Imagine you are a citizen of Athens, enjoying a warm Mediterranean night in the Theater of Herodes Atticus. You are wearing jeans and a T-shirt, listening to a great concert.
Now rewind this picture 1,839 years. You are in the same seat, only you are watching classical Greek entertainment and wearing a simple chiton, or tunic.
The city of Athens is a fun mix of the old and the new, the classic and the modem. Often a little shop is located next to the rains of a temple, which is only a block from a large, air-conditioned hotel. The great city of 2,500 years ago is still visible today.
Ruins are the most obvious sign of ancient Athens, and the most famous of these is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large hill that was the center of life in Athens. On its slopes were temples, monuments, and theaters. From the top, you can see how the urban sprawl (扩展,延伸) of Athens stretches out in every direction.
On the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This was once a huge temple to Athena, the city’s patron. It was first completed in 432 B.C., but has been damaged and destroyed several times. However, visitors can still see the "tricks" used in building the Parthenon. The columns along the outside lean inward, and are slightly fatter in the middle. The temple is also higher in the middle than on the sides. All these effects make the Parthenon look perfectly straight from a distance.
Only a block away from the Acropolis is the neighborhood of Plaka. The area, with its little shops and restaurants, is very popular with both tourists and locals, and is an important part of modem Athenian culture.
Many great thinkers, writers, and political leaders lived in ancient Athens. The ruins of their homes and favorite spots are scattered throughout the busy port city. The hill where St. Paul addressed early Christian Athenians is located near the Acropolis. Great thinkers such as Perikles and Demosthenes spoke to the civil assemblies held at the Pnyx Hill. Today the Pnyx is an open-air theater for light and sound shows.
Greeks still use some ancient sites, such as the Pnyx and the Theater of Herodes Atticus. During Roman times, in 76 A.D., gladiators (角斗士) used the Panathenaic Stadium for contests. The Olympics were held there in 1896, and today people still jog and exercise in the stadium.
Tourism is very important to people who live in modem-day Athens. Thousands of people come every year to see these ruins and to tour the many museums that house artifacts from ancient times. This provides many jobs and brings money into Athens, which helps the city pay for improvements. Athenians take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, and people from all around the world come to admire them. By looking around the city today, we can imagine what life was like in ancient Athens.
86. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about the city of Athens?
A. The culture of the city is a mixture of the old and modem.
B. Traces of the ancient city can still be found.
C. Ruins and modem hotels co-exist in the city.
D. All the temples are not far away from air-conditioned hotels.
87. Which tourist attraction was ancient Athens most famous for?
A. Plaka. 
B. Acropolis. 
C. Pnyx. 
D. Parthenon.
88. According to the context, "tricks" in Paragraph Five refer to
A. mischievous acts. 
B. confusing constructing skills.
C. skillful constructing methods. 
D. constructing materials.
89. The writer mentioned all the following benefits of tourism in Athens for Athenians EXCEPT
A. offering job opportunities to Athenians.
B. enriching Athenians by providing accommodation for tourists.
C. enabling Athenians to improve the infrastructures.
D. making Athenians proud of their ancestors.
90. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Tourism in Athens. 
B. Athens: Then & Now.
C. Historic Interests in Athens. 
D. The Magic of Ancient Athens.
【文章概要】
本文描述了雅典的过去与现在。第1—3段描写雅典城的特色：过去与现在融为一体；第4-8段介绍雅典的观光景点、名人旧址以及希腊人仍然使用古代的一些场地；最后一段描述旅游业在雅典的重要性。 来自
【答案解析】
86．[D]细节判断题。根据第3段的描述：雅典是一个集新旧、古典与现代于一体的城市；小商店旁边常是寺庙废墟，而在这堆废墟的前不远处却能看到现代化的大宾馆；2500年前的雅典城市依稀可见。本题是逆向选择题，要求选出不符合描述雅典城特色的一项，D的表述“All”过于绝对，与原文不符。
87．[B]细节判断题。问雅典最有名的地方，定位到第4段。根据第4段的第l句可知，最有名的景点是雅典卫城，因此选项B正确。
88．[C]词义理解题。文章第5段指出，雅典卫城上面的帕台农神庙，虽然几经摧毁，但是仍能看出它的千变万化、巧夺天工。圆柱向内倾斜，柱身上下不完全垂直，而是上端略小，中间部分则稍有凸出，加强了柱身造型的力度感，给这巨石结构带来几分轻巧的感觉。故选项C(精湛的建筑方式)符合题意。
89．[D]细节判断题。问旅游业给雅典人们带来的好处，定位到最后～段。根据最后一段第3句可知，成千上万的人来雅典旅游给雅典人创造了许多的就业机会，也给雅典带来了收入，从而能够改善整个城市的状况。选项A、B、C分别涉及这3方面。而选项D“让雅典人以祖先的丰功伟绩为豪”并不是旅游人带来的好处，因此选项D符合题意。
90．[B]全文主旨题。整篇文章的主题都是谈雅典城的特色，即过去与现在溶为一体，因此选项B符合题意。