Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．

Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system．And that’s not a11．China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．

China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．

China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming withSingapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly

to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beiling in under two days．

The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．

    China’s bullet train(高速客車)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the

 World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．

Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(軌距)，maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．

But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on

domestic railway expansion．

China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital

investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．

It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countnes．

For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11．And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．

1．China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ____________．

  A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

  B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

  C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

  D． the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism

2．According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is____________．

  A．technical issues    B．safety of the system

  C．financial problems  D．maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed

  railway plan?

  A．Critical．    B．Reserved．    C．Doubtful     D. Positive．

4．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

  A．New Railway Standards    B．Big Railway Dreams

  C．High—speed Bullet Trains D．International Railway Network

       Imagine, one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．

       Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high-speed railway system．And that’s not all．China has an even greater high-speed railway plan — to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．

       China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．

       China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．

       If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．

       The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．

       China’s bullet train（高速客車），the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．

       Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge（軌距），maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．

       But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion．

       China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．

       It’ll be a win-win project．For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries．

       For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all．And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．

China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ________．

       A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

       B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

       C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

       D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism

According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ________．

       A．technical issues                                        B．safety of the system

       C．financial problems                                     D．maintenance of railway tracks

Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?

       A．Critical．             B．Reserved．           C．Doubtful．          D．Positive．

Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

       A．New Railway Standards.                          B．Big Railway Dreams.

       C．High-speed Bullet Trains.                           D．International Railway Network

Betty Skelton was often called “The First Lady of Firsts’’ because of the many records she set. She grew up in Pensacola, Florida, watching airplanes flying to and from a nearby navy base. As a child, she persuaded her parents to let her take flying lessons. By 12, Betty made her first flight alone, though not legally permitted to do so until she turned 16.

During the 1940s, female pilots were mostly prevented from commercial and military flying. So Betty Skelton decided to use her flight skills in aerobatics(特技飛行)，performing difficult turns, drops, and other exercises. She began performing and competing around the country.

She won the International Feminine Aerobatic Championship(IFAC)for three years in a row, starting in 1948. She and her little Pitts Special plane the “Little Stinker’’ became famous.

Dorothy Cochrane is an aviation expert who once studied and worked with Betty Skelton. “Betty was such a wonderful aerobatic pilot that she really set the bar high for other women to follow and she was a great role model for them. She really was as good as some of the men.”

Once Ms. Skelton had made her mark on flying, she moved on to racecars, becoming the first female test driver in the racecar industry. She set several land speed records. She also set a cross-country record, driving from New York to California in under 57 hours. And she became one of the top women advertising experts working with General Motors in support of the company’s Corvette car.

Ms. Skelton died in August, 2011, at the age of 85. Visitors to the Washington area can see her “l(fā)ittle Stinker” plane at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The small red and white plane hangs high in the air above the entrance to the museum.

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Betty Skelton was the first Lady of the US.

B．16 was the legal age for people to fly an airplane.

C．Betty became a navy pilot when she was 16.

D．Betty’s parents didn’t support her flying interest.

2.What happened to Betty Skelton in 1950?

A．She moved on to racecars.

B．She became an aerobatic pilot.

C．She was 20 years old.

D．She won the IFAC for the third time.

3.What can we know from the words by Dorothy Cochrane?

A．It is not easy for other women to break Betty Skelton’s records.

B．She was even more excellent than some men in skills.

C．It is difficult for other women to reach the height Betty Skelton flew to.

D．Betty Skelton is an inspiring role model for pilots worldwide.

4.What is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Betty started to fly alone at a nearby navy base at the age of 12.

B．“Little Stinker” was Betty Skelton’s Pitts Special plane.

C．Betty set several speed records in car racing.

D．Betty even set a cross-country record.

5.What is the correct order of the events that happened in the passage?

a. Betty won the international Feminine Aerobatic Championship.

b. Betty became an advertising expert.

c. Betty made her first flight alone.

d. Betty began her aerobatic performance.

e. Betty became the first female test driver.

A．a(chǎn)→b→c→d→e	B．a(chǎn)→e→b→c→d
C．c→d→a→e→b	D．c→b→d→a→e

 

Imagine, one day, getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours, and then, after a full day of work, going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.
Sounds unusual, doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic, with the development of China’s high—speed railway system. And that’s not all. China has an even greater high-speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe.
China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years, eventually reaching London and Singapore.
China has proposed three such projects. The first would possibly connect Kunming with  Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia. Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and possibly to Germany. The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward, people could zip over from London to Berlin in under two days.
The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard. And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as some airplanes.
China’s bullet train(高速客車),the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou, already has the   World’s fastest average speed. It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours.
Of course, there are some technical challenges to overcome. There are so many issues that need to be settled, such as safety, rail gauge(軌距),maintenance of railway tracks. So, it’s important to pay attention to every detail.
But the key issue is really money. China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion.
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital  investment. Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development.
It’ll be a win-win project. For other countries, the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business, tourism and so on, not to mention the better communication among those countries.
For China, such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources, but would also help develop China’s far west. We foresee that in the coming decades, millions of people will migrate to the western regions, where the land is empty and resources unused. With high-speed trains, people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all. And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.
【小題1】China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because     .

A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism

【小題2】According to the passage, the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is     .

A．technical issues

B．safety of the system

C．financial problems

D．maintenance of railway tracks

【小題3】Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?

A．Critical.

B．Reserved.

C．Doubtful

D．Positive.

【小題4】Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．New Railway Standards

B．Big Railway Dreams

C．High-speed Bullet Trains

D．International Railway Network

In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(認知的) skills didn't get any smarter.

More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet and answering general knowledge questions. All participants were given a sort of I.Q test before and after the experiment.

Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet. On some sections of the test, the people who surfed the Net scored higher than those playing the games.

"If you're (playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, the study's lead author. "But if you're expecting (these games) to improve your I.Q., our data suggests this isn't the case," he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

One maker of brain games said the company's games have been proven to boost brain power.

"Their conclusion would be like saying, 'I cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes and therefore it is impossible to do so," Aldrich said in a statement.

"There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, who was not linked to the study and has no ties to any companies that make brain training games.

Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can spark(激發(fā)) new connections between nerves and produce new brain cells. "Fitness changes the building blocks of the brain's structure," he said.

1.. It can be inferred that the online brain games mentioned in the text are_____________.

A. costly     B. unreliable      C. illegal    D. effective

2.. Which of the following statements is true about the experiment in the second paragraph?

   A. The experiment lasted for a week.

B. Age didn’t affect the result of the research.

C. Every person played online brain games three times a day.

D. People who didn’t play online brain games did better in I.Q test

3.. What can we learn from the text?

   A. Playing games which are fun can improve your I.Q.

B. There is a lot of evidence to suggest skills can transfer to the real world.

   C. Do physical activity can boost your brain power.

D. Playing online games can spark new brain cells

4.The underlined sentence suggests that ___________.

   A. The research was not linked to the study  

B. Those playing the games can score higher in the test

C. playing the games can spark new connections between nerves

D. This isn’t the case that these games can improve your I.Q.