inspiring

    C. exciting

    D. unreasonable