Track 72

Mr. Brown lived in a house less than two miles from his office，so he was able to drive home every day for lunch. Every time he drove home at noon，he found at the road outside his house cars were parked，and there was no room for his own car. He had to drive somewhere else to park his car. Then he had to walk back home. This made him very angry.
He had put up a board，which said“No Parking”in the garden facing the road，but nobody seemed to take any notice of it. People obeyed a police notice，but not a private one. There were no parked cars where there was a blue board with white letters on it：
Police Notice
No Parking
Mrs. Brown suggested that he steal a police notice. He dared not，being afraid of going to prison. She then suggested that he made one just like a police notice. He said he was not the police and couldn’t use the word“police”. He decided to find a way out.
Several days later，Mr. Brown made a blue board with white letters：
Polite Notice
No Parking
“Oh！”Mrs. Brown said.“But you told me you weren’t going to use the word‘police’. That’s exactly the same as a police notice.”
“Is it？”he asked.“Look again.”
She started to laugh，“You are really clever.”
生词
board
/bɔːd
/ n.木板，木牌：The side of the house was finished with oak boards. 房子的这面是用橡木板建成的。
private
/ˈpraɪvət
/ adj.私人的：That’s my private view. 那是我个人的意见。
notice
/ˈnəʊtɪs
/ n.通知，布告；注意，觉察：The notice on the wall says“No smoking”. 墙上的布告写着“禁止吸烟”。/I beg your notice of my needs.我请求你关注我的需求。
‖take notice（of）注意，理会：I asked him to drive more slowly but he didn’t take any notice. 我叫他开车慢些，但他毫不理会。
way out出路；解决问题的办法：There seems to be no way out of the problem. 似乎没有解决这个问题的办法。
❶ Mr. Brown’s office was _ his house.
A. close toB. far from
C. half an hour’s drive from
D. less than two kilometres from
❷ The thing that made Mr. Brown angry was that _.
A. he saw many cars outside his house
B. he could find only a small place to park his car outside his house
C. he could not find a place to park his car outside his house
D. he had to drive away from his house
❸ People _ the notice“No Parking”which Mr. Brown had put up.
A. obeyed
B. did not obey
C. took some notice of
D. didn’t see
❹ Mr. Brown made a blue board with white letters which _.
A. was the same as a police notice
B. was quite different from a police notice
C. was different in colour from a police notice
D. looked like a police notice
❺ We can infer that _ after Mr. Brown put up the blue board.
A. not many cars were parked outside his house
B. some people still parked their cars outside his house
C. he could find room to park his car outside his house
D. he still had to drive away from his house to park his car
参考译文
布朗先生的家离办公室不足两英里，所以他能每天开车回家吃午饭。每次中午开车回到家，他都发现房子外面的马路上停满了车，自己的车反而没处停了。他只得开到别的地方停车，然后步行回家。这让他很生气。
他曾经立过一块木牌，上面写着“禁止停车”，就放在面对马路的花园里，不过似乎无人理会。人们遵守警方的提示，但不会遵守私人的提示。立有蓝底白字、上书下述内容的牌子处才不会有人停车：
警方提示
禁止停车
布朗太太建议他偷一块警方提示牌。他不敢，因为害怕蹲监狱。她又建议他做一块像警方提示牌一样的牌子，但他说他不是警察，不能使用“警方”这个词。他决定找一个解决方法。
几天后，布朗先生做了一块蓝底白字、上书下述内容的牌子：
礼貌提示
禁止停车
“噢！”布朗太太说。“可你告诉我不准备使用‘警方’这个词。可这块牌子和警方提示牌完全一样。”
“是吗？”他说。“再看看。”
她大笑起来：“你真聪明。”