Traveling by train is usually not easy in China. It can be hard to get a ticket. When you’re traveling to the railway station, you look at your watch, for you are afraid you will miss your train.
But there is good news for people traveling between Beijing and Shanghai. Construction (建设) on the express railway (高速铁路) between the two cities started just before the Spring Festival of 2008. When it is finished by 2013, taking a train will be as easy as taking a bus.
“There will be trains every several minutes. Buying a ticket, getting through the checkpoint (检查站) and taking your seat, will take just 10 minutes,” said an engineer.
There may be high-speed trains running at 350 kilometers an hour. The travel time between the two cities will decrease from 10 to about 5 hours. The trains will carry twice the present number of passengers.
The new line will be 1,318 kilometers long and go across specially built bridges. It will run along side the present line. There will be 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu.
“The cost of traveling by the express railway may be around 800 yuan. That will be more expensive than an ordinary train, but cheaper than by air.” Said Zhang Xiaoling, a Jiangsu government official.
According to Zhang, the higher price is caused by the large cost of the railway project. At about 200 billion yuan, the project may be even more expensive than the Three Gorges Project (三峡工程).
1.The express railway between Beijing and Shanghai will be finished _______.
A. at the end of this year B. before the Spring Festival of 2008
C. by 2013 D. in about 5 years
2.Before taking your seat, you should _____ with your ticket.
A. buy a ticket B. get through the checkpoint
C. pack your things D. make some friends
3.The word “decrease” in the passage possibly means ______ in Chinese.
A. 延长 B. 缩短 C. 提速 D. 限速
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Traveling by train is usually difficult in China because tickets are too expensive.
B. The high-speed trains will have 21 stations in Shanghai, Shandong, Hunan and Jiangsu.
C. Tickets for the high-speed trains will be cheaper than those for planes.
D. The cost of the express railway project is as high as that of the Three Gorges Project.
5.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. An enormous project.
B. Train tickets will get more expensive
C. Specially built bridges
D. Beijing—Shanghai express railway
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the check. It’s already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
A. She was unable to speak good English
B. She was often misunderstood.
C. She was not clearly heard.
D. She was not very polite.
2.From Paragraph 2, what can we know about the author?
A. She was good at pretending.
B. She was rude to the stockbroker.
C. She was ready to help her mother.
D. She was unwilling to phone for her mother
3.What happened after the author made the phone call?
A. They forgave the stockbroker.
B. They failed to get the check.
C. They went to New York immediately.
D. They spoke to their boss at once.
4.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A. It confuses her.
B. It embarrasses her.
C. It helps her understand the world.
D. It helps her forgive rude people.
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Chinese English is clear and natural to native speakers.
B. Chinese English is impolite to native speakers.
C. Chinese English has a very bad name in America.
D. Chinese English may bring inconvenience in America.
Although I love my life, it hasn’t been a lot of fun as I’ve been ill for 28 years.
Music has always been a great love of mine and, in my 20s, when my was more manageable , I ten years as a professional singer in restaurants, playing and singing folk songs. it was years ago and times have changed. I live with mother on a country farm.
Two years ago, I decided that I would need to have some kind of extra work to make up for my disability pension (残疾抚恤金). I needed to sleep in the afternoons, I was limited(限制) in my choices. I decided that I would consider to singing in restaurants.
My family are all musicians, so I was when I went into our local music store. I explained that I wanted to sing again but using recorded karaoke music. I knew that discs were very expensive and I really didn’t have a lot of to get started. And often you find only three to four songs out of ten on a disc that you can use.
When I told the owner of the shop about my , he gave me a long thoughtful . “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” he said. “Come with me.”
He led me the crowded shop and to a bench with a large professional karaoke box on it. He placed his large hand on his treasure(财宝) and said, “I have 800 karaoke songs in here. You can take your pick and I’ll record them for you. That should get you started.”
I could have cried. Thanking him, I made a time with him to listen to all the songs and choose that I could sing. I have come full circle with his help.
His still warms my heart and makes me do just that bit extra, when I have the chance.
1.A. loneliness B. sadness C. tiredness D. sickness
2.A. set B. enjoyed C. kept D. shared
3.A. Gladly B. Finally C. Unfortunately D. Surprisingly
4.A. Now B. Then C. Sometime D. Meanwhile
5.A. If B. As C. Though D. Before
6.A. reaching out B. living up C. getting on D. going back
7.A. recognized B. interviewed C. found D. invited
8.A. money B. time C. energy D. knowledge
9.A. actually B. hardly C. nearly D. mainly
10.A. job B. family C. idea D. offer
11.A. face B. view C. look D. sight
12.A. over B. along C. towards D. through
13.A. unhappily B. lovingly C. pitifully D. gratefully
14.A. more B. the ones C. few D. the rest
15.A. courage B happiness C. kindness D. trust
Don’t ______ the ball on the ground. It’s made of glass.
A. fall B. drop C. put D. place
—________ all the things, Tim! I hate them here and there.
–OK, Mum.
A .Put up B. Put on C. Put down D. Put away
Mr. Black’s car is broken. So he has to go ____ his bike to school.
A. by B. on C. with D. in
