1 . Twenty-four trains, nine countries, 13,500 miles. They are the numbers behind the heroic round trip one man took from Southampton in the UK to eastern China.

Roger Tyers, 37, used over $2,500, which was almost twice more than the cost of a return flight, to travel to the Chinese port city Ningbo for academic research in May, 2019. The man spent a month on board 15 trains during the first leg of his round trip. It was the climate crisis, not a love of trains, that drove the sociologist to choose this complicated route over a return flight. He stopped flying when UN climate experts warned that the world had less than 11 years to avoid terrible levels of global warming. Tyers calculated that his train journey to China produced almost 90% less emissions than a return flight.

Tyers is not the only person to avoid air travel in response to climate change. Thousands of people worldwide have publicly promised to stop flying. Activist Maja Rosen launched the “Flight Free” campaign in Sweden with the goal of encouraging 100,000 people not to fly for one year. Although only around 14,000 people signed the online “# flightfree2019” pledge (保证), Rosen, who stopped flying 12 years ago, says that the campaign has made more people worry about the climate crisis and aware of harm of travel by air and motivated them to try new ways of travelling.

According to a survey released in May 2019 by Swedish Railways, 37% of respondents chose to travel by train instead of by plane where possible, compared to 20% at the start of 2018. A spokesperson said: “Rail travel has been boosted due to the worries.” Domestic passenger numbers in July fell by 12% compared to the previous year, according to Swedavia, a company which operates Sweden’s 10 busiest airports.

“The collective pledge helps fight the sense of hopelessness many people feel when it comes to tackling climate change,” Rosen said. “One of the problems is that people feel there’s no point in what you do as an individual. The campaign is about making people aware that if we do this together, we can actually bring changes.”

1. Why did Roger Tyers travel to China by train?

A．He was terrified of traveling by plane.	B．He had a preference for railway tours.
C．He tried to be environmentally friendly.	D．He was advised to protect the environment.

2. What’s the function of the statistics in paragraph 4?

A．To prove the advantage of rail travel.	B．To show the impact of the campaign.
C．To introduce new ways of travelling.	D．To state current problems with tourism.

3. What do we know about the “Flight Free” campaign?

A．It fueled the development of tourism.

B．It aimed to warn of the danger of flying.

C．It achieved great success all over the world.

D．It inspired people’s confidence to make a difference.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text be found?

A．Travel.

B．Environment.

C．Education.

D．Lifestyle.

3 . The noise produced by busy roads is a growing problem.

Already, researchers in the Netherlands are working to develop techniques for silencing the roads. In the next five years the Dutch government aims to reduce noise levels from the country’s road surfaces by six decibels overall. Dutch mechanical engineer Ard Kuijpers has come up with one of the most promising and novel ideas. He set out to address the three most important factors: surface texture (质地), hardness and the ability to absorb sound.

The rougher the surface, the more likely it is that a tyre will vibrate (颤动) and create noise. Road builders usually get rid of bumps on freshly laid asphalt (柏油) with heavy rollers, but Kuijpers has developed a method of road building that he thinks can create the ultimate quiet road. His secret is a special mould (模具) 3 metres wide and 50 metres long. Hot asphalt, mixed with small stones, is spread into the mould by a rail-mounted machine which flattens the asphalt mix with a roller. When it sets, the 10-millimetre-thick sheet has a surface smoother than anything that can be achieved by conventional methods.

To better the performance of his road surface—to make it hard wearing yet soft enough to remove vibrations—he then adds another layer below the asphalt. This consists of a 30-millimetre-thick layer of rubber, mixed with stones which are larger than those in the layer above. “It’s like a giant mouse mat, making the road softer,” says Kuijpers.

The foundation itself uses an even more sophisticated technique to reduce noise further. It consists of a sound-absorbing concrete base containing flask-shaped slots (瓶型狭槽) up to 10 millimetres wide and 30 millimetres deep that are open at the top and sealed at the lower end. When sound waves of specific frequencies enter the top of a flask, they set up resonances (共鸣) inside and the energy of the sound dissipates (消散) into the concrete as heat.

Kuijpers believes he can cut noise by five decibels compared to the quietest of today’s roads. The success of Kuijpers’ design will depend on how much it eventually costs. But for those affected by traffic noise there is hope of quieter times ahead.

1. Kuijpers’ design is meant to ________.

A．reduce air pollution	B．deal with traffic problems
C．build roads of better quality	D．provide a quieter environment

2. What effect will the special mould achieve in paragraph 3?

A．The road will be smoother.	B．The road will be straighter.
C．The road will be harder.	D．The road will be wider.

3. Which is the right order of the objects from the bottom to the top of the road?

A．asphalt mixed with small stones→flask-shaped slots→the layer of rubber

B．flask-shaped slots→the layer of rubber→asphalt mixed with small stones

C．the layer of rubber→asphalt mixed with small stones→flask-shaped slots

D．asphalt mixed with small stones→the layer of rubber→flask-shaped slots

4. Kuijpers’ design will be adopted if ________.

A．it passes the test	B．it costs reasonably
C．it is easy to operate	D．it meets the deadline

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Chinese new energy vehicle companies, including battery and car makers, are entering Germany with innovations,     1     German car expert said this Friday. Key battery manufacturers in China are now building battery cell factories with large investments in Germany, thus     2    (bring) technology to the country. “China is helping Germany to carry out climate-friendly strategies more     3    (rapid),” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of CAR Center Automotive Research Duisburg.

Germany’s government is aiming     4    (have) 15 million pure electric cars on the road by 2030. In the meanwhile, carmakers like NIO or BYD will bring their products and service to Europe. On Friday at its European launch event in Berlin, NIO prepared three new models     5     customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.

Earlier this week, German car rental company and mobility service provider Sixt made an announcement and     6    (reveal) its plans to order 100,000 electric vehicles from China’s: YD over the next six years. Up to now, Sixt     7    (order) several thousand pure electric vehicles from BYD. The first vehicles would be available to Europe, starting with Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in the     8    (four) quarter of 2022, according to the company.

“It is good for the exchange between Germany and China, through     9     we cooperate with technology-driven Chinese new energy companies. It helps us learn how     10    (advance) Chinese technology is and it encourages further exchange,” Dudenhoeffer said.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What should the listeners bring on Monday?

A．Jacket.

B．Sandwiches.

C．Drinks.

2. What will the listeners do on Tuesday?

A．Bike to the top of Mount Lama.

B．Enjoy the fantastic views.

C．Cycle back to the camp.

3. When can the listeners make a purchase?

A．On Wednesday morning.

B．On Wednesday afternoon.

C．On Thursday evening.

4. Who is this speech probably intended for?

A．Music lovers.

B．Astronomers.

C．Tourists.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where is the man learning to drive?

A．At Rupert’s Driving School.

B．At Russell’s Driving School.

C．At Robert’s Driving School.

2. How are the cars there?

A．New and big.

B．New and small.

C．Old and small.

3. Why did the man fail the last test?

A．He hit something.

B．He didn’t park in the right place.

C．He drove through the red lights.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How long has the man lived in this area?

A．For 5 years.

B．For 10 years.

C．For 20 years.

2. How far is the gas station from the place where the two speakers are?

A．About half a mile.

B．About two miles.

C．About two and a half miles.

3. What can be known about the gas station?

A．It has a red roof.

B．It is very large.

C．It is very small.