1 . If you want to travel from Xi’an to Chengdu by train, it will take about 16 hours. But starting this month, the new Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway will shorten this travel time to three hours.
The 643-kilometer line is China’s first high-speed railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which form a natural boundary (分界线) between China’s north and south. With a speed of 250 km per hour, it’s also the first mountain-heavy train line to provide a 4G network. Along the way, the train passes through two areas for rare wild animals — one for pandas and the other for crested ibises (朱鹮).
To reduce the railway’s influence on the animals, workers and experts have designed and built the railway to be environmentally friendly. There were 345 wild pandas living in the Qinling Mountains. China currently has 1, 864 wild pandas in total, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
To avoid disturbing the pandas, the railway was designed to run through tunnels within the area. Protective shields (防护屏) are placed near the entrance of each tunnel to stop animals from going in.
To protect the thousands of crested ibises that fly near one part of the railway, protective nets have been set up to make sure the birds will not fly into a train.
The nets are about 32 km long and 4 meters high. Experts tested different shapes and materials for building the nets before making their final choice.
1. From this month, it will take ______to travel from Xi’an to Chengdu by the high-speed train.| A．16 hours | B．13 hours |
| C．6 hours | D．3 hours |
| A．It runs through the Qinling Mountains. |
| B．It is China’s first high-speed railway. |
| C．It is the best mountain-heavy train line. |
| D．The train passes through many areas for rare wild animals. |
| A．To save money and energy. |
| B．To avoid harming wild animals. |
| C．To avoid damaging the mountains. |
| D．To help the train run through tunnels quietly. |
| A．Protective shields and nets. |
| B．How to protect pandas and crested ibises. |
| C．Qinling Mountains. |
| D．Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway. |
2 . The PAL-V Liberty is a revolutionary vehicle that can travel on both land and air. It is the world’s first commercial flying car, and it is now available for pre-order. The PAL-V Liberty is developed by a Dutch company called PAL-V International B. V., which stands for Personal Air and Land Vehicle. The company has been working on the project since 2001, and has successfully tested the prototype in 2012.
The PAL-V Liberty is a two-seater hybrid car and gyroplane, which means it has a three-wheeled chassis and a foldable rotor on top. It can switch between driving mode and flying mode in about 10 minutes, with the help of a semi-automatic system. It has a top speed of 160 km/h on the road and 180 km/h in the air, and can fly up to 500 km on a single tank of fuel. It uses regular gasoline, and can be refueled at any gas station.
The PAL-V Liberty is expected to be delivered to customers in 2023, alter obtaining the necessary certifications from aviation authorities. The company claims that the vehicle meets the existing regulations of both cars and aircrafts, and that it is safe and easy to operate. However, the PAL-V Liberty is not a cheap vehicle, nor is it accessible to everyone. It costs599,000 euros (about 4.7 million yuan) for the Pioneer Edition, which includes flight training courses, power heating and personalization options. There is also a cheaper Sport Edition, which costs 299,000 euros (about 2.3 million yuan), but it has less features and requires the buy er to pay an additional 10,000 euros(about 78,000 yuan) for flight training.
To drive the PAL-V Liberty, one needs both a driving license and a pilot license. The vehicle also requires a runway or airstrip to take off and land, as it cannot do so vertically like a helicopter. The company says it has received 70 orders for the vehicle so far, mostly from customers in Europe and North America. The PAL-V Liberty is a groundbreaking innovation that could change the future of transportation, but it also faces many challenges and limitations.
1. What’s the limitation of the Pioneer Edition of the PAL-V Liberty?| A．Lack of customized selection. | B．Failure to land and take off vertically |
| C．Extra money to be paid for flight training. | D．Disagreement with the existing traffic rules. |
| A．The PAL-V Liberty has been used in our daily life. |
| B．If you have a pilot license, you can drive the PAL-V Liberty. |
| C．It can switch between driving and flying mode in a short time |
| D．The Sport Edition is more attractive features than the Pioneer Edition. |
| A．favorable | B．skeptical | C．objective | D．indifference |
| A．The Dutch Innovation | B．The Future of Transportation |
| C．The Hybrid Car and the Gyroplane | D．The World’s First Commercial Flying Car |
3 . Towards the end of the 1985 sci-fi classic Back to the Future, the inventor Doc Brown announces “where we’re going, we don’t need roads as the car lifts into the air”. While flying cars aren’t yet filling our skies, many are in development. In October the Chinese XPeng X2 successfully completed the first public test flight of its two-seater flying car in Dubai.
