辽宁马鞍山市2014高考英语阅读理解、动词短语精讲讲练（4）及答案
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been thechurch and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town ,where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historicsites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham call ed "The Old Trip to Jerusa-lem". which dates hack to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classesand parts of society. On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That' s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩 ) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned (禁止) smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
