The new high-speed railway line between Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur self-governing region，and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province，has cut train travel time by half to less than 12 hours.
The dramatic improvement will benefit many families planning reunions for Spring Festival.
“For the first time，I feel home is not that far away after all，”said Liang Shaofu as he boarded a high-speed train in Urumqi with six members of his family．
The 35-year-old left Lanzhou to set up a dry fruit business in Xinjiang eight years ago，and he has now settled in Urumqi．
The 1,776-km line, which passes through Qinghai province and is the country’s first high-speed railway to be built in a high-altitude region, came into service on Dec 26.
“We normally drive home for Spring Festival to avoid the difficulties of buying seven train tickets for the whole family during the peak season.” Liang said. “Driving can be very tiring and dangerous sometimes，so one year we even decided not to go back to Lanzhou simply to avoid the trip.”
More than 600,000 passengers traveled on the line during its first month，and the Urumqi Railway Bureau said the introduction of high-speed services will ease transport pressure during the Spring Festival peak season.
The existing usual railway line could no longer support Xinjiang’s development. All passenger trains will gradually shift to the new link，leaving the old one to be used for goods. As a result，Xinjiang’s annual goods ability could reach 200 million metric tons from the current 70 million．
The line passes through areas that experience high winds, and it also crosses parts of the deserted Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the bone-dry sands of the Gobi Desert．
The project could help China to promote its high-speed railway technology abroad，said Ma Xi zhang, director of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway project’s management department in Xinjiang.
How long did it take to go from Urumqi to Lanzhou by the usual train before?
| A．about 12 hours | B．About 6 hours |
| C．About 18 hours | D．About 24 hours |
What’s the main advantage of the new high-speed railway?
| A．It takes more time to go to Urumqi to Lanzhou. |
| B．It will be more convenient for people all over the country to Xinjiang. |
| C．All the people in Lanzhou can return home on festivals. |
| D．It helps to improve Xinjiang’s development. |
From the passage we can learn________.
| A．Xinjiang’s annual goods ability can increase nearly four times |
| B．the new railway technology may help more railway lines to be built abroad |
| C．the high-speed railway lines can’t be built across the bone-dry sands |
| D．the old railway lines can only carry goods now |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The new high-speed railway line is good for all people to go home. |
| B．The new high-speed railway line benefits businessmen to carry goods. |
| C．Taking the new train is safer than driving home from Urumqi to Lanzhou. |
| D．Businessmen seldom went home for Spring Festival before. |
American society is not nap (午睡)friendly . In fact , says David Dings , sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , “There’s even a prohibition (禁止) against admitting we need sleep”. Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work . To quote a proverb : “Some sleep five hours , nature requires seven , laziness nine and wickedness(淘气的) eleven.”
The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them . “We have to totally change our attitude toward napping ,” says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University , the godfather of sleep research .
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified(发现) an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as important as the national debt . The commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness : people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving . This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House . According to recent reports , President Clinton is trying to take a half---hour snooze (瞌睡) every afternoon .
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity . We seem to have “a mid afternoon quiet phase ,” also called “a secondary sleep gate .” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed . Clearly , we were born to nap .
We superstars of snooze don’t nap to replace lost shut--eye or to prepare for a night shift . Rather , we “snack” on sleep ,whenever , wherever and at whatever time we feel like it . I myself have napped in buses , cars , planes and on boats ; on floors and beds ;and in libraries , offices and museums . The research done by the Dement Commission shows that Americans .
| A．don’t like to take naps |
| B．are terribly worried about their national debt |
| C．think that lack of enough sleep causes many accidents |
| D．have caused many industrial and traffic accidents |
The purpose of this article is to .
- warn us of the wickedness of napping
C. discuss the side effects of napping
D. convince the reader of the necessity of napping
- the traditional misconception the Americans have about sleep
- the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration
- the rapid development of American industry
- the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness
- preferable to have a sound sleep before a night shift
- good practice to eat something light before we go to bed
- essential (基本的) to make up for lost sleep
- natural to take a nap whenever we feel the need for it
Many of us already know about several American superstitions(迷信). Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition to these, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits—if you believe in such things—and impress your American friends when you mention them.
Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.”This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.
In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americans will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry“something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.