The XPeng X2 lifts vertically off the ground using eight propellers (螺旋桨), without the need for a runway, and is therefore suitable for built-up city areas. The vehicle, designed to carry two passengers, is fully electric and its makers say it can rise through the air at around two meters per second and then reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. The XPeng X2 is equipped with AI automation — it can be set to self-drive. It learns how to avoid traffic, buildings and people. It does not produce any carbon dioxide emissions during flight and is a step forward in the pursuit of urban green transportation. It is suitable for future low-altitude city flights and is perfect for short-distance city journeys such as sightseeing and medical transportation.
Although the test flight lasted just 90 seconds, according to Dr. Liu, chief aviation specialist at Xpeng Aeroht, the technology is close to being ready for public use, but regulations on flying cars are still some way off. Liu believes that people will be able to use flying cars within limited regulated spaces in just five years. This lines up pretty well with the Chinese government’s plan to put flying taxis on the market by 2025. The self-driving function presents further difficulties with regulation and also throws into question public acceptance. Many people are worried about the safety issues around self-driving cars on the ground, let alone vehicles that are flying around above their heads. However, Peng says it is safer for its flying car to be self-driving than to be driven by a human.
There are lots of flying cars in development now around the world and many of them actually fly, like Opener’s “BlackFly”, SkyDriver’s “SD-03’’and Klein Vision’s “AirCar” — which made a successful 35-minute test flight between two cities in Slovakia in 2021.
1. Why does the author mention the 1985 sci-fi classic Back to the Future?| A．To introduce the topic | B．To recommend the movie |
| C．To provide background information | D．To make a prediction |
| A．The popularity of XPeng X2. | B．The advantages of XPeng X2. |
| C．The limitation of XPeng X2. | D．The prospect of XPeng X2. |
| A．XPeng X2 can carry two passengers at a speed of 80miles per hour. |
| B．XPeng X2 is close to finishing the first public test fight. |
| C．XPeng X2 has already been launched on the market at present. |
| D．XPeng X2 has been widely accepted by the public now. |
| A．Science fiction | B．Film review |
| C．Science & Technology | D．Historical events |
4 . Our mother has to leave home every day before we go to school. She has to walk twelve blocks to take the bus to work. We think it’s terrible that there is no bus that comes closer to our street.
I said to my mother, “This is a public transportation system. It is our system. It should come closer to our home. I do not want you to walk that far to get to the bus.” She agreed, but she said it would take more than one family to get the bus line to change. I told my mother I would ask my teacher about it. We could do a study and maybe start a petition (请愿书).
My teacher liked the idea. He said we could do the survey. So our class surveyed all our parents. We collected our survey data and made a table. We found that 90% of all the parents would use the bus more if it was easier to get to. We also found that only 20% of the parents could get to it easily, just by walking five blocks. For all the others, it took between 6 and 12 blocks.
We made a map to show how the bus route (路线) could be changed to reach people in our community more easily. Then my teacher called the alderman (市议员) to see if we could meet to talk about our study.
The alderman was impressed. She said we had done a really good job of thinking out the problem and a solution. She promised she would talk with the head of the transportation system about it.
Now my mother can leave later, and she only has to walk four blocks to get to the bus. When she leaves in the morning, she always says, “Son, I’m so glad you got the bus route changed.”
1. According to the first two paragraphs, the author wanted to ______.| A．get the public transportation system improved |
| B．walk with his mother to the bus stop |
| C．invite more families to take the bus |
| D．ask his teacher about a study plan |
| A．90% of the parents took the bus to work because it was easier to get to. |
| B．20% of the parents lived within five blocks to the bus stop. |
| C．Most parents used to wait for the bus to pick them up. |
| D．Only a few parents sent their kids to school by bus. |
| A．Worried. | B．Annoyed. |
| C．Moved. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．We should take notice of our family life. |
| B．We should communicate with others. |
| C．The harder we study, the greater progress we’ll make. |
| D．As long as we make efforts, we’ll make a difference. |
5 . If you had boarded a passenger plane in 1950, you would have seen five people in the cockpit (驾驶舱): two pilots, a radio operator, a navigator and a flight engineer. Over the years, technical advances have gradually removed the need for the last three, leaving just two pilots. That has been the norm (标准) in commercial aviation for decades.
However, things could be simplified further — one of the two remaining pilots could soon go. Many military aircraft are already manned by a single pilot, and for commercial aviation this would mean stepping into a brave new world.
But how will airlines make this brave innovation come true? One way is to greatly increase automation in the cockpit, devoting more tasks to computers. Another is to shift the same tasks from the cockpit to the ground. “The latter approach seems to be more workable, at least in the short term, because much of what is required already exists,” says Patrick Smith, an airline pilot flying Boeing 767 aircraft. “A trained ground operator could observe a number of flights at once and even fully control the plane remotely if needed.”
