1 . China Train Guide
Quick Guide on China Train Travel
If you’re looking for an affordable and comfortable way to get around China, train travel is the way to go. Getting train information and cheap train tickets has never been easier. Online train ticket booking makes it easy for travelers to look through China’s train timetable, compare train fares, and look for ticket availability. Once you’ve found a suitable train, you can book online and pick your tickets up at the train station or get them delivered to your home or hotel. Train tickets can be booked online a minimum of 35 minutes and a maximum of 60 days before departure.
How to choose train types
When you’re buying China train tickets online, you’ll notice that the journey duration differs depending on which type of train you choose. China train types can be recognized by their letter codes G, D and C trains are high-speed trains, while Z, T and K are slower or overnight trains. China’s high-speed trains run between Chinese provincial capitals and first-tier Chinese cities. G trains (high-speed trains, standing for gāotiě) are China’s bullet trains—the fastest trains with a maximum speed of 400 km／h. Tickets for these trains are the most expensive.
How to buy train tickets
Unless you can read Chinese, there are only two ways to make train reservations in China:
—Online train ticket booking with a travel agency (up to 60 days before departure).
—At the train station／local ticket agency with your passport (up to 58 days before departure).
How to read train tickets
When reading your train ticket, please take note of the Chinese characters and Pinyin printed next to your departure / arrival city. Directions (North, South, East, and West) appear in Pinyin (Bei, Nan, Dong, and Xi), not English. Please make sure you are going to the correct train station.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．It’s difficult to get train information in China. |
| B．You can get on the train without tickets after booking online. |
| C．Traveling by train in China is not very expensive. |
| D．Train tickets online are available at any time within 60 days before you leave. |
| A．G trains | B．Z trains | C．D trains | D．Overnight trains |
| A．Native tourists. | B．Travel agencies. | C．Businessmen. | D．Foreign travelers. |
2 . During my third year of university, I spent six months studying in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many are worried about travelling to Rio but I promise, it is worth a visit. Now I want to share my top recommendations (推荐) for experiencing Rio less as a tourist but more like a native Brazilian.
Pedra Bonita
Rio is full of hiking routes, and some Brazilians love to spend an afternoon hiking. My favorite route of all has to be Pedra Bonita. Pedra Bonita involves a steep climb of about an hour through tall trees, and I admit it is difficult in Rio’s heat, but you are rewarded at the top with a wonderful view of the city, standing high above the green landscape and blue sea below.
Mureta da Urca
One thing you are sure to find in Rio is an amazing sunset, but a lot of the best spots tend to be full of tourists. In my opinion, Mureta da Urca is the most relaxing place to watch the sun set over the silver sea, with the figure of Christ the Redeemer standing tall in the background.
Pedra do Sal
Pedra do Sal is a historical area in the city centre and on Monday nights it is brought to life by the sound of samba. Hundreds of people gather in the street, food and drink stalls are set up and it becomes a giant street party with everyone enjoying the happy sound of live samba!
Picanha
If there were one Brazilian food I could bring back to the UK, it would be picanha. It is the tastiest cut of steak I have ever tasted, served alongside rice and beans.
1. The writer once went to Rio de Janeiro to ________.| A．stay there as a tourist for six months |
| B．study as a short-time international student |
| C．live as a native Brazilian |
| D．learn how to be a native Brazilian |
| A．Pedra Bonita. | B．Mureta da Urca. |
| C．Pedra do Sal. | D．Picanha. |
| A．A wonderful view of the city. | B．An amazing sunset. |
| C．A giant street party. | D．A nice Brazilian food. |
3 . A crew of six teenage girls completed a nine-day sailing trip in the US recently, after braving seasickness and strong winds.
For the past three years，the Sea Cadet teenagers who set sail were all male. Roger Noakes, who captained the boat，said this was the first time he’d taken out an all-female crew.
The girls asked for an a11-girls trip in August this year.The crew set sail along with three adults, Noakes and two Sea Cadet representatives.The original plan was for the girls to sail 24 hours a day in rotating shifts(轮流换班)along the coast and then return.Things turned out differently，however. “The first night was rough because the wind was really hard.The waves were going up and down，”said Abby Fairchild，16. “Everybody got seasick.” Noakes gave the girls the option of just sailing in the bay and not going into open water. “But they decided they were going.”
