1 . How to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the biggest concerns people have when working out whether going electric is right for them.

It is true that sometimes gaining access to reliable charging can seem a bit tricky.     1    

First, download an app with a comprehensive map of the public charging points showing their locations, how powerful they are, and whether they’re working. All this is vital information because, even if you have public charging points nearby, you will need alternatives in case they’re in use.    2    

A growing number of property owners are renting out their charging points and drive ways to other local EV drivers when they’re not using them.    3     Thus, your car gets charged, the owners make money, and emissions are reduced.

    4       For example, when your car is running out of juice, you’d just pull up to a battery-change station from your car brand and sit in the car while a fully charged unit is changed in. The Chinese EV brand Nio does this, but isn’t available in the UK as yet.

For now, if charging access remains difficult for you, it’s still possible to go electric-in part.    5     Many hybrid (混合) cars are now good for 50 miles of electric running before you need to use the engine. So, if most of your driving is local, you might only need to find a charger once or twice a week, while you have the backup of a fuel engine for long journeys.

A．But it may be easier than you think.

B．It actually worked out much cheaper.

C．There are also other innovative ways to get your EV going.

D．A plug-in EV combines a petrol engine with a smaller battery.

E．A “fast” charger usually takes eight hours to fully charge an EV.

F．So you need to get a good feel for where your nearest points are.

G．You can find a map of homeowners whose charging points are available.

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the main topic of the notice?

A．Leaving school early.

B．Canceling school tomorrow.

C．Stopping students from driving home.

2. What is the current snow depth?

A．5 cm.

B．10 cm.

C．20 cm.

3. Where should students wait for the school buses?

A．In the cafeteria.

B．In the classroom.

C．At the school gate.

4. What will be talked about next?

A．School schedules.

B．Safety suggestions.

C．Driving instructions.

3 . In Switzerland, an ambitious proposal could see the construction of an expansive underground network through which self-driving pods (吊舱) would transport goods across the country.

The project, called Cargo Sous Terrain (CST), is intended to reduce the reliance on trucks for moving cargo. Global demand for freight (货物) transportation is growing, just as much of the world is seeing a shortage of truck drivers. Meanwhile, higher fuel prices have made road transportation more expensive, while transporting freight by road accounts for around 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

If built, the network would stretch roughly 500 kilometers from Geneva in the west of Switzerland to St. Gallen in the northeast, and be completed around 2045. The network of tunnels will be 40 to 80 meters below ground and the autonomous pods will drive along three lanes at around 30 kilometers per hour. And the cargo will be loaded and unloaded at designated hubs (枢纽) employing lifts to take goods to and from the surface.

The project was approved by the Swiss government in 2021. Although there’s a long way to go before construction can begin, earlier in 2023 CST began its preliminary work in the field — exploratory drilling along the Härkingen-Niederbipp route.

The biggest challenge for CST will be the expense. CST estimates that it will cost around 30 billion Swiss Francs ($34 billion) for the entire network. The project will be entirely privately funded, with investors including Credit Suisse, Coop, and Siemens. Although a huge amount of funding still needs to be found, much of the technology for the automation and operation of the network already exists. Another key challenge is working out how to transport freight above ground from the tunnels to stores in cities — without adding to road traffic.

Despite all the hurdles, Patrik Aellig, head of communication for CST, remains optimistic. CST is “at the forefront” of underground freight transport.

1. What mainly led to the project CST?

A．Expensive truck drivers.	B．Serious shortage of fuel.
C．Environmental concern.	D．Heavy freight transportation.

2. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?

A．To present the way the network will work.	B．To provide a blueprint of the network.
C．To prove the efficiency of the network.	D．To show the advancement of the network.

3. What does the underlined word “preliminary” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Innovative.

B．Significant.

C．Preparatory.

D．Constructive.

4. What is a great challenge for CST?

A．Absence of fund.	B．Lack of technology.
C．Last-mile delivery.	D．Transport safety.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Dylan Warren say about the car?

A．Its scratch was from a serious accident.

B．Its air conditioning system is new.

C．It has run more than 40,000 miles.

2. What is Jessica James dissatisfied with about the car?

A．The engine.

B．The brakes.

C．The suspensions.

3. How much does Dylan Warren want to sell the car for?

A．$5,500.

B．$6,000.

C．$6,500.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China’s C919 airliner, a potential     1     (compete) to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first flight outside China on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.

China calls the C919,     2     (produce) by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), its first large homegrown passenger jet. The aircraft took to the skies for its first commercial flight last May. At present, it is carrying passengers only within Chinese mainland     3     flies with China Eastern Airlines.

China has more and more confidence to     4     (eventual) compete against Boeing and Airbus. The C919’s first overseas flight comes at the time     5     Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month, part of the fuselage (机身) of a 737 Max 9 Boeing plane     6     (fall) off during an Air Alaska flight in the United States.

