For years and years people have been saying that the railways are dead. “ We can do without railways.” People say…as if motorcars and planes have made the railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, that they lose money, and that they’re dying .But this is far from the truth: in these days of expensive oil, the railways have become highly competitive with motorcars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they are cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, it takes you from the heart of a city into the heart of another. It doesn’t leave you up as a plane does, miles and miles from the city center. It doesn’t hold you up as a car does, in endless traffic jams, and a single train carry goods which a plane or a motorcar could never do.
Far from being dead, the railways are very much alive. Modern railway lines give you a smooth, untroubled journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep in comfort, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at speed at the same time? And we are only at the beginning, for we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, trains traveling at 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on motorcars we can’t use because we have not enough money to buy the oil and planes we can’t fly for the same reason..Some people think the railways are unnecessary for many reasons except that .
| A．planes and motorcars have taken the place of trains |
| B．oil is expensive today |
| C．trains are slow |
| D．railways lose money |
According to the writer, which of the following is Not true?
| A．It is cheaper to travel by train than by plane. |
| B．The railway station is usually at the center of the city. |
| C．When you get off the plane you will find yourself right in the city center. |
| D．No motorcar or plane can carry as many goods as a train does. |
The writer thinks that the railways, far from being dead, are very much alive because .
| A．we can have a smooth and untroubled journey |
| B．we’ll not have enough money to fly in planes |
| C．we can now travel in super-fast train |
| D．all of the above |
The best title for this passage may be” ”
| A．Not the End but the Beginning |
| B．Which is the Best: Train, Motorcar or Plane |
| C．Trains are More Competitive than Motorcars or Planes |
| D．Oh, Super-fast Trains |
Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Nile. Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way.
Fed up with pollution, traffic jams, a packed population with soaring rents, Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure programs.
The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles, or roughly the size of Denver, and could eventually be home to 7 million people, the developers and government announced Friday.
The current capital of Cairo, while full of history and vibrant charm, is home to more than 18 million people, and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating. The government says the idea is to reduce congestion in Cairo, which is projected to double in population in the coming decades.
An exact location was not announced, but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo. It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads.
The ambitions are big. In addition to the new embassies and government buildings, it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow, solar energy farms, 40,000 hotel rooms, nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads.
But if the dream is big, the bill will be bigger.
The total cost is estimated at U.S. $45 billion, Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The revealing of the new capital was paired with a glamorous website showing a luxurious and technological urban view of glass towers and pools.
The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as “a private real estate investment fund by global investors focused on investment and development partnerships” led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar.
Alabbar made his name as the founder of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, primarily known for developing the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures. Myanmar(缅甸) has only recently completed its move from Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw. Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990’s, and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness over 50 years ago.
And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital city on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators(商人) at the time.
That city? _________Egypt is ready to join hands with some experienced developers to build a new capital mainly because of the following EXCEPT ________ in the old capital.
| A．pollution and population |
| B．its location and higher rents |
| C．its long history and charm |
| D．traffic jams and crowdedness |
The underlined sentence in the passage means that it is _______.
| A．a new city with expensive infrastructure programs |
| B．a new city with beautiful glass towers and pools |
| C．an enterprising dream with abundant funds |
| D．a noble dream with rich cooperative teams |
Which city was the outcome of a crazy idea at that time?
A. Abuja. B. Brasilia.
C. Naypyidaw. D. Washington, D.C.
The Appleton Club is the focal point of undergraduate ministry in The Memorial Church. The Appleton Club provides a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for undergraduates to grow and develop as faithful Christians as they grow and develop as intellectuals and professionals. We focus on building community through worship, study, and service, as well as through social gatherings and outings. All are welcome!
For details on all the activities of The Appleton Club, or to be added to our e-mail list, contact Epps Fellow Nathaniel Katz at nathaniel_katz@harvard.edu or 617-496-1426. You can also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/memorialchurch.
Our life together is centered around three weekly gatherings:
Sunday Night Student Service
9:00 p.m., Appleton Chapel
Every Sunday night we gather for a “come as you are” worship service that includes the celebration of Holy Communion. The service is designed to provide a peaceful and contemplative space to find peace and encounter the divine at the start of the week. Following the service, we gather downstairs in the Buttrick Room for food and some social time together.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group
9:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Throughout the academic year we will come together during the middle of the week to read and discuss the works of the late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes. This spring we will continue discussing his best-selling book The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart as an entry point to conversations about what scripture is, what it isn’t, and what it means for our lives as faithful contemporary Christians of the 21st century. Food will be provided.
