Trains have long been an important form of transportation. Yet they have changed a lot since 1804, when the first train moved at 8 km/hr. Today’s high speed trains can go 300 km/hr or faster. Besides their speed, they have many advantages over other transportation types.
Japan built the world’s first high speed railway. In 1964, Japan’s “Shinkansen” trains started traveling between Osaka and Tokyo at 200 km/hr. Over time, more lines, as well as faster trains, were built.
Korea, England, and the USA, now have their own high speed systems. Taiwan Province’s started running in 2007. Its trains are based on two types of Shinkansen trains. They can carry 989 people and travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung in less than two hours.
These systems are expensive to build, but they have many advantages. For example, they are good for the environment. Trains on the London to Paris line create 1/10 the pollution that planes create. High speed trains are also safer and cleaner than cars.
Super fast trains can even help a country’s economy(经济). They make it easier to travel to faraway places. That helps businesses and land values in those areas. It’s no wonder so many countries are building their own high speed railways.The world’s first high speed trains started traveling at ______.
| A．8 km/hr | B．200 km/hr |
| C．300 km/hr | D．500 km/hr |
In Taiwan Province, the high speed trains are based on trains from ______.
| A．Japan | B．Korea | C．China | D．the USA |
According to the passage, high speed trains ______ than planes.
| A．are cheaper | B．are safer and cleaner |
| C．make traveling easier | D．cause less pollution |
One of the disadvantages of high speed trains mentioned in this passage is that ______.
| A．they are safer than some other transportation types |
| B．it costs a lot to build the whole high speed systems |
| C．they’re good for a country’s businesses and land values |
| D．super fast trains can help a country’s economy(经济) |
The main idea of this passage is that ______.
| A．trains are the most popular form of transportation in the world |
| B．Japan built the world’s first high speed railway |
| C．we should do everything that we can to help the environment |
| D．there are a lot of good reasons to build high speed railways |
“Who needs a shopping mall if you have Taobao ?” says Wang Lin, 28, a writer in Beijing. She spends lots of money on Taobao. It is well-known Taobao, China’s largest online shopping site, has become an important part of our life.
①A large number of Chinese Internet users like Wang have found the joy of online shopping. Most online shoppers are students or young workers. More women shop online than men. Clothing and home use products (产品) are the most popular online.
It is said that more than 250 billion yuan was spent on online shopping last year, 80% through Taobao. Taobao means ‘looking for treasure（财富）’ in Chinese. People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books, from candies to DVD players. 
You may question the safety online shopping. Wang Lin said, ‘It is very safe and convenient (便利).If you receive the products from the sellers and you aren’t ② them, the shop owner will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the product.’
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They say that people spent 250 billion yuan doing some shopping on the Internet last year.
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Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you hope that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through pop music or basketball or being a TV star, when chances come, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem rather important to your life ,but you should try your best. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures (the opposite of success). JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat(打败) you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to tell when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling(奋斗), even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel other people have given up on you.but you should remember, don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
| A．fewest | B．most | C．saddest | D．valuable |
| A．secrets to success. |
| B．being successful is easy. |
| C．your failures beat you. |
| D．Asking for help is a sign of weakness. |
| A．To compare these two famous persons. |
| B．To explain that the more failures he has, the more successful he is. |
| C．If you want to be successful, you should fail first. |
| D．To show that failure is the mother of success. |
| A．No one can be successful without working hard. |
| B．Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way. |
| C．Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help. |
| D．One should try his best to make his dream come true. |
| A．One shouldn’t ask questions because it is a sign of strength. |
| B．One should believe in himself though he will face much difficulty. |
| C．One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times. |
| D．One doesn’t have to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness. |
A teacher began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see, and asked the students, " How much do you think this glass weighs?"
"50 g!" "100 g!" "125 g!" the students answered.
"I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the teacher, "but my question is what would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"
" Nothing! " the students said.
"OK. What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?" the teacher asked.
"Your arm would begin to ache," said one of the students.
"You're right. Now, what would happen if I held it for a day?"
"Your arm could go numb. Have to go to hospital for sure!" said another student. All the students laughed.
"Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?" asked the teacher.
"No." the students said.
"Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle (肌肉) stress?"
The students fell silent for a moment.
"Put the glass down!" said one of the students.
"Exactly!" said the teacher. "The problems of life are something like this. Hold them for a few minutes in your head, and it seems OK. Think of them for a long time and they begin to make you ache. Hold them even longer and you will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the challenges(挑战) in your life, but it' s even more important to put them down at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed. You wake up fresh and strong and can deal with any challenge that comes your way!"
Remember to put the glass down today.
| A．50g | B．125g | C．I don’t know. | D．100g |
| A．One of the students thought his arm could go numb. |
| B．One of the students thought his arm would begin to ache. |
| C．One of the students thought his arm would be changed. |
| D．One of the students thought his arm would be lost. |
| A．Because he wanted to know how much the glass weighs. |
| B．Because he wanted to ask some student to weigh the glass. |
| C．Because he wanted to make his class more interesting. |
| D．Because he wanted to explain it was important to put the challenges in life down at the end of every day. |
| A．疼痛不止 | B．消瘦萎缩 | C．松弛下垂 | D．失去感觉 |
| A．The teacher told his students to face the challenges bravely. |
| B．The teacher taught his students how to deal with the problems. |
| C．The teacher used to begin his class with a glass of water. |
| D．The teacher usually begins his class by holding a glass of water. |
You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused(不知所措). I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.
I was also surprised by how hard-working US students are.
In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．quite different from | B．the same as | C．more difficult than | D．easier than |
| A．He thought for a moment and smiled | B．He greeted with “What?” |
| C．He didn’t how to say | D．He was surprised |
| A．only in doing homework |
| B．only on sports or music |
| C．only in working for the public |
| D．on studies, sports or music and public work |
| A．The writer is now staying in the US. |
| B．American girls love to have white skin. |
| C．The US students are hard-working. |
| D．Schoolwork is almost everything in China. |
Mo Yan, a well-known Chinese writer, won the Nobel Prize for literature(文学) in 2012. He was also the first Chinese writer who got this prize in history. When he was interviewed, he said he was only a normal person who could tell stories. He especially thanked his mother. He thought his mother had a strong influence on him.
Mo Yan was born in a poor family in China’s rural area. When he was young, he was a little bit shy because he thought he wasn’t good-looking. His classmates often played jokes on his look. That made him very upset. His mother encouraged him to face the fact bravely. She told him not to look down on himself. She said it didn’t matter if a person didn’t have a good look and it was important to work hard and never give up. She hoped that his son would be a useful person in society.
Mo Yan didn’t let her mother down. He worked hard at writing. He wrote many famous novels, such as Hong Gao Liang(《红高粱》)and Wa(《娃》). His success tells us a truth,“Nobody can beat you unless you beat yourself.”Hold on to your dream and your dream will come true in the end.
| A．In 2010. | B．Last year. | C．In 2013. | D．Last month. |
| A．to be interviewed about the Nobel Prize for Literature |
| B．to be a normal person who could tell stores |
| C．to win the Nobel Prize for literature |
| D．to be influenced strongly by his mother |
| A．Because he was poor. |
| B．Because he couldn’t tell stories. |
| C．Because his classmates often laughed at his look. |
| D．Because he didn’t work hard. |
| A．Working hard. | B．Money. | C．A good job. | D．A good look. |
| A．Mo Yan’s classmates were friendly to him. |
| B．Mo Yan was born in a rich family. |
| C．Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for peace. |
| D．Mo Yan’s mother helped him a lot. |
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