If you visit Wuppertal, Germany, make sure you take the Schwebebahn. It’s a railway that runs for 13 kilometres and carries over 80, 000 passengers (乘客) every day.
The Schwebebahn travels in a very different way. Its 24-metre-long train doesn’t run on the track (轨道), but under it. The track is 12 metres above the river, so as the train goes over the city. Passengers can enjoy the exciting sights freely.
The Schwebebahn didn’t come easy. In the 1880s, the traffic in Wuppertal was so busy that the government had to develop a new way of travelling. At that time, a man named Eugen Langen was trying a railway under the track to carry products for his company. It was successful so later Eugen put this idea into the Schwebebahn. In that way, the space above the River Wupper got fully used. It turned out to be a very good choice. The Schwebebahn gives special travel experiences to passengers. Its stations are as beautiful as art museums, so passengers won’t be bored while waiting in the stations. A classical train also offers all kinds of services, such as food and drinks. What’s more, people can book this train to have parties or even get married in the air! They will never forget this one-hour journey in the air.
Now the Schwebebahn is more than a railway for Wuppertal. It is a symbol of the city.
1. How does the Schwebebahn travel according to the passage?A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Making products for a company. | B．Using the space above the river. |
| C．Building a railway under the track. | D．Carrying things for the government. |
| A．They can enjoy a party on the train. |
| B．They can visit the art museums on the train. |
| C．They can take a two-hour journey in the air. |
| D．They can cook food when waiting in the station. |
| A．To show the important stations of Wuppertal. |
| B．To introduce the facts about the Schwebebahn. |
| C．To share a riding experience in the Schwebebahn. |
| D．To tell why Wuppertal needed a new way of travelling. |
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All aboard! Let’s take a ride on the world’s highest railway—the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
We’re leaving Qinghai Station. The scenery along the way is some of the wildest in all of China. You’re your eyes open as we go through this beautiful land. You may see some Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) from your window.
Before we begin our journey, let’s learn about this fantastic railway. It’s truly one of the great engineering buildings of the 21st century. When it was completed on July 1st, 2006, the Tibet Railway set nine world records (纪录), like the world’s highest railway at 5, 072 metres above sea level, the world’s highest tunnel at 4, 905 metres, and the longest tunnel ever built on permafrost (冻土).
As we travel higher, the air gets thinner and thinner. Soon there will only be 50% to 60% of the oxygen (氧气), but don’t be afraid, Each railcar has two oxygen systems (系统). One system gives oxygen in the train all the time. And each passenger can also get a personal oxygen mask just like those used in planes.
Here are a few more things to think about as our train leaves the station. The workers solved three main problems when building this great railway. First, the high altitude (海拔) made the building difficult because there was no enough oxygen. Then, much of the railway runs across permafrost. It’s a kind of ground and keeps changing when the weather warms and cools. Finally, the railway goes through some of the most sensitive ecology (敏感的生态环境) in China. Great care was a must to make sure of the smallest influence on nature.
All three problems were met, making our trip come true. All aboard! The train to Tibet is leaving in fifteen minutes.
1. How does the writers how the railway is fantastic in Paragraph 3?| A．He tells a story. | B．He uses a worker’s words. |
| C．He shows the world records. | D．He compare snow with the past. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．The dirty air. | B．The hot weather. |
| C．The dangerous animals. | D．The changing ground. |
| A．A Magic Railway to Tibet | B．A Beautiful Land in Tibet |
| C．A Comfortable Trip to Tibet | D．The Hardest Building in the World |
Google has started to build some kinds of experimental electric self- driving cars that look like a Smart car or Fiat 500. There is no steering wheel(方向盘)，gas pedal or brake. The only things a human passenger controls are a red “e-stop” button(按钮) for fear stops and a start button. The car’s only “friendly” face is designed to make it help people accept self-driving technology.
Google workers took part in a long experiment, in which they used self-driving cars for their usual travel to work. No accident happened, but Google’s heads realized that depending on a human passenger to drive in an emergency(紧急情况) wouldn’t work because they may be reading, working , or sleeping. Now the self-driving car drives by itself if the driver takes his hands off the wheel for over ten seconds.
Google’s self-driving cars are now limited(限定) to a speed of 25 miles per hour for safety reasons. The cars aren’t allowed to drive on highways. However, a Google engineer said that once the cars are solved to run safely, we can drive at the speed of 50, even 80 miles an hour.
Google recently announced that its cars had covered 700,000 miles of public roads, and they were now running in busy city streets. People who love self-driving cars say this will improve transport by making roads safer, cutting down accident, and making less pollution.
