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. 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.
D
(Question)
I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn' t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date. We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile --warm and reassuring -- and I returned her _ by smiling back. "Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers," she said. "Yes, she' s special," I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. "It' s only our second date,but somehow I am just having the feeling she's 'the one' ,"Jokingly, I added, "The only problem is that I can' t figure out why she' d want to date a guy like me." "Well, I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her," the woman said. "My husband used to bring me flowers every week -- even when times were tough and we didn' t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and -- of course -- I miss him since he' s passed away." I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said, "You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady." I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation. It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased."You have a wonderful evening," I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers. I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later,when I finally worked... Why was the writer in a hurry that day? A) He was to meet his girlfriend. B) He had to go back to school soon. C) He was delayed by an elderly lady. D) He had to pick up some groceries.
(Answer)
A
Question: Our first winter in Canada was the happiest we have experienced. We were living in the countryside then and had just arrived from Hong Kong that autumn. One evening in mid December snow began to fall. When we looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing, we all cheered. It was the first snow we had ever seen and we were excited. We could hardly wait for the snow to stop so that we could go out to play. Next morning when we woke up, it was still snowing. We switched on the radio and learned that more than ten inches of snow had falled during the night and that since the roads were blocked there would be no school that day. We jumped up and down for joy and begged mother to let us go outside to play in the snow. She said we could go out after breakfast if we dressed ourselves warmly and promised to come back as soon as we felt cold. When we went out, the snow had almost stopped. The roads , paths, gardens, and playing grounds were all hidden under a white blanket of soft snow. It was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. Just then, we saw some neighbour's children coming out to play. We ran over to join them. Together we built a snowman and a snow house. After that, we took turns sliding down a hill on a large piece of cardboard. We were having so much fun when supper time came. Mother almost had to force us to go in and eat. The children all cheered when they saw the snow because _ . A) they knew they would have no school for the next day B) it was the first time they had seen snow C) they knew that winter had come D) they liked cold weather
Answer:
B