Friday Afternoon Social Gatherings
4:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Every Friday afternoon we gather as a community to check in and wind down from the busy week. This is our time to plan special events, service trips, and retreats, as well as a safe place to ask those burning questions about faith, theology, and scripture that you’ve always wanted to know about but have been afraid to ask.If you want to know some activities of The Appleton Club, there are at least _____ ways.
| A．4 | B．3 | C．2 | D．5 |
From three weekly gatherings, which activity is not included?
| A．Every Sunday night we hold the celebration of Holy Communion. |
| B．On Wednesday night of this spring we will discuss The Good Book. |
| C．Every Friday afternoon you can ask what you have been afraid to ask. |
| D．You can enjoy delicious food after gathering each time. |
Seventy years ago I was quite a small little girl, the baby of the family, with an older brother and sister. My father was very ill at the time, and my mother took in sewing of any kind so we could live. She would sew far into the night with nothing but dim gas mantles and an old treadle sewing machine. She never complained even when the fire would be low and the food very scarce. She would sew until the early hours of morning.
Things were very bad that particular winter. Then a letter came from where her sewing machine was purchased, stating that they would have to pick up her machine the next day unless payments were brought up to date. I remember when she read the letter I became frightened; I could picture us starving to death and all sorts of things that could come to a child‘s mind. My mother did not appear to be worried, however, and seemed to be quite calm about the matter. I, on the other hand, cried myself to sleep, wondering what would become of our family. Mother said God would not fail her, that he never had. I couldn‘t see how God was going to help us keep this old sewing machine.
The day the men were to come for our only means of support, there was a knock at the kitchen door. I was frightened as a child would be, for I was sure it was those dreaded men. Instead, a nicely dressed man stood at our door with a darling baby in his arms.
He asked my mother if she was Mrs. Hill. When she said she was, he said, "I‘m in trouble this morning and you have been recommended by the druggist and grocer down the street as an honest and wonderful woman. My wife was rushed to the hospital this morning, and since we have no relatives here, and I must open my dentist office, I have nowhere to leave my baby. Could you possibly take care of her for a few days?" He continued, "I will pay you in advance." With this he took out ten dollars and gave it to my mother.
Mother said, "Yes, yes, I will be glad to do so," and took the baby from his arms. When the man left, Mother turned to me with tears streaming down a face that looked as though a light was shining on it. She said, "I knew God would never let them take away my machine."The turning point in the story may refer to ______.
| A．a letter to the family |
| B．the time when mother comforted me |
| C．the man’s coming for help |
| D．the nicely dressed man’s trouble |
According to the text all the following are true to the man EXCEPT _____.
| A．his wife stayed in hospital |
| B．he was confused when in trouble |
| C．he had few men to turn to for help |
| D．he was a dentist |
What does mother mean by saying “I knew God would never let them take away my machine.?”
| A．God can do everything |
| B．The sewing machine is my only support |
| C．Everybody should believe in God |
| D．Never give up when in trouble |
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples （订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
| A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag． |
| B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father． |
| C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things． |
| D．She enjoyed playing with her father． |
How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
| A．He kept it in the drawer． |
| B．He took it back home． |
| C．He threw it into the wastebasket． |
| D．He put it on his table． |
After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．
| A．regretful | B．surprised |
| C．sad | D．satisfied |
Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
| A．An important journey | B．Two bags |
| C．Father and daughter | D．Love in a paper bag |
I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth．But the words, which Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me．
Carl Waller was my piano teacher．During one of my lessons he asked how much practice I was doing．I said three or four hours a day．
"Do you often practice so long at a time?" asked my teacher．
"I try to," I answered．
Well, don' t," he said． “When you grow up, time won' t come in long periods．Practice in minutes whenever you can find them, five or ten before school, after lunch, or between household tasks．Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life．"
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading and committee meetings filled my days and evenings．For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time．Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said．
During the next week I conducted an experiment．Whenever I had five minutes to spare, I would sit down and write a hundred words or so．To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript （手稿） ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same means．
Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were free moments which could be caught and put to use．I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided enough time for both writing and piano practice．
There is an important trick in this time-using formula; you must get into your work quickly．If you have only five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four minutes chewing your pencil．You must make your mental preparations ahead of time, and focus on your task almost immediately when the time comes．Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize．
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes．But life can be counted on to supply interruptions （中断时间）．Carl Walter has had a great influence on my life．To him, I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I begin without delay．Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Concentrate on Your Work | B．A Little at a Time |
| C．How I Became a Writer | D．My Teacher' s Advice |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long periods． |
| B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer' s life since he became a student． |
| C．The writer didn't take the teacher' s words to heart at first． |
| D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine． |
The underlined part "counted on" in the last paragraph can be replaced by "____"．
| A．enriched | B．concentrated |
| C．valued | D．expected |
We can infer from the passage that the author ____．
| A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is |
| B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy |
| C．has got into the bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels |
| D．is devoted to work immediately because he can find enough time for preparations |
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