In the United States，train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes．Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001．The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation．They only studied trips longer than 50 miles．The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle．Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane．Two percent were traveled in a bus．And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States．In the past ten years，the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent．Although the number of passengers has increased，it is still very small now．In countries such as France，Germany，or Japan，more people use trains．
There are several reasons why many people __________________________．
Firstly，Americans love to drive their own cars．On highways，cars can travel as fast as trains．These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly，many travelers like to be independent．When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel．Thirdly，many buses travel between major cities．Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States，cities are far away from each other．In some cases，travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day．Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster．People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly．For these people saving time is the most important thing.What is the best title of the passage? （Please answer within 10 words.）
Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（Please answer within 10 words.）
What means of transportation do you like best when traveling，trains，cars，or planes? Why? （Please answer within 30 words）
Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.
Singapore’s public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.
TRAINS
Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.
If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
BUSES
There are several bus services in Singapore and fares(费用) start at 80 cents. Be sure always to ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.
If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
TAXIS
There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfor (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.
RENABLE CARS
Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won’t let you see.
For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.By an EZ-Link care, you can take ______.
| A．both buses and trains | B．only trains |
| C．both buses and taxis | D．only rental cars |
When you take a bus there, always remember to ______.
| A．take your own license(执照) with you |
| B．ask the driver how much your ticket is |
| C．buy the bus map of Singapore |
| D．book your ticket ahead of time |
What does the underlined word “hassle” mean in the text?
| A．trouble | B．fun | C．interest | D．cost |
What do you know about travelling in Singapore from the passage?
| A．A local has great trouble finding his way around. |
| B．It’s much cheaper to go around by bus than by train. |
| C．You can see a lot more in Singapore by taking a bus than by renting a car. |
| D．It’s very convenient(方便的) for visitors to travel in Singapore. |
A driver stopped his car on a street side to have a rest. As he lay down in the seat and closed his eyes, a person came up and knocked at the window to ask him the time. The driver opened his eyes and looked at his watch. “It’s 8:05,” he said. Then he went to sleep again. But soon he was waken up again because a second person was knocking at the window. “Sir, do you know the time?” he asked. The driver looked at his watch, and told him it was half past eight.
In this way, the driver thought he could not have a good rest, so he wrote a short note and stuck it on the window for all to see. It said, “I don’t know the time.”
Again, he lay down in the seat for his sleep. A few minutes later, a third person came and began to knock at the window, “Hey, sir,” he said. “It is a quarter to nine.”Where did the driver sleep?
| A．At the window. | B．In the street road. |
| C．In his car | D．In his room. |
How long had the driver been there when the third person called him?
| A．40 minutes. | B．25 minutes. | C．50 minutes. | D．70 minutes. |
Why did the driver write a note and stick it on the window?
| A．Because he didn’t know the time. |
| B．Because he didn’t want anybody to trouble him. |
| C．Because he needed somebody to wake him up. |
| D．Because he wanted somebody to tell him the time. |
The third person knocked at the window to ______.
| A．ask him the time |
| B．ask him not to sleep |
| C．see if the driver was sleeping |
| D．tell him what time it was |
阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。
A. Beijing Highlights
Luxury : 4 Days $269 Up
Standard : 4 Days $249 Up
Super Deluxe : 4 Days $519 Up
Budget : 5 Days $189 Up
Beijing boasting a history of over a thousand years is rich in cultural relics. Our four-day itinerary will take you to the most popular sites around the city. You will see the magnificent Great Wall; sacred Tiananmmen Square; majestic Forbidden City as well as the verdant gardens of the Summer Palace.
B. Beijing Hutong Tour
Luxury & Standard : 5 Days $299 Up
Super Deluxe : 5 Days $669 Up
Budget : 6 Days $239 Up
Beijing, one of the six ancient capital cities of China still has a rich history, and a diverse and colorful culture. Take a special rickshaw ride through an old Hutong neighborhood to experience the different life styles of Beijing residents. A visit to the Lama Temple will expose you to the local people’s religious beliefs.
C. Short Beijing Travel
Luxury & Standard : 3 Days $159 Up
Are you annoyed by your tight time schedule but interested in visiting Beijing? Here we provide an elaborately（精心地） designed 3-day Beijing tour itinerary taking you to explore the highlights of Beijing. Hence, you can make full use of your time to visit the most aspects of Beijing.
D. Beijing Group Tour
Luxury : 5 Days $279 Up
Explore the highlights of Beijing on a tight budget, why not join our Beijing group tour with only 6-18 people to each group, you will not only make new friends from different countries but also experience all of the comfort and flexibility at a lower price.
