1 . The United States has over 50 famous, well-traveled national parks. Among them are Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Acadia. The country also has several roads called National Parkways. These long, winding paths let Visitors experience nature, history and culture from a car. Like the parks, the roads are managed by the National Park Service.
The parkways cut through some of the most scenic parts of the country. One of the longest and most popular is the Blue Ridge Parkway.
National parkways are made up of scenic roads and surrounding land. They were designed to give people driving cars a chance to see beautiful parts of the country. They have also been important for improving local economies.
The idea for National Parkways began in the early 1930s, during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a difficult economic time in the United States. Families and communities suffered. Many people were without work.
To create more jobs and improve the economy, the U.S. government built roads that passed through beautiful parts of the country that had suffered during the Depression.
One of these roads was the Blue Ridge Parkway. The early goal for the parkway was to build a road through the Appalachian Mountains that connected Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
In the beginning, building the parkway created some problems for local communities. People who had been living in the area were forced to move. Also, people were not permitted to drive vehicles on the parkway while carrying items for sale. But, in the end, the Blue Ridge Parkway brought jobs and money to the communities. And today, it is an important part of the local economy. In the last year, the Blue Ridge Parkway earned over a billion dollars from tourism. That is more money than any other place managed by the National Park Service.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The U.S. national parks. |
| B．The National Park Service. |
| C．The U.S. National Parkways. |
| D．The history of National Parkways. |
| A．Offering comfortable driving. |
| B．Avoiding depressed emotions. |
| C．Watching the scenery of National Parks. |
| D．Experiencing beautiful parts of the country. |
| A．To link two national parks. |
| B．To improve the economy. |
| C．To enjoy natural beauty. |
| D．To create more jobs. |
| A．Its natural beauty. |
| B．Its economy value. |
| C．Difficulty in building it. |
| D．Its problems for local people. |
2 . Are you traveling to an English-speaking country? If you are, one of the most important things you need to know is
Remember to be
“How do I get to ...” — This is the simplest
“Where exactly am I?” — Sometimes in order to understand the directions well, you have to
“What is the quickest way to get to ...” — Let us say that you have to go somewhere
“Where is ...” — This phrase is also useful
Now you are ready to travel to an English-speaking country and to ask for directions. Enjoy your
| A．who | B．where | C．how | D．why |
| A．polite | B．quiet | C．honest | D．fair |
| A．reason | B．skill | C．talk | D．way |
| A．study | B．change | C．follow | D．explain |
| A．work out | B．find out | C．bring out | D．take out |
| A．by | B．on | C．with | D．from |
| A．often | B．suddenly | C．fast | D．secretly |
| A．since | B．before | C．though | D．when |
| A．use | B．miss | C．invent | D．expect |
| A．meals | B．shows | C．travels | D．questions |
1. What is the purpose of the announcement?
| A．To tell passengers the rules. |
| B．To help passengers stay safe. |
| C．To make sure people don't lose things. |
| A．Rainy. | B．Snowy. | C．Sunny. |
| A．To the top of the stairs. |
| B．To the end of the waiting area. |
| C．To the middle of the waiting area. |
| A．They may remove it. |
| B．They'll take pictures of it. |
| C．They'll try to find the owner. |
1. Why is Flight 571 put off?
| A．The weather is terrible. |
| B．A passenger suddenly falls ill. |
| C．Something is wrong with the plane. |
| A．Seattle. | B．Salem. | C．Olympia. |
| A．Cloudy. | B．Rainy. | C．Sunny. |
| A．Return their tickets. | B．Fasten the safety belts. | C．Learn to use oxygen masks. |
The journey was long and tired. We left London at five o'clock in the evening and spend eight hours in the train. We had been travelled for 3 hours after someone appeared selling food and drinks. It was darkness all the time we were crossing Wales, but we could see nothing through the windows. When we finally arrived Holyhead nearly everyone was slept. As soon as the train stopped, everybody come to life, grabbing their suitcase and rushing onto the platform.