As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!The passage is most probably entitled(命名)“ ”.
| A．American’s Bad Luck | B．Cross-culture and Superstitions |
| C．American Superstitions | D．Daily Life in Superstitions |
The underlined sentence in the second paragraph“It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it”means: .
| A．When you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows |
| B．You will make some people surprised when you try this trick |
| C．Only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work |
| D．You will believe in the trick after you try it |
In American’s view, the number three is a(n) number.
| A．lucky | B．unlucky | C．special | D．ordinary |
On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to .
| A．save some money for the wedding |
| B．bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride |
| C．give the good luck to the bride herself |
| D．pass the bad luck to others |
Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve get a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag (标签). The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting – whatever. Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source – batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device (装置), that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP (very important person ) section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back: 10 or 12 years ago, you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could he put everywhere and send information in smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly.” Predicts Dr. J. Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers, accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship – to – shore communication, not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk.The article is intended to .
| A．warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology |
| B．explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology |
| C．convince people of the uses of RFID technology |
| D．predict the applications of RFID technology |
We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people .
| A．will have no trouble getting information about others |
| B．will have more energy for conversation |
| C．will have more time to make friends |
| D．won’t feel shy at parties any longer |
Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of .
| A．scanning devices | B．radio waves | C．batteries | D．chips |
The last paragraph implies that RFID technology .
| A．will not be used for such matters as buying milk |
| B．will be widely used, including for buying milk |
| C．will be limited to communication uses |
| D．will probably be used for pop music |
Leeds, England--A Leeds University psychology(心理学) professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.
“The hatred(痛恨) we hold within us is a cancer,” Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London ---a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with the memory. “They realize their bitterness(痛楚) is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, ” said Canadian-born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with a visit to an adviser every fortnight.
The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. “People have lots of negative(否定) attitudes(态度) towards forgiveness,” he said. “People confuse(使混乱) forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one.”
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitude toward the person you are angry with,” said Norman Claring-bull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project.
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people “want to get free from the past”.The author wrote this passage in order to ______.
| A．persuade us to go to Hart’s workshop |
| B．tell us the news about Hart’s workshop |
| C．tell us how to run a workshop like Hart’s |
| D．help us to look at different angers |
From the passage we can find that ________.
A. high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred
B. high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors
C. without hatred, people have less trouble connected with blood and heart
D people who suffer from blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemiesIn Hart’s first 20-week workshop, people there can ________.
| A．meet their enemies | B．change their minds |
| C．enjoy the professor’s speech | D．learn how to quarrel with others |
If you are a member in Hart’s workshop, you’ll have to _________.
| A．pay much money to Hart | B．go to the workshop every night |
| C．attend a gathering twice a month | D．pour out everything stored in your mind |
American farmers are raising five percent more goats for meat these days．
Goat meat is high in protein(蛋白质)and lower in unhealthy fat than many other meats．Even so，the industry is small compared to chicken，beef and pork. But immigration has brought more of a taste for goat to America from all over the world.
Experts from the University of Illinois offer some questions for people to consider if they are thinking about raising goats．
First of all，do you understand that there always has to be someone to care for the goats?
◆How much land do you have available? And how good is it? Poor ground may support two to four goats on half a hectare．Better grassland can support six to eight. If goats and cattle share the land，two goats can be added for each cow. The goats will eat weeds and other plants that cattle do not like．
◆Do you have buildings for the number of female goats you plan to keep during winter? An open，cold，dry barn is better than a closed，warm barn where the air is wet．
◆Do you have the equipment to clean barns（畜棚） and to harvest hay（草料） to feed your goats? Or will you get someone else to do it，or buy the hay?
The experts say a profitable business in goat meat may take three to five years to establish．And, of course, there are no guarantees .On which section of a newspaper will this passage appear?
| A．International Affairs | B．Entertainment |
| C．Agriculture | D．Culture |
Which of the following is NOT a factor in making goat meat more popular?
| A．Goat meat is healthy food. |
| B．Immigrants bring different tastes. |
| C．The industry still leaves room for profit. |
| D．Raising goats is challenging. |
If someone has two hectares of good grass land, what is the maximum number of cows and goats he can raise?
| A．32 cows and 64 goats． | B．32 cows and 32 goats． |
| C．16 cows and 32 goats． | D．8 cows and 16 goats． |
What is the experts’ opinion about the goat-raising business?
| A．You can make sure money． |
| B．You had better be cautious and patient． |
| C．Goats are hardly possible to raise． |
| D．Goat meat still needs to be recognized． |
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