style． Indeed， there are many examples in my own home town of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings．As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much，it often improves the attractiveness of the area．

It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt(破坏) the area they are in，but the same can be said of some old buildings too．Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas．I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative (保守的) and do not like change．

Although we have to respect people's feelings as fellow users of the buildings．I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward．If we always reproduced what was there before，we would all still be living in caves．Thus，I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different，even though that might be the more risky choice．

68．What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?

A．Some of them are not attractive．

B．Most of them are too expensive to preserve．

C．They are more pleasing than modern buildings．

D．They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area．

69．Which of the following is true according to the author?

A．We should reproduce the same old buildings．

B．Buildings should not dominate their surroundings．

C．Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in．

D．No one understands why people speak against new buildings．

70．By "move things forward" in the last paragraph，the author probably means " _____ "．

A．destroy old buildings

B．put things in a different place

C．choose new architectural styles

D．respect people's feelings for historical buildings

71．What is the main purpose of the passage ?

A．To explain why people dislike change．

B．To warn that we could end up living in caves．

C．To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings．

D．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas．

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 [四]

In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music，dance and theatre in Edinburgh． The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War．

It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness，Richard Burton，Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras (交响乐团)．It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400，000 people yearly．

At the same time，the "Fringe" appeared as a challenge to the official festival．Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947，in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform， and they did so in a public house disused for years．