6 . China’s new bullet train is now the world’s fastest land vehicle (交通工具) China Rail-way Rolling Stock Corporation showed the production version of its magnetic levitation (磁悬浮) bullet train in Qingdao on Tuesday. State media says the train has a top speed of 373 mph. That speed doesn’t just make it the fastest train in the world, but makes it the fastest land vehicle. The bullet train is able to travel at such high speeds because of magnetic levitation. The technology uses electro-magnetic force to levitate the body of the vehicle less than two inches from the rails and drive it forward along the tracks. By riding on a cushion of air, friction (摩擦力) is completely reduced, allowing it to travel faster than traditional trains where wheels and rails are constantly in contact. Although China has made use of the technology for a couple decades now, it’s only ever been used at very limited areas.
China Railway says its bullet train will greatly help cut down travel time. At top speedy the vehicle will be able to complete the 754-mile trip between Beijing and Shanghai in just two and a half hours. That same trip takes just over three hours by plane, five and a half hours by current high-speed rail options or 12 hours by car. That could make the train an especially attractive travel option for business travelers in the country. It’s unclear when the new bullet train will go into operation. The vehicle that the company showed off on Tuesday is the finished article.
Of course, the train’s record might not stand for long. The Central Japan Railway Company is testing a maglev train. It will be able to top out at 375 mph, according to New Atlas. But that isn’t expected to be shown in public until 2027 at the earliest. That gives China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation plenty of time to refine and upgrade its bullet train and push its top speed even higher.
1. What can we know about the China’s new bullet train?| A．It is the fastest land vehicle. |
| B．It is close to the speed of sound. |
| C．It has gone into operation widely. |
| D．It has taken the place of the traditional train. |
| A．The poor management of it. |
| B．The lack of money used to improve the train. |
| C．The competition from Japanese company. |
| D．The shortage of creativity from its engineers. |
| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Unfriendly. |
| A．The world’s most costly train. | B．The China’s new bullet train. |
| C．The China’s modern trains. | D．The world’s fastest vehicle. |
7 . As a rider, Anna Kiesenhofe’s Olympics victory might be a surprise. The winner of the road race at the Tokyo Olympics left the sport at the end of 2017 when she found herself out of contract (合同). She came into Tokyo without a professional team and left as an Olympic champion.
The 30-year old began her cycling career in 2014 after running injuries that prevented her from continuing her pursuits of triathlon (铁人三项). She later joined a Catalan team and won the Spanish National Cup in 2016.
The then-26 year old signed her first professional contract with Lotto Soudal Ladies for the following season. However, she ended her 2017 campaign in April and did not sign a contract for 2018, eventually taking a year off the bike. In 2019, Kiesenhofer came back to the sport as a rider, winning the Austrian national road race. Despite her results, Kiesenhofer sill had no professional contract while going into the Tokyo Olympics.
Kiesenhofer was the first rider to attack in the Olympic road race, eventually forming a breakaway along with Carl Oberholzer, Omer Shapira, Vera Looser and Anna Plichta, which went on to reach a gap of 11 minutes. After Looser and Oberholzer were dropped, Kiesnhofer ataced her two remaining breakaway companions.
After Shapira and Plichta were caught by the peloton (主车群), the rest of the riders seemed to believe that they were racing among themselves for Gold, not knowing that Remehofere was still in front. While it might be a misjudgment from the rest of the peloton that allowed Kiesenhofer to keep her lead of more than two minutes, other riders’ mistakes should not detract from the Austrian’s efforts.
Off the bike, the new Olympic Champion has a PhD in mathematics after studying at the Technical University of Vienne as well as at Cambridge University. She currently works at the University of Lausanne.
1. Why did Anna give up triathlon?| A．She got injured. | B．She lost interest in it. |
| C．She had to attend university. | D．She never won a medal. |
①She ended her campaign.
②She took a year off the bike.
