Desertification is the accumulated result of inappropriate land use and a harsh climate. O

What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?

A．He is better off without a car.

B．He needs to buy a new car.

C．Life without a car is a little bit hard.

D．A car-free life does not suit everyone.

What did the authors friends try to tell him?

A．It is possible to live a car-free life.

B．A car is an important daily necessity.

C．There is no need for expensive cars.

D．They"ll follow him if he can make it.

What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends opinion?

A．Think it over.

B．Take the advice.

C．Argue against it.

D．Leave it alone.

Which can best describe the attitude of the authors family toward his plan?

A．Support.

B．Understanding.

C．Indifference.

D．Opposition.

What is the author trying to do in Paragraph 2?

A．To describe what a car-free life is like.

B．To introduce the public transport system.

C．To explain why he can live without a car.

D．To discuss the problem his family is facing.

carrier was hit by a passing vehicle and the damage was so bad it had to be written off. No problem, I thought: well buy another. But the insurance payout didnt even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan wed need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we could easily be looking at around ￡600 a month. And thats when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? The more I thought about it, the more sensible it seemed. I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family? But my new car-free passion, sadly, wasnt shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being "too poor to afford a car"?(I wasnt that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls could take the same approach.) My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital?(an ambulance?)How would the children get to and from their many events?(buses and trains?)People smiled indulgently, as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure Id soon realize that a car wasnt a luxury, it was a necessity. Eight months on, I wonder whether well ever own a car again. The idea that you "have" to own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live— and many other city-dwellers do too—in a community that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but wed be better off asking something much more basic. Do I really need a car? The answer turned out to be no, and Im a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.

The author decided to live a car-free life______.

A．after his car was damaged beyond repair

B．after he was hurt in a terrible car accident

C．because public transport was easily accessible

D．because the traffic jam was too much for him

This passage is mainly concerned with______.

A．how India"s rapid changes are putting women at risk

B．why the rape victim"s family moved to New Delhi

C．what has resulted in racial discrimination in India

D．whether sexual violence can be prevented in India

The last paragraph implies that______.

A．New Delhi has the highest rate of crime in India

B．crime against women is common in New Delhi

C．migrants in New Delhi are of the same social class

D．the urban life is a nightmare for each migrant

What we can learn about this rape victim is that she______.

A．worked as a fitness coach

B．came from a middle-class family

C．was finally able to change her fate

D．had quite wealthy parents

Which of the following statements is true according to Paragraph 3?

A．About 250 million Indians will move to New Delhi in twenty years.

B．It is easy for these migrants to find jobs in the service industry.

C．There is no gender discrimination in terms of employment in India.

D．New Delhi actually offers few opportunities of employment.