It’s true that single-pilot operations could help airlines save money, but there is another reason which makes them quicken their pace for this crucial breakthrough. Boeing predicts a need for 600,000 new pilots in the next two decades, but by some estimates, there will be a deficit (赤字) of at least 34,000 pilots globally by 2025. Reducing the number of pilots on some crews or aircraft could lessen the impact of this.
Perhaps the biggest barrier to a single pilot will be selling the idea to passengers. In 2019, Don Hairis, a professor at Coventry University, conducted a survey on the prospect of flying on an airliner with just one pilot. Just a minority of participants said they’d be willing to take that flight, and the general idea was that removing a pilot increased the possibility of accidents. In the study, Harris concluded that the single-crew airliner would be still probably 20 years away.
1. What is the potential trend in commercial aviation according to the text?| A．It will make air travel eco-friendly. |
| B．It will switch to single-pilot operations. |
| C．It will tighten its flight control for safety concerns. |
| D．It will bring in many military aircraft to the industry. |
| A．Raising the standards in admitting new pilots. |
| B．Making pilots adaptable to different situations. |
| C．Using computers to automate the flight process. |
| D．Gaining piloting support from ground operators. |
| A．The prospect of single-crew airliners is bright. |
| B．It’s urgent that airlines reduce airplane accidents. |
| C．Passengers are willing to try new types of airplanes. |
| D．Airlines have a long way to go before the innovation occurs. |
6 . Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.
Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.
That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted driving was “only increasing, unfortunately.”
“Big change requires big ideas.” he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.
An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York’s hands-free driving laws.
“We need something on the books that can change people’s behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state’s 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, “people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone.”
1. How was the original ban on drivers’ texting in the US?| A．Insignificant. | B．Irregular. | C．Irresistible. | D．Ineffective. |
| A．Road accidents are now rising sharply. | B．Americans are still texting while driving. |
| C．Too many people are driving after drinking. | D．Drivers are using social networks and taking photos. |
| A．Identify drivers’ location. | B．Test drivers’ speed. |
| C．Check drivers’ cell phone. | D．Predict drivers’ destination. |
| A．He made the ban to punish distracted driving. |
| B．He proposed the law to regulate drivers’ behaviors. |
| C．He invented the Textalyzer to test drivers’ behaviors. |
| D．He advised to improve the next generation cell phone. |
7 . Travel by train from London to Edinburgh
If you want to travel from London to Edinburgh by train, you’ve come to the right place —Waverley train station. Click Journey Planner to search for specific travel details.
Time Consumption:
The average journey time is 5 hours and 30 minutes, with around 68 trains per day. The journey time may be half hour longer on weekends and holidays. The fastest services just need 4 hours and 10 minutes when the governors travel between the two cities to be present at conferences.
Services:
There are 68 non-stop trains, though there may be fewer direct services available depending on your exact departure date. The first train leaves at 04:45 a. m. The last train leaves at 23:45.
Discount Train Tickets:
In general, the train ticket from London to Edinburgh is priced at €29.95 each. However, train ticket prices can start from as little as €23.96 when you book 12 weeks in advance online. And cheap tickets can also be gained in other ways.
•Get a Railcard: Save up to 1/3 on eligible(符合条件的) journeys for a whole year.
•Travel Off-Peak: Tickets are usually 15% cheaper than usual during quieter times on weekdays and weekends compared to Peak times.
•Use GroupSave: If you’re travelling in a group of 3-9 people, you can save up to 35% on eligible journeys at Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak times.
Want to check if trains are running? Use our timetable to view live trains.
1. At what possible time do you arrive in Edinburgh if catching the last train on December 24 from London?| A．5:15 a. m on Christmas Day. | B．5:45 a. m on Christmas Day. |
| C．10:15 a. m on Christmas Eve. | D．10:45 a. m on Christmas Eve. |
| A．About €11.98. | B．Some €17.97. |
| C．About €19.97. | D．Some €20.96. |
| A．Website. | B．Brochure. |
| C．Magazine. | D．Advertisement. |
8 . Steam trains paved the way for modern-day transportation, but just how much do you know about them?
The roots of steam trains can be traced back to the 18th century when the Scottish engineer James Watt improved steam engine technology. Watt’s improvements significantly enhanced the efficiency of steam engines. This breakthrough paved the way for the application of steam power in various industries, marking the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As the 19th century started, George Stephenson used the power of steam to power locomotives (火车头), telling the age of steam-powered transportation.
Steam trains played a vital role in transforming the world into a connected network of nations. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States in 1869 marked a historic moment, as steam locomotives linked the East and West coasts, reducing travel time and expanding economic, opportunities.