③She began her cycling career.
④She won the Austrian national road race.
⑤She won the Spanish National Cup.
| A．③④①②⑤. | B．②③④①⑤. |
| C．③⑤①②④. | D．④②③①⑤. |
| A．The road race was so difficult. | B．Anna was a new rider. |
| C．They had caught up with Anna. | D．Anna took the lead of them. |
| A．A cycling coach. | B．A university teacher. |
| C．A professional rider. | D．A college student. |
8 . Tips for Preparing to Drive in Britain
When you’re planning on travelling a large distance in a short amount of time, the best way to transport yourself is by car.
Some may wonder why the British driving requirements are much stricter than America’s. This answer all comes down to the history of how this country was set up. Hundreds of years ago, there weren’t motor vehicles. The windy and narrow roads were created mainly for carriages.
Learning the Lingo (术语)
While preparing for the UK driver’s testing, one of the most important aspects to focus on is learning what certain words, phrases, and signs mean while on the road. Many times, there will merely be a sign without words that you will have to obey.
Passing the Tests
The first test is the theory test. Within two years of passing this test, you will need to take the practical test.
| A．Remembering the History. |
| B．Learning Road Conditions. |
| C．As a result, cars in the UK are smaller. |
| D．For this reason, safety on the road is vital. |
| E．However, this may be easier said than done. |
| F．It includes the off-road and on-road sections. |
| G．If you don’t know what that sign means, you could be in trouble. |
Every driver is familiar with the dreaded blind spot problem. However, it is more than just
Luckily, now there’s a solution for that and it comes from a 14-year-old girl,
However, not being able to drive didn’t prevent Alaina Gassler from
In fact, she knows the problem so well that she actually
10 . It was the early morning of August 5, 1888, and her husband was still sleeping. She left a note for her husband on the table, saying that she and their two sons had already left to visit Pforzheim, Germany, 90 kilometers away. She purposely didn’t mention her means of transportation. It wasn’t until Carl Benz checked the workshop in his factory that he realized his family hadn’t taken the train. His new invention was gone.
Bertha had just committed the world’s first car theft. Her husband was a brilliant engineer who had designed the world’s first automobile in 1885. However, without sharp business mind, his product wasn’t going anywhere. Bertha understood what every modern business knows: marketing a product requires different skills than designing one. To provide a proof that the vehicle was reliable and could also master long-distance routes, she intended to drive with the motor from Mannheim to Pforzheim to show what it could do.
Once the three hit the road, they had to conquer novel problems. At 2.5 horsepower, they could not climb steep slopes without pushing it from behind. Going downhill, the car burnt out the brake shoes. Bertha stopped off at a cobbler and asked him to equip the brake shoes with a leather lining. In so doing, Bertha Benz became the inventor of brake lining. The fuel amount was also underestimated. Bertha made her first fuel purchase at the Stadtapotheke, where the store still proudly displays a sign of being the first gas station in the world.
Following the “first shock”, as written in his memoirs, Carl felt an inner pride in his wife’s daring “test drive”. And sales soon stepped up with the spread of Bertha’s daring trip. Today, drivers can still experience this part of Mercedes-Benz success story along the Bertha Benz Memorial Route between Mannheim and Pforzheim, just as the first woman driver did.
1. Why did Bertha secretly take the road trip?| A．To save money on long-distance train fares. |
| B．To teach children how to drive automobiles. |
| C．To prove the performance of Carl’s invention. |
| D．To understand the knowledge of modern business. |
| A．Unexpected. | B．Common. | C．Additional. | D．Slight. |
| A．Bertha’s trip ended at the Stadtapotheke. |
| B．Bertha’s trip helped to promote car business. |
| C．The car turned out to be a failure on the road. |
| D．Bertha fixed the brake shoes herself during the trip. |
| A．A Regrettable Crime | B．A Surprising Discovery |
| C．A Creative Invention | D．A Pioneering Undertaking |
