单选题Read the following text. Choose the best word or phrase marked A, B, C or D
for each numbered blank.
London Cabbies
Every
city in the world has taxis to take tourists to interesting places. London is
the only city in the world where taking a taxi is an {{U}} {{U}} 1
{{/U}} {{/U}}experience for tourists. This is {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}because of the special black cabs, which are found in no other
country. But it is also because of the drivers themselves. {{U}} {{U}}
3 {{/U}} {{/U}}British people are famous for being polite and reserved,
London cabbies are well-known {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}their
willingness to talk. Some customers say that once the door
shuts and the cab {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}off they are a
captive audience. It is impossible to get the taxi driver to stop {{U}}
{{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}. "They're self-confident and free-thinking,"
said Malcolm Linskey, the author of A History of Taxi Drivers in
London. They are also expensive. London has the most expensive
taxis of any city in the world except Tokyo. That's why Ken Livingstone, the
Mayor of London, is {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}to make taxi
drivers negotiate their fares with {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}}
{{/U}}before they take a ride. Drivers agree that their fares are
expensive. That's because their black taxis {{U}} {{U}} 9
{{/U}} {{/U}}more than other cars, they say. And the customer is also paying
for more driving expertise than anywhere else in the world.
Before someone can {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}as a London taxi
driver, that person has to pass a test {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}}
{{/U}}simply as "The Knowledge". This involves {{U}} {{U}} 12
{{/U}} {{/U}}the name and location of every street within six miles of a point
in the exact centre of London. The trainee must also learn the exact location of
every important building within these streets. Finally he or she must be able to
use this knowledge to work out the {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}}
{{/U}}distance between any two destinations within this area. It
can {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}up to three years to pass "The
Knowledge". Every day it is possible to see {{U}} {{U}} 15
{{/U}} {{/U}}taxi drivers on the streets of London, taking careful notes of
popular destinations before {{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}the
route to their next stop. Cab driving is a job often {{U}} {{U}}
17 {{/U}} {{/U}}down in families. Many taxi drivers take their children
out in their spare time to memorize {{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}}
{{/U}}they need to know when it is their turn to do "The Knowledge".
London cabbies also have bigger brains. Recent research found that the
part of the brain that remembers things was larger and more {{U}} {{U}}
19 {{/U}} {{/U}}in cab drivers. They have to fit the whole of London
into their heads, so their brains grow bigger. So perhaps it is not
{{U}} {{U}} 20 {{/U}} {{/U}}that taxi drivers have lots
to say.