Of course, there’s no need to look for parking at a crowded shopping mall. Instead, users could let their self-driving cars drop them off to park itself. A mother who took a test ride said that having the car would allow her more time to catch up with her son. The cars could also allow people who might not be able to drive to enjoy the hand-free driving. And drunk driving? Not a problem. It is very likely that by 2020, driverless cars will be common. Do you believe so?
1. What equipment do the self-driving cars have?
| A．A gas pedal. | B．A brake. |
| C．A steering wheel. | D．An “e-stop” button and a start button |
| A．25 miles an hour. | B．50 miles an hour. |
| C．80 miles an hour. | D．100 miles an hour. |
| A．Google has changed its development plan and helped other factories make cars. |
| B．Google has already had car-testing experiments in all the states in the US. |
| C．Google has realized some problems and tried to solve them. |
| D．Google has asked its own workers to buy the cars and travel to work. |
| A．They can start the engine by itself and make people’s hands completely free. |
| B．They can help to solve air pollution and reduce car accident. |
| C．They can park by themselves and make mothers look after young kids easily. |
| D．They can help those disabled people to enjoy the driving. |
| A．If the driver presses the “e-stop” button, the car will drive by itself at once to keep safe. |
| B．If the driver is reading, working or sleeping, he can’t handle the situation in time. |
| C．The car’s friendly face will work and help the driver accept the situation and stay calm. |
| D．The self-driving car will break the speed limit and run at a speed that the driver tells it. |
【推荐3】On an online forum （论坛）, some students are having a discussion. They are talking about whether it is better to use bicycles or to drive cars in the city.
Matthew 2018-11-21 20：22
I believe that nowadays, it is better to use a bicycle. First, bicycles are safer. A person can't reach a high speed on a bicycle. Secondly, cars damage the environment. They produce a lot of harmful gases. People are building more and more roads. Wildlife habitats（栖息地）are being destroyed.
Samuel 2018-11-21 20：25.
I don't agree with Matthew. Imagine you have a well-paid job and you choose to ride a bicycle to work. Your nice suit would become dirty and your hair would look messy（凌乱的）. You would not be able to meet your customers.
Nowadays, first impressions are everything. ·Just imagine what would happen if you came on a bicycle to sign a million dollar contract（合同）!
Thomas 2018-11-21 20：30
Try to ride a bicycle to work in the middle of February! Good luck getting home!
Rebecca2018-11-21 20：30
Today, we should ride a bicycle because there are many problems with cars. First, driving a car is bad for the environment. ·Secondly, there are a lot of traffic jams. People who drive often have to waste lots of time on these jams. In addition, bicycles are much cheaper than cars!
Olivia 2018-11-21 20：32
I prefer a bicycle. Riding a bicycle to and from school keeps me fit. I am now running a club to help prevent pollution. Get out of your car and get on a bicycle!
1. The students are talking about____________.| A．Whether it is better to live in the city or to live countryside. |
| B．Whether it is better to use bicycle or use cars in the city. |
| C．Whether it is better to buy new bicycles or to buy second hand bicycles. |
| D．Whether it is better to drive cars or to use public transportation in the city. |
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five. |
| A．driving a car is bad for the environment | B．riding a bicycle is good for health |
| C．cars are more dangerous than bicycle | D．bicycles are much cheaper than cars |
| A．driving to sign a contract makes a good impression |
| B．cars,in fact,are not more dangerous than bicycle |
| C．cars do produce lots of harmful gases |
| D．it is impossible to ride a bicycle in the middle of February |
【推荐1】Fireworks were invented in China in the 7th century. A group of Taoists(道士) were trying to create a medicine that would make people live forever. Instead, they invented gunpowder(火药) by accident. From then on, it was always used for fireworks.
Today, fireworks mark celebrations all over the world. From ancient China to the New World, fireworks have developed a lot. The very first fireworks didn’t do much more than pop(爆炸), but modern ones can create lots of shapes, many colors and different sounds. People shoot fireworks into the sky when they are celebrating a great event. It fills the dark sky with bright reds, blues, yellows, greens and whites.
Fireworks give joy and pleasure to millions of people every year, but they have to be treated with great care because they are perilous. Get too close to it and it could burn you badly or even kill you. That’s why the sale and use of fireworks is restricted(限制) by law in many countries. If you’re having anything to do with fireworks, be sure to read and follow all the safety instructions.
Often movie or television cartoons show fireworks to mark the excitement of any event or activity. One such event is falling in love. If anything can produce fireworks, it is a sweetheart’s kiss or the touch of a lover’s hand.
Fireworks can also be a useful expression. It means a great show of noisy anger. For example, when one wants to stop a loud argument, he may say, “I want no more of these fire works in this room.”
