单选题
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 1 experience for tourists. This is partly because of the special black cabs, which are found in no other country. But it is also because of the drivers themselves. 2 British people are famous for being polite and reserved, London cabbies are well-known 3 their willingness to talk.
Some customers say that once the door shuts and the cab 4 off they are a captive (监禁了的) audience. It is impossible to get the taxi driver to stop 5 . "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 planning to make taxi drivers negotiate their fares with 6 before they take a ride.
Drivers agree that their fares are expensive. That"s because their black taxis 7 more than other cars, they say. And the customer is also paying for more driving expertise (专门知识) than anywhere else in the world.
Before someone can qualify as a London taxi driver, that person has to pass a test 8 simply as "The Knowledge" This involves 9 the name and location of every street within six miles of a point in the exact centre of London. The trainee (受训者) 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 10 distance between any two destinations within this area.
It can 11 up to three years to pass "The Knowledge". Every day it is possible to see trainee taxi drivers on the streets of London, taking careful notes of popular destinations before tracing the route to their next stop. Cab driving is a job often 12 down in families. Many taxi drivers take their children out in their spare time to memorize 13 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 14 in cab drivers. They have to fit the whole of London into their heads, so their brains grow bigger. So perhaps it is not 15 that taxi drivers have lots to say.