Everything about Grand Central Terminal (GCT), conveniently located in the heart of Manhattan, is remarkable. On an average day, 700,000 people pass in and out of it. The information booth in the Main Concourse (the huge room that is the focal point of the building) gets as many as a thousand visitors an hour. Standing beside it, you feel that if you stood there long enough you would eventually see every person you have ever known in your life. “It’s the town square for eight million people,” says GCT spokesperson Dan Brucker. “If people get separated in the city, they’ll meet at the information booth.”
GCT’s art and style reflect the great economic success of railroad companies before the growth of car and air travel. You could spend years in Grand Central before you discovered all secrets: its tennis courts, its hidden railroad cars, its private ground-floor apartment (now a bar). Nine stories below the lowest floor that the public gets to see is a basement known as M-42. Brucker explains, “This is not just the deepest and the biggest but the most secret basement in the city. During World War II, there were shoot-to-kill orders if you showed up down here?” It was where the power came from to move the trains carrying soldiers. Today, one box in the basement holds a small red button, about the size of a coin. Above it is written “Emergency Stop.” If you pressed this button, says Brucker, you could “make 125,000 people late for dinner.”
Above the ground, the Main Concourse features a ceiling painted to 30 look like the night sky, with stars shining down. Over the years, smoke blackened this beautiful ceiling. Although people thought smoke from trains was the cause, it was actually tobacco smoke! However, it has since been cleaned and now shows its original beauty.
In the name of modernization, plans were made to destroy GCT in the 1960s. However, many people objected, and finally New Yorkers decided GCT was worth saving. In 1976, the U.S. government agreed. It made GCT a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its importance for all Americans and ensuring its continued protection. Once threatened with destruction, Grand Central Terminal continues to give pleasure to passengers and sightseers in Manhattan.
(Adapted from reading explore 2)
Question 36: The massage is mainly about__________.
A. To discuss the importance of rail travel.
B. To introduce an important New York landmark.
C. To interview Dan Brucker.
D. To argue for the importance of National Historic Landmarks.
Question 37: Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Grand Central Terminal?
A. It is one of the world’s largest train stations.
B. It has more commuters than visitors each day.
C. It was built before the growth of car and air travel.
D. It is in the heart of Manhattan.
Question 38: Which of the following statements would Dan Brucker most likely agree with?
A. Grand Central Terminal needs more information booths.
B. People who go to Basement M-42 today might be shot.
C. Grand Central Terminal is a focal point of New York City.
D. The “Emergency Stop” button should be removed.
Question 39: What does the word booth in the first paragraph refer to?
A. shop B. counter C. hall D. roof
Question 40: The phrase showed up in second paragraph is closest in meaning to__________.
A. appeared B. spoke C. displayed something D. demonstrated
Question 41: What does the word ensuring in the last paragraph refer to?
A. care B. ignore C. pass D. assure
Question 42: Which of the following can be inferred from the reading passage?
A. GCT’s art and style reflect the great economic success of railroad companies before the growth of car and air travel.
B. CGT is remained no longer around the world .
C. GCT is a popular and busy transportation hub in the heart of Manhattan, with a significant number of people passing through it daily.
D. The importance of CGT in transporting.
