2 . Why HS2 should go ahead

For the country that invented railways, Britain has shown remarkably little interest in them lately. New networks have been built around Europe in the past few decades, but the only significant stretch of ________ laid in Britain in a century is the 67-mile HS1 railway that links London to the Channel Tunnel. ________ , the country has half as much track as it had in 1963.Yet while Britain has an almost American ________ to invest in railways, its commuting(通勤) patterns are European: l0% of journeys are by rail, compared with 9% in Germany and less than 1% in America.

Britain's big ________ is that, because it has built no new high-speed lines, it runs fast intercity trains on the same track as slow commuter ones. Long ________ have to be left between slow and express trains. The need to make way for high-speed trains thus ________ the number of commuter services,and vice versa. Eight years ago,the government decided to change this by building a new 345-mile railway from London to the north of England. Though branded as High Speed 2, its principal job was to improve capacity(运输量) rather than ________ .

Rail is an increasingly significant part of the transport mix. Climate change is making carbon-efficiency even more important. At the same time, passenger numbers have gone beyond ________ . The government had expected passenger volumes to increase by 17-21% in the decade from 2011; actually, they were up by 24% within just seven years and are expected to go on ________ at a similar rate.

The benefit-to-cost ratio(效益成本比率) calculated for HS2, at around one, is hardly acknowledged. But just as the costs of big transport projects are often ________ , so are their long-term benefits. The extension to London's Jubilee tube line, ________ ,was approved with a BCR of less than one, but recent analysis suggests that it has been more like 1.75. And that includes only the profits that go directly to the railway, not the ________ consequences of the recovery of London's Docklands area, which the tube line made possible.

The main point of HS2, similarly, is its impact on the cities and towns along its ________ and beyond. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, is on a mission to promote growth in northern and western areas ________ by the country's London-centered pattern of growth. On its own HS2 won't make that happen, but doing so without a new railway would be ________ . The success of the "Northern Powerhouse" rail scheme, to link the north's big towns, depends on it.

1.

A．land

B．track

C．highway

D．water

2.

A．Besides

B．Indeed

C．Fortunately

D．Likewise

3.

A．qualification

B．eagerness

C．reluctance

D．potential

4.

A．theory

B．ambition

C．problem

D．solution

5.

A．gaps

B．lists

C．lines

D．periods

6.

A．highlights

B．increases

C．counts

D．limits

7.

A．speed

B．length

C．quantity

D．quality

8.

A．records

B．forecasts

C．averages

D．scopes

9.

A．varying

B．declining

C．growing

D．remaining

10.

A．shared

B．underestimated

C．overlooked

D．controlled

11.

A．for instance

B．as a result

C．in addition

D．out of problem

12.

A．political

B．cultural

C．economic

D．historic

13.

A．extension

B．border

C．surface

D．route

14.

A．settled down

B．put forward

C．taken over

D．left behind

15.

A．tough

B．flexible

C．innovative

D．vacant

9 . The COVID-19 pandemic(新冠疫情) has had one positive result: millions more Europeans have discovered the joy of cycling. ‘‘Cycling is easy,” says Tanja Jamnik. “Sitting on a bike, I feel very free.” The 57-year-old accountant from Slovenia is convinced of the health benefits. “Cycling is great for the whole body.” And there are advantages for mental health. “If I cycle alone, I switch my mind off and all the bad things go out of it. If I cycle with a friend, we talk so much that it’s like therapy(治疗)!” While Tanja and her husband, Andrej, have long enjoyed cycling, there are many newcomers to the activity.

She ascribes the recent rise in biking in her country to two factors. One is Slovenia’s extremely attractive performance in the 2020 Tour de France. The other, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year when public transport was cancelled, and schools, sports facilities, restaurants and shops were shut, many more Slovenians discovered — or rediscovered — cycling.

“By the beginning of July, cycle shops in Slovenia were almost out of mountain bikes and expedition bikes.” Tanja and Andrej often tour their home country by bike, plus most years they have had cycling holidays in other places, too.

In fact, the whole of Europe has seen a surprising growth in cycling. Bike use was already high in some European countries, but numbers are increasing all across the continent as people get on their bikes for fitness, commuting(通勤) and leisure. In Finland, bicycle sales were up by 34 percent in 2020, and in January 2021 alone, the growth was a surprising 49 percent, according to the Finnish Cyclists Federation.

1. Why does Tanja like cycling?

A．Because she can go anywhere she wants.

B．Because cycling with a friend is like therapy.

C．Because she benefits from cycling physically and mentally.

D．Because her husband loves cycling with her at their leisure time.

2. What does the underlined word “ascribes” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Distributes.

B．Owes.

C．Reveals.

D．Reduces.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．Finland’s bicycle sales increased sharply.

B．Bike use was high in all European countries.

C．Europeans ride bikes mainly for entertainment.

D．The cycling is more and more popular in the world.

4. What might be the best title of the text?

A．The usage of bike	B．The enjoyment of cycling
C．The cycling explosion in Europe	D．The great advantages of cycling