Whether you are excited or angry, there are always fireworks.
1. What can we know about the very first fireworks according to the passage?| A．They can create many shapes. | B．They can make different sounds. |
| C．They can hardly do anything but pop. | D．They can fill the sky with different colors. |
| A．Serious. | B．Popular. | C．Dangerous. | D．Convenient. |
| A．To explain how fireworks were invented. |
| B．To ask people to treat fireworks with great care. |
| C．To show the joy and pleasure fireworks bring to people. |
| D．To introduce fireworks and their use in different situations. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
【推荐2】Have you ever lost yourself in doing something so that you lost track of time? Everything around you—from the ringing of phones to the people passing in the hallways—seemed to be away.
Most of us have had this experience at one time or another. This is a mental state called “flow”. When it happens, we completely focus on the task before us so that nothing else seems to matter. We feel energetic, even joyful, about what we are doing.
The idea of flow was introduced and first studied by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihályi. His flow model shows the emotional states, which we’re likely to experience when trying to complete a task, depend on the difficulty of the challenge and our skill levels. For example, if the task is low challenging and doesn’t require a lot of skills, we’re likely to feel apathy and bored towards it. But facing a challenging task without the required skills could easily result in worry and anxiety. To perform at our best, we need a task with a high difficulty level, and we believe we have well-developed skills to do it. This moves us to a position where we can experience “flow”.
________? During flow, people can improve performance and get better result, faster. For instance, artists who Csikszentmihályi interviewed, said that they were highly productive, and that their work was done perfectly “without putting in much effort” in the flow state. Flow can also make people more curious and creative because they have to seek new challenges and information to keep the state. With flow, people have greater levels of happiness and satisfaction in their activities.
Flow often happens during creative activities and sports activities. But flow states aren’t just something experienced by artists, writers, or sports persons. Flow can happen anytime a person is deeply engaged in a task, including during learning activities. Many people want to achieve flow more often in their daily lives. While doing a task, having clear plans, adding something challenge-able and giving and receiving feedback in time can help achieve flow. It’s more difficult to achieve flow if the focus is disturbed, so it’s necessary that smartphones, TV and other distractions get turned off.
1. When people are in flow, they ________.| A．need to dicuss on the phone | B．focus on the time often |
| C．give full attention to their tasks | D．notice others passing by |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Why is flow so enjoyable | B．When can people experience flow |
| C．What advantages does flow bring | D．How do people use the flow model |
| A．A writer who gets much advice after publishing a book. |
| B．An artist who is drawing an apple for his 10-year-old daughter. |
| C．A chess player who knows what to do before competitions. |
| D．A student who prefers doing homework while watching TV. |
【推荐3】Americans love pets. Many pet owners treat their pets as a part of the family. They treat their pets as their children—sometimes even better.
In America, there are more families with pets than those with children. 43 percent of U.S. homes have pets. Some of the pets are exotic, such as monkeys, snakes, butterflies and even wolves. Those animals come from other countries, especially China, Thailand, South Africa and so on. More common pets include fish, mice and birds. However, their favorites are cats and dogs. They sometimes have strong feelings about whether dogs or cats make better pets. “Dog people” and “cat people” often have friendly arguments about that.
People can get many benefits from pets. Pets stay with people, make people happy and help people get rid of loneliness. Therefore, most of Americans like pets. They think pets should be treated well. At least 75 animal welfare (福利) organizations have been set up in America. They provide care and good services for homeless animals. Some pets can help people live a better life. For example, researchers have discovered that getting on with animals can help lower a person’s blood pressure. Dogs can offer protection from strange visitors. Cats can play games with the children. Some kinds of pets can provide love for their owners. In fact, to keep a pet can help a young couple have the responsibility to raise children. Pets are as basic to U.S. culture as hot dogs or apple pies. To Americans, pets are not just property, but a part of the family.
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．7% of U.S. homes don’t have pets. |
| B．In the U.S., the families with children are fewer than those with pets. |
| C．Fish, mice and birds are the most popular pets in the U.S. |
| D．American pets are not all from their own country. |
| A．they treat their pets even better than their children |
| B．there are at least 75 animal welfare organizations in the U.S. |
| C．pets can bring many benefits to people |
| D．they have strong feelings |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By raising questions. |
| C．By giving numbers. | D．By comparing in different ways. |
| A．Pets. | B．Hot dogs. | C．Apple pies. | D．Monkey and snakes. |
| A．American likes keeping pets. | B．“Dog people”often argue with “cat people”. |
| C．Young couples should keep pets in the U.S. | D．Dog people and cat people. |
