1 . 阅读表达
BEIJING－With trains rumbling down new tracks, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia has just been unlocked, poised to transform itself into a hub connecting the fast-growing region to markets as far away as in Europe.
Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Laos Railway has been completed and put into operation, and the Lao people have finally realized their railway dream, said Thongloun Sisoulith, Laos’ president.
The importance of transportation cannot be overemphasized. It is the artery of a nation, and of the globalized world. As a popular Chinese saying goes, “Roads lead to riches.”
The World Bank has estimated that the China-Laos Railway could significantly reduce land transport prices by 40 to 50 percent between Vientiane and Kunming, and by 32 percent between Kunming and the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand. As the railway connects Laos to the vast BRI network, including the China-Europe Railway Express, aggregate (总计的) income in the country could be increased by up to 21 percent over the long term.
Across the world, China’s development and cooperation with other countries have changed the life trajectory (发展轨迹) of numerous people. In Africa, China helped Kenya build the country’s first railway since its independence, which links its two largest cities－Nairobi and Mombasa－and allows people to work in satellite cities and towns and join their families within hours.
Mohammad Nauman, a young Pakistani man, made a career decision seven years ago when China and Pakistan decided to build Pakistan’s first metro system. He became a technician at the metro company. In 2020, the line was opened to traffic.
“It was very amazing for me that this whole connectivity was coming to my country,” Nauman said.
1. Why is the China-Laos railway important to the Lao people?| A．It helps realize their dream. |
| B．It helps reduce land transport cost. |
| C．It helps connect Laos and other countries. |
| D．It helps increase Lao yearly income. |
| A．Laos | B．Thailand | C．Kenya | D．Eurasia |
| A．Pakistani lives have been changed by metro systems built by China. |
| B．China helped Pakistanis realize the dream of being connected across the country. |
| C．Nauman wanted to thank China for offering him a job as a technician. |
| D．Nauman decided on his career with the first metro system to be built in his country. |
“What shall I do when the whole connectivity becomes a reality?” Nauman thought.
A. It won’t be enough to have only a general understanding of our area of work but we should keep learning until we become specialists.
B. There will be new essential 21st century skills that we will have to have.
C. And given that people will not stay in the same career for long, we can expect that we will have to go back to education and training at some stage to be qualified to work in another field.
D. For example, a university degree is still useful, but technology developments mean that many skills we have now are unlikely to remain relevant in the future.
E. Earning a decent salary is one thing, but if we really want to succeed in our careers we have to be innovators, thinking of new and exciting ways to do things.