Similarly, the Orient Express in Europe became a symbol of luxury and international travel, carrying passengers from Paris to Istanbul in a quick way. The rhythmic sound of wheels on rails echoed (回响) through diverse landscapes, from the dry deserts of Australia to the snowy expanses of Siberia, as steam trains formed paths of connectivity across continents. During times of war, the role of steam trains extended to soldier transportation.
While steam trains led the railway landscape for over a century, the mid-20th century witnessed the arrival of electric and diesel locomotives, claiming greater efficiency and lower operational costs, and signaling a transformative shift.
As steam trains were not mainstream transportation, enthusiasts worldwide have preserved and restored steam locomotives, ensuring that these classic engine s continue to attract new generations with their nostalgic (怀旧的) charm, and that their stories continue to be told for ages to come.
For Heritage railways, they dedicate to the restoration and operation of classic steam locomotives. From the Bluebell Railway in England to the Strasburg Rail Road in the United States, these living museums allow modern-day travelers to experience the magic of steam travel. Riding the polished carriages and hearing the distinctive whistle, visitors experience a sensory voyage, connecting with a time when steam trains were the heartbeat of progress and adventure.
1. What marks the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?| A．Rapid expansion of railways. | B．Advance of steam locomotives. |
| C．Great efficiency of transportation. | D．The use of steam power in industries. |
| A．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | B．Add more facts to the role of steam trains. |
| C．Share a historic moment. | D．Introduce the Orient Express. |
| A．They welcome the arrival of electric engines. | B．They insist on using steam trains. |
| C．They offer a journey back in time. | D．They prefer to improve steam engines. |
| A．A travel guide. | B．A book review. | C．A history paper. | D．A newspaper report. |
9 . The next time San Franciscans take a cab, they may step into a car with no one behind the steering wheel (方向盘). Driverless taxis are now allowed to drive on the city’s streets — with some conditions.
Last week, regulators of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to issue a novel permit to Cruise, the self-driving vehicle branch company of General Motors (GM). The first-of-its-kind permit allows Cruise to charge for rides, without a human driver in the car. Cruise had already been offering free rides in its self-driving cars, but the move allows the company to launch fully autonomous commercial operations in the Bay Area.
Cruise can operate just 30 autonomous vehicles without a safety driver, and the company can only charge for rides between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. in neighbourhoods that are outside of the busy down town area. Weather conditions are also a factor: No autonomous taxi rides when there’s heavy rain, heavy fog, heavy smoke, or snow in the forecast. Shared rides aren’t allowed.
Cruise’s technology is made up of a series of sensors and cameras built into a Chevrolet Bolt, an entirely electric car made by GM. Cruise has also announced plans for a car of their own, the Cruise Origin. The Cruise Origin lacks pedals (脚踏板), mirrors, a steering wheel and consists mostly of a sitting space, where passengers can face each other.
Supporters of self-driving vehicles say the technology has the possibility to reduce traffic deaths and injuries, expand transportation options, save money and lower the environmental impact of cars. As Waymo’s former CEO John Krafcik said, “We can be good drivers when we are focused. But because we are human, we are often not focused.”
1. What is the influence of giving a novel permit to Cruise?| A．Cruise can have its first autonomous car. |
| B．Free rides in self-driving cars are allowed. |
| C．Cruise can earn money through self-driving cars. |
| D．Manned driving will be replaced by self-driving. |
| A．At 11:00 p. m. on clear days. | B．At 8:00 a. m. on snowy days. |
| C．At 4:00 a. m. on foggy days. | D．At 1:00 p. m. on sunny days. |
| A．It is driven by itself completely. | B．It has more sensors and cameras. |
| C．It can only be owned by internal employees. | D．It lacks some normal basic facilities. |
| A．Driverless Taxis Are Coming to San Francisco |
| B．Traffic Accidents Will Be Avoided by Self-Driving |
| C．Self-Driving Vehicles Are More Intelligent than Humans |
| D．More Choices of Transportation Are Provided for Passengers |
10 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.
One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers’ concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.
As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.
Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1. What does the underlined word “hurdle” probably mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Obstacle. | B．Intention. | C．Worry. | D．Stage. |
| A．They will suffer disbelief because of battery capacity. |
| B．The high price will put the future of electric cars at risk. |
| C．They will not be widely promoted because of picky customers. |
| D．They will compete with petrol and diesel cars fiercely for markets. |
| A．The history of electric travel. |
| B．Different ways electric vehicles can be used. |
| C．Reasons why the world needs more electric cars. |
| D．The trend that more people have interest in electric cars. |
| A．Potentials of Petrol and Diesel Cars | B．Challenges Facing Electric Cars |
| C．A Cleaner Future on the Road | D．Best Means of Transportation |