The teenagers then sailed a long way overnight and slept in shifts. “We’ve learned everything from steering(掌舵) the boat itself to putting up the sails to cooking while we have rough seas，”said 15-year-old Olivia Wilcox.
The teenagers stopped on land in Massachusetts. They didn’t make it to their original destination in Maine，where they were supposed to have a celebratory dinner，due to the weather and winds. They said they weren’t disappointed，however，as they’d learned a lot. “They learned about boating，and above all，they built confidence and character，” said Noakes.
1. What was special about the US Sea Cadet trip this year?| A．It was the longest sailing trip ever. |
| B．It was the first all-female-crew sailing trip. |
| C．It was the most dangerous sailing trip ever. |
| D．It was the first sailing trip for teenagers. |
| A．They all got seasick. | B．They regretted taking the trip. |
| C．They decided to stay in the bay. | D．Some of them were injured. |
| A．Determined and cooperative. | B．Hard-working and talented. |
| C．Understanding and creative. | D．Adventurous and skillful. |
| A．They acquired excellent sailing skills. |
| B．They learned to work in teams. |
| C．They built confidence and character. |
| D．They knew the sea better. |
4 . Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle — named the Transition — has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.
Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit（定金） to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost as much as $279,000. And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.
Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.
Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (联邦航空管理局) decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The advantages of flying cars. |
| B．The basic data of the Transition. |
| C．The possible market for flying cars. |
| D．The designers of the Transition. |
| A．It causes traffic jams. | B．It is difficult to operate. | C．It is very expensive. | D．It burns too much fuel. |
| A．The government supports it. | B．The government is against it. |
| C．The government sets higher standards to discourage it | D．The government thinks it is on the way out. |
| A．Flying Car at Auto Show | B．The Transition’s First Flight |
| C．Pilots’ Dream Coming True | D．Flying Car Closer to Reality |
5 . “It’s a big hammer to crack a nut.” This is how one angry parent described the recent crackdown(强制措施)by London police on parents who drop their kids off at school by car. Yes, you read that correctly—the very mode of transportation that many American schools insist—the only safe way to deliver kids to school is now being criminalized in the United Kingdom.
The decision to fine any vehicles seen dropping off or picking up kids with in a particular zone of east London comes from city councillors’(议员) long-term efforts to make the area safer and less crowded. They say they’ve been trying for years “to encourage sensible driving and parking”, but in vain. Neighborhood residents complain frequently about their driveways being blocked by illegally parked cars for 15 minutes or more，often while they’re trying to get to work, and the streets are long overcrowded.
Now the rules have changed. Some parents are angry. Angie Baillieul is a mother who made the “big hammer” comment and says the crackdown is “way over the top.” The nearest drop-off point for her six- year-old is now a five-minute walk from the school. Others are happy with the decision, severe though it may seem. Councillor Jason Frost said ：
“Traffic has significantly reduced，and more children are now walking to school, which is a great outcome. I would rather have complaints that we are slightly inconveniencing parents than hear that a child had been seriously injured because nothing was done.”
I witness daily the chaos created by these in-town drivers，when I walk my own kids to school. There’s a parking lot overflowing with vehicles and a slow-moving train of cars moving in circles，many filling the air with harmful smokes. Meanwhile, the conversations around child over-weight and the importance of daily physical activity continue to stand out in schools.
1. Why is Angie Baillieul opposed to the new rule?| A．She is often fined by London police. | B．She will lose her job as a school driver. |
| C．She has adapted to the American practice. | D．She thinks it adds inconvenience to her son. |
| A．On account of massive complaints. | B．Because of heavy traffic jams. |
| C．Owing to safety concern. | D．Due to air pollution. |
| A．Less daily chaos. | B．Favor from all people. |
| C．More over-weight children. | D．Complaints from neighbors. |
| A．Parents attempt to resist a school rule. |
| B．London police cause widespread anger. |
| C．American schools care about kids7 safety. |
| D．Different voices are heard on a new traffic policy. |