The C919 would be the most focused aircraft at the Singapore Airshow. There is a lot of interest     7     (see) the actual aircraft, how it performs and how it is in flight. With an ability to fly between five to six hours, the C919 is perfect for regional travel.     8     had the potential to appeal to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia.

Currently, only a     9     (hand) of countries make their own planes because of extremely high barriers to entry in the industry. A high level of special technology, as well as huge amounts of time and resources,     10     (need).

6 .

A．The woman will go to the airport by taxi.

B．The woman is asking the man for help.

C．The woman really likes taking buses.

D．The woman's car has broken down.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Is it a train? Or is it a bus? Neither, it’s a Ferrobus—    1     unique form of transport found across mountainous regions of South America.

Combining old road bus bodies with rail wheels, these strange-looking machines are a lifeline     2     a lot of remote mountain villages     3     (lack) official road access. Using otherwise     4     (abandon) rail lines—often built in the 19thand early 20th century—Ferrobus routes can     5    (find) in Chile, Bolivia and Colombia, climbing high into the Andes. There are two different Ferrobuses     6     leave on different days.

Ferrobus trips are increasingly popular with tourists wanting to avoid uncomfortable and often     7     (danger) road journeys. Chile’s Gondola Carril from Los Andes to Rio Blanco, north of Santiago, operates     8    (pure) for tourists, but others provide regular, if somewhat unpredictable, transport for     9     (local) and tourists alike.

Bolivia is arguably the center of the Ferrobus world, with at least three routes, although there’s a constant risk of disruption (中断) from floods, rock falls and extreme weather.

Riding a Ferrobus     10     (require) patience and nerve, but you are guaranteed to return with some hair-raising stories to tell your friends.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It is often time-consuming to travel by car or bus in a country     1     size of China. Consequently, high speed trains make good sense.

An early attempt     2     (find) a technological breakthrough for high speed rail travel in China was the Shanghai Maglev (磁悬浮列车), which opened to the public in 2004．As the first     3     (commerce) magnetic-levitation train in the world, it connects Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport with the Shanghai subway system,     4     (travel) a distance of 30 kilometers in 8 minutes.

In 2007, the Chinese Ministry of Railways began joint ventures (风险事业)     5     four companies (from Canada, Japan, France and Germany) to develop high speed rail within China. As Chinese railway technology     6     (mature), the development of the high-speed rail system became     7     (increase) localized, until the all-Chinese Fuxing Hao (Renaissance)     8     (create) and rolled into production in 2017.

China now has nearly 30,000 kilometers of high speed track. Using high speed rail,    9     used to be a 34-hour journey can now be accomplished in just seven to nine hours. While this is still a long journey, it means you can leave in the morning     10     arrive in the afternoon.

9 . Why does the man always get to the office early?

A．He takes some shortcuts.

B．He leaves home super early.

C．He lives close to the company.

10 . Key railway stations in England

St Pancras International

Located in London’s city center on Euston Road, St Pancras International is one of the leading terminals (终点站) for Eurostar international train services from London to France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

St Pancras station was established in 1868 and is one of the masterpieces of Victorian engineering. It impresses people with Victorian Gothic architecture and is one of the world’s most elegant railway stations.

Paddington railway station

Paddington railway station is also known as Paddington Underground Station. Situated in Paddington,central London, the station is close to Marylebone and Bayswater. Paddington was opened in 1838 and is theLondon terminal of services operated by the Great Western Railway.

King’s Cross railway station

Located on the edge of Central London in the UK, King’s Cross station, or London King’s Cross, is one of the country’s busiest stations. It was opened in 1845 and named in honor of King George Ⅳ.

Today, London King’s Cross is one of the main hubs (中心) of the UK railway routes, connecting many major cities, including Edinburgh, Inverness, York, Cambridge, Newcastle, Glasgow and many other domestic routes. What’s more, the famous Harry Potter platform 9³/ ₄ is set on London’s King’s Cross station.

Liverpool Lime Street railway station

Liverpool Lime Street is the central railway station in Liverpool, England. Established in 1836, the station is the oldest still-in-use grand terminal mainline station in the world. Plus, the building itself is quite impressive; its front was designed in the Renaissance Revival style.

Trips from Liverpool Lime Street cover plenty of destinations across England, Wales and Scotland. And being the busiest station in Liverpool, it serves over 16 million passengers a year.

1. Which station was put in use the latest of all?

A．King’s Cross railway station.	B．Paddington railway station.
C．St Pancras International.	D．Liverpool Lime Street railway station.

2. Where is King’s Cross railway station situated?

A．Outside of London.	B．On the edge of Central London.
C．Near Marylebone and Bayswater.	D．On Euston Road.

3. What is a fact about Liverpool Lime Street railway station?

A．It serves no more than 16 million passengers a year.

B．It is one of the masterpieces of Victorian engineering.

C．It is a major terminal for Eurostar international trains.

D．It can help people travel to England, Wales and Scotland.