3 . On December 16, 2023, the first section of Maya Train officially opened, which runs between Campeche and Cancún, carrying up to 231 passengers across 290 miles and stopping at 14 train stations.

Built as an ambitious effort to promote tourism and boost Mexico’s economy, the rail system connects the major cities and tourist regions of the Yucatán Peninsula-from Cancún’s beaches to Tulum’s archaeological (考古的) wonders. Once the project is completed, the entire rail system will link tourist destinations across five states. However, environmentalists and archaeologists argue that the train route will cause great damage to the environment and ancient Mayan sites.

The Maya Train passes through six UNESCO World Heritage sites, and thousands of archaeological sites. One particular area of concern is the Calakmul biosphere reserve, which is home to many endangered species, such as jaguars and over 500 other animal species. The train lines, more than 60 meters wide, could act as artificial barriers that may limit the movement of these animals within the reserve, making it difficult for them to move around and access food and water sources.

Opponents also express safety concerns. Certain sections of the rail system will be built right on top of the aquifer’s (地下水层的) most fragile points of contact with the surface. “It’s like wanting to build over eggshells, says Guillermo Christy, a water treatment consultant.” Putting trains weighing thousands of tons on top could cause the underground caves to crash down. To construct the train infrastructure (基础设施) also requires driving long piles deep into the ground, which poses a big threat to this fragile ecosystem and leads to water shortages.

In the ongoing debate of Maya Train, it is crucial to consider the delicate balance between economic development and environmental preservation. While Maya Train may provide economic benefits, we must not overlook the potential environmental and cultural losses, as well as the safety risks it may bring. Achieving harmony between progress and conservation may be a significant challenge for the project, but we must take into account the long-term consequences of our actions.

1. What do we know about the Maya Train project?

A．It consumes lots of labor in Mexico.

B．It was completed on December 16, 2023.

C．It has concerned some professionals.

D．It blocks the development of local tourism.

2. What is the effect of the train lines on the animals in the reserve?

A．They disturb their sleeping patterns.	B．They restrict their activities.
C．They pollute their water sources.	D．They engage their enemies to the area.

3. Why does the author mention “eggshells” in paragraph 4?

A．To show the difficulty of constructing the rail lines.

B．To prove the urgency of protecting the fragile ecosystem.

C．To explain the reasons for water shortages along the railway.

D．To stress the potential harm of Maya Train to the aquifer system.

4. Which statement would the author probably agree with?

A．Preserving cultural sites requires strong financial support.

B．It is time to speed up the construction process of Maya Train.

C．Economic development should not come at the expense of the environment.

D．We should prize the economic benefits of the project in the long run.

5 . 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

2. What did the author and his classmates find in the survey?

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.

3. What does the underlined word “impressed” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Worried.	B．Annoyed.
C．Moved.	D．Relaxed.

4. What can we learn from the author’s experience?

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.

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。

Delivery drones, as the name suggests,     1     (use) to deliver goods. At the moment, delivery drones are mainly used for military action and disaster     2     (relieve), like the distribution of medicines during emergencies, especially to places that are hard     3     (reach) by other means of transport.     4     can be predicted that before long many people will be using drones to deliver daily supplies     5     food and drink. Some companies are also developing passenger drones,     6     carry people in crowded cities. Just enter a destination,     7     the drones will fly the passengers where they want to go. This could not only save time, but also     8     (great) decrease road traffic. We can assume that with     9     (improve) technology in passenger drones, we will be entering the age of personal flying vehicles. There are also many other exciting new ways to use this technology. Whatever     10     (happen), we’ll all be interacting with drones on a daily basis. There can be no denying that the technology will have a huge impact on everyday life.