1 . School buses are familiar to most people. However, Sam Balto, an elementary school teacher, creates a brand-new
Though popular in some areas, bike buses are still
Right now, Balto feels it’s
A.signal | B.approach | C.version | D.function |
A.As for | B.Rather than | C.Regardless of | D.Apart from |
A.operates | B.moves | C.appears | D.matches |
A.agree | B.gather | C.return | D.begin |
A.complex | B.necessary | C.practical | D.rare |
A.hit | B.reminder | C.task | D.routine |
A.upgrade | B.manage | C.continue | D.examine |
A.indicates | B.witnesses | C.reflects | D.changes |
A.understand | B.join | C.share | D.enjoy |
A.consciously | B.freely | C.actively | D.naturally |
A.aims | B.benefits | C.features | D.challenges |
A.build up | B.draw on | C.get back | D.let out |
A.uncertain | B.unsafe | C.inexpensive | D.inadequate |
A.guidance | B.announcement | C.investment | D.permission |
A.recommend | B.accompany | C.assist | D.follow |
2 . On the eve of this week’s rail strikes, it was reported that the industry bosses are planning to weed out paper train tickets and close almost 1,000 station ticket offices in England. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has made no secret of his desire to see costs saved in this way. Some stations sell only a handful of tickets each week and the vast majority of transactions (交易) have moved online.
In the name of cost-cutting, station ticket offices are likely to follow the telephone booth on the comer and become memory. For those who have grown used to the benefits of organizing travel via smartphones, there will be little to feel sorry for. But for people without online access or skills ― who tend to be older, poorer, and more fragile-another social barrier will have been built.
From medical appointments to payment apps for parking, more and more key services are now delivered digitally. As this revolution takes place, the interests of a significant minority are being ignored to some extent. In the case of health and social care, for example, it will often be those most in need of assistance who are least able to employ electronic devices.
The debate over ticket offices offers an opportunity to reflect more broadly on the increasing role of technology in our social landscape. The unavoidable trend towards technology is predictable, but its possible consequences need to be managed with more care. With the expanding range and increasing complexity of digital requirements, the aged are gradually withdrawing from increasing social services in their lives. Ros Altmann, the former pensions minister, recently wrote of being contacted by an elderly woman who no longer drives to her local park, because she cannot download the car parking app required.
Much more needs to be invested in helping gain easy online access. Alternative offline options must be maintained for important services. Contactable telephone numbers of relevant staff should always be available. These will cost more. But that is the price of digital transformation.
1. Why are the station ticket offices in England planned for closure?A.To cut down some expenses. | B.To minimize the use of public transportation. |
C.To increase related job opportunities. | D.To make changes to the paper train tickets. |
A.To indicate ticket offices will become a thing of the past. |
B.To miss the old memories when telephone booths were in use. |
C.To show tick el offices are more fashionable than telephone booths. |
D.To describe the negative impact of telephone booths on ticket offices. |
A.Necessary phone services. | B.More diverse online services. |
C.More convenient online access. | D.Alternative of online transactions. |
A.The importance and classification of digital services. |
B.The views and attitudes of the elderly towards technology. |
C.The advantages and shortcomings of station ticket offices. |
D.The division and inconvenience caused by digital transformation. |
Bullet trains tailored (量身定做) for the high-speed railway network linking the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Bandung are unveiled (公开) in Eastern China, marking an important milestone of the project
A total of 11 sets of bullet trains and an inspection train, all adopting Chinese standards, are showcased in Qingdao, Shandong Province. They
According to China Railway International, a subsidiary (子公司) of China State Railway Group,
The 243-kilometer-line,
With trains capable of
4 . This week, Parisians have been treated to the sight of ecotaxis, transporting people up and down the river Seine. They are called SeaBubbles and are being tested ahead of the decision to introduce them into the Parisian transport network. The SeaBubble is still in its early testing period, using technological know-how from several industries. The boat sits in the water as the passengers get on and off but once the door is closed the boat starts moving at 12 kmh (7.5 mph) along the surface. It is 100% electric.
The foils(箔) they use are not new technology. They date back to 1898 and an Italian engineer called Enrico Forlanini. The Germans tested foil boats in the 1940s, the first hydrofoil ferry(水翼渡船) was used between Switzerland and Italy in the 1950s and by 1965, a hydrofoil boat was good enough for the James Bond baddie in Thunderball. What has changed, however, is the technology, which has improved to the point where it can now succeed in dealing with some of the shortcomings which prevented their widespread use.
The company has big goals; it wants to use the world’s waterways—and not roads—to transport people from A to B, and it wants to do so with “zero wave, zero emission(排放), zero noise.” The SeaBubbles would travel at the same speed as cars and the goal is to provide these at the same cost as a taxi, with customers ordering them through an app as they would an Uber.
Anders Bringdal, SeaBubbles CEO, told Associated Press that he hopes to change the way people move about cities. SeaBubbles are one more example of how shared public transport can change the mobility of large cities, much like shared bikes are now doing. People are increasingly looking to rivers as a means of moving around large cities to compete with the subway or buses—in London, travel cards are now accepted on river boats.
1. What do we know about the SeaBubble?A.It has been used in Paris. | B.It moves as fast as a car. |
C.It is under water when it moves. | D.It uses knowledge from other industries. |
A.To give special importance to the breakthrough of foils. |
B.To explain the reasons for creating the SeaBubble. |
C.To point out the disadvantages of foils. |
D.To show how the SeaBubble works. |
A.To put traditional taxis out of business. |
B.To work with Uber to transport more people. |
C.To transport people on waterways worldwide. |
D.To make environment-friendly inventions at low prices. |
A.It may have an important place in public transport. |
B.It has been widely accepted by many countries. |
C.It will make the company world-famous. |
D.It still needs more tests. |
New cars sold in Europe after May 2022 will be required to have
Around 25,000 people
There has been a mixed reaction to the new safety technologies. The European Union said the technologies would make driving much
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2016/8/29/1822792546050048/1822792546099200/STEM/31dd103527c4497383941d0a1b5bfaad.png?resizew=177)
A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn’t built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.
Even so, travel isn’t difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat.
Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences. One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge, and there’s nothing special. But when they come back to the bridge an hour later, it’s underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes.
Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) melt (融化). Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.
Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy’s biggest companies to build the MOST project, which was planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water. Anyway, this project is helping solve the problem.
1. Which is the best way to travel in Venice?
A.The waterways. | B.Taxis and cars. |
C.400 bridges. | D.Boats and rain shoes. |
A.The ice of the Arctic Ocean melt. |
B.Seawater is everywhere around the city. |
C.People used too much underground water |
D.The temperature has become higher over the years. |
A.Venice is sure to stop getting lower. |
B.High waters won’t hit Venice any more. |
C.Scientists can solve the problems easily. |
D.Some possible ways help to solve the problem. |
A.The History of Venice |
B.The MOST Project of Venice. |
C.The Places of Interest of Venice |
D.The Specials and Problems of Venice |