Around every Lunar New Year holiday, China becomes a country on the move. The holiday crush this year is estimated to be even heavier than before. Government officials suggest that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel. Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a _ challenge that tries your patience annually. And the pressure for the railway system is always the greatest. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system regularly falls down. Much of the criticism has focused on the railway's online purchasing system, which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers from easily getting many of the hard-to-find tickets. Railway officials believed that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, and told reporters that the public need to be patient. While by now the railway service is far from satisfying, efforts are being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems, and the situation is expected to get better in a few years. Meanwhile, for those traveling by car, good news is that the country's extremely expensive highway tolls will be removed for the period of the official holiday. According to the text, getting tickets _ around the official holiday. A) is convenient for travelers B) costs more money C) requires great patience D) is just a piece of cake
C
prefix = st1 /Indonesiais known as the country of islands. It has 17,508. But in recent years, the popular tourist destination has lost some of its shine. Due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, 24 Indonesian islands have gone under the sea. Scientists say 2,000 more will disappear before 2030. In the past three years, the southeast Asian nation also witnessed its islands destroyed by a tsunami and typhoons. "If no measures are taken to fight climate change, the beautiful islands will go forever." scientists told environmental ministers from about 190 countries at a UN climate change meeting. This week they are meeting in Bali, an Indonesian islands. They are trying to reach a deal to cut the world's emissions of CO2, which makes the earth warmer. Indonesia is not alone. This year has been more _ hit the world.Canadaand US suffered heavy storms and typhoons, While Australians were caught in the heaviest drought in a century. In China, the average temperature this year went up by 1.2degC from last year, reaching the highest on record since 1951. From Jiangxi and Hunan in the south to Heilongjiang andJilinin the northeast , one -third of farmland has suffered from a drought. However, other parts of the country got too much rain. More than 700 people were killed in floods, landslides and storms. "These weather extreme are the more obvious effects of global warming," said Song Lianchun, a climate expert. Scientists say time is running out. To escape from the worst effects, global CO2 emissions need to be cut from the levels they were at in 2000 by 50 to 85 percent by 2050. But in recent years climate change talks have been bogged down by arguments over who will pay the bill for cleaner technology. Developing countries are worried that the cut in emissions will slow their economic development. "Chinawill play a responsible and constructive role in the meeting," said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The nation is now the world's second largest greenhouse gas emitter ."However, developed... Climate change talks have become bogged down because countries cannot agree on _ . A) who should be responsible for causing climate change B) who will pay for the cleaner technology needed to tackle climate change C) whether developed nations should help developing nations in solving climate change D) whether developing nations should cut emission of CO2
B
Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories,but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space? On Nov.19,a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite. The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record setting.28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia,CNN reported.It took the students seven years to build. The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat,which is named after their school.It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms,according to Orbital Sciences,a company which developed the rocket and supported the students' project.It can be controlled with a smartphone. Like most satellites,TJ3Sat can send and receive data.The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer ,which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves,said Orbital officials.In this case,anyone can give it a try via the project's website (school website) by submitting a text.The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite,changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves. "I can say 'Go Colonials'on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world,in India,someone can hear'Go Colonials'over the radio,"the team explains on the website. The satellite will stay in space for at least three months. School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time.Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors. At a time when American students are busy with SATs,the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities,Glazer said. "It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut," Andrew Petro,program executive for small spacecraft technology at NASA,said in a... According to the article,the launch of the satellite _ . A) is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology B) proves that hard working teenagers can achieve a lot C) shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school D) has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel
B