E. Beijing Essence Tour
Luxury : 2 Days $75 Up
To guide you to catch all the highlight sites of Beijing in short time schedule, we carefully design these two 2-day refined Beijing tours. Take the tour and make full use of your precious time to see as much as possible of Beijing.
F. Beijing One-Day Tours - 17 options here for you!
Luxury : 1 Day $29 Up
Beijing is such a large city with numerous places of interest to visit.
One-day package tours offered here are all made up of the essence of Beijing. You can choose any of your preferred according to your interest.Dick is a newcomer to Beijing where he is going to stay for 5 days. Since he has to attend a very important conference on the third day, he has very limited time to spare. But he wishes to spend two days visiting a few of the scenic spots in Beijing so that he could have some basic idea of what Beijing is like.
Coming from Los Angeles, as an exchange student, John is eager to know about Beijing which he believes is a great city with a lot of things to explore. So he plans to go around on Sundays. Since he is not familiar with the city, he decides to join one of the local tour agencies. But he prefers things to be different every week.
Mary is a mother with a 9-year-old daughter. She wants to travel around Beijing this summer holiday with her daughter. She would like her daughter to make some friends while opening her eyes during the trip.
Li Xue has a very long holiday this year. She wants to go on a guided tour round the most popular sites of Beijing. She does not believe in those so called “cheap and good” offer, so she does not care much about money. So long as the tour is comfortable and enjoyable, she will not hesitate to join in.
Professor Zhou is interested more in culture and the way of life of the local people than simply taking a city sightseeing tour. Instead of going to museums and popular sites, he likes to explore how the local people lived in the old times.
MY Chinese friend is going to the US and he is nervous about what to talk about. “Talk about the weather,” is my advice.
“How are you?” is often followed by comments about the weather. “Nice day today.” “Cold/hot enough for you?” “Will it ever stop raining?” “Some winter we’re having.” “Can’t remember a winter/summer so cold/hot.” “Whew, it’s hot out there.”
These introductory statements are often followed by a long conversation entirely about weather conditions. Past, present and – with global warming – speculation (推测) about the future.
Our fascination with weather might seem silly, but the real purpose behind those endless discussions is small talk. Weather’s a safe topic of conversation. As a group, we Americans seem to enjoy chatting with those around us. Whenever we stand in line at the grocery store, we tend to engage in this sort of conversation with other people standing in line with us. If I were seated next to another American on any form of public transport, I’d expect both of us to make some harmless comment about the weather as a way of acknowledging (承认) each other’s presence (存在). At parties, the weather is a common topic, especially with those you are meeting for the first time.
In contrast we are taught to avoid certain topics like religion and politics. Weather is neutral (中性的); you don’t have to have an opinion about it, just make a statement of a fact. What is truly interesting is the fact that we can go on and on about it.
My Chinese friend has a hard time understanding why we put so much effort into this topic – and why I warn him about bringing up much more “interesting” subjects like salaries or how much something costs.
Sometimes it is tricky (复杂的) to wend (行走) one’s way through winding cultural roads, especially those that are never taught in books.What does the writer suggest her Chinese friend should talk about with people in the US? (No more than two words)
Why do Americans enjoy talking to people around them about the weather, in writer’s opinion? (No more than ten words)
List four topics that people should avoid talking about in the US. ( No more than 5 words)
The Internet has changed the world we live in dramatically, so that in some ways it is unrecognizable from the place we lived in twenty years ago. Communications have been revolutionized. Not only have cell phones found their way into most people’s pockets or purses, but they are also used for next messaging and as cameras. Long distance phone calls have been replaced by e-mail and video conferencing. Communications, person to person or company to company, have turned into a fast-paced exchange with instant response. In fact, it has become more convenient and efficient.
The other kind of communication the Internet provides is information. School children and medical researchers alike will tell you that they could not work without the Internet and its ability to connect them to any number of websites and databases of information. Many people do their banking on-line. Others plan a trip and book a flight for themselves. People do their own stock trading through the Net. Sports fans follow scores and statistics on websites. Political junkies(政治狂) gather campaign statements and debate topics, even between elections. And almost everyone who owns a computer and has Internet access has bought at least one item on-line. No wonder some young people can not imagine what life was like before the Internet.
Some Advantages of the Internet
I. of the Internet communication
●A fast-paced exchange replacing long distance phone calls with like e-mail and vedio conferencing
II. Accessibitlity to the Internet information
●On-line service
Convenience to do banking at home or office
● service
Choices of booking traffic and accommodation
●Sports websites
Information about scores and statistics
●Political websites
Campaign statements and
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