The Lunar New Year, which starts in late January this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people as most of them drop any business at hand to go back to their hometown to see their families. It is a tradition that has been cherished since ancient times, but as social mobility increases in modern times, the road to family reunions has become very uneasy.
It is not the higher travel costs, nor the expected big spending on gifts and other festival items, but the train ticket that has driven many travelers mad. I’ve heard some colleagues complain that they have tried every means to secure a train ticket, only to find it a mission impossible. Some of them have turned to the latest software to aid online booking; others have sought help from friends to increase the possibility of successful booking.
No doubt chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, is the largest-scale annual human migration in the world. Last year, 220 million passengers traveled by train during the Spring Festival season, which usually lasts 40 days. It is a huge jump from 10 years ago, when the number was 128 million.
With the big sudden increase in demand, the railway company has increased investment in railway construction; still, it cannot bridge the supply gap, leading to fierce public complaints and criticism.
Admittedly, it is almost impossible for the railway company to suddenly improve its capacity to meet the explosive demand during the Spring Festival holiday. Moreover, any temporary increase in capacity would become unnecessary after the holiday and mean great commercial losses during the off season.
What the company can reasonably do is gradually improve its capacity while focusing on better distribution of its existing resources during the special peak season. At any rate, however, the problem cannot be solved overnight.Compared with ten years ago, the percentage of passengers last year increased by________.
| A．40% | B．58% | C．71% | D．83% |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Social mobility in modern times hasn’t changed much in these years. |
| B．The latest software may increase the possibility of successful booking. |
| C．Higher travel costs discourage travelers from reunions with families. |
| D．People nowadays cherish reunion with their families more than before. |
Which word can be used to best describe the way to solve the problem only by increasing capacity?
| A．Expensive | B．Effective | C．Hopeful | D．Impractical |
What’s the tone of the whole passage?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Objective | C．Subjective | D．Critical |
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job.His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with disappointment.By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression.When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job.I am a complete failure.” A tense silence followed.Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face.“What great news!” she responded.
“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” he objected, completely without hope．“If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen．Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash．“Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped.“To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied.“I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance．From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance．Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary(文学)masterpiece.The book is The Scarlet Letter.Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
| A．Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news |
| B．Nate was too sad to speak any more |
| C．Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate |
| D．Neither husband nor wife had any idea what to do |
Sophia saved money because _______________________．
| A．she knew her husband would lose his job one day |
| B．she knew their life would be in difficulty |
| C．she was very careful with money |
| D．she was trying to help her husband in every possible way |
From the passage we can know that Sophia was __________________________．
| A．kind and brave | B．careful and encouraging |
| C．friendly and warm-hearted | D．honest and determined |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Sophia’s Achievement |
| B．A Great Writer’s Struggle to Success |
| C．Great Encouragement in Hard Times |
| D．Failure is the Mother of Success |
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods . Many people , however , are worried about the weight that comes along with the delicious foods . With proper planning , though , it is possible to control your weight . The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much . You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy . The following suggestions may be of some help to you .
Do not miss meals . Before you leave home for a feast ,have a small , low-fat snack . This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods .
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables . A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full .
Use a small plate ; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough .
Better not have high-fat foods . Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them .
Choose lean meat . Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth , try mints (薄荷) and fruits .They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess calories .In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight , you’d better _.
| A．drink much water and have vegetables only |
| B．not eat much food in high-fat |
| C．not accept invitations to feasts |
| D．turn away from delicious foods |
According to the passage , ____ is necessary part to stop you from putting on weight .
| A．vegetables | B．water | C．calories of energy | D．physical exercise |
Many people can’t help putting weight after the holidays because they _______
| A．can’t control themselves | B．go to too many feasts |
| C．enjoy delicious foods | D．can’t help turning away from the foods |
Excess calories can be found in your body in the form of _________
| A．energy | B．something invisible | C．food | D．fat |
Too many people wander through life like sleepwalkers．Each day they follow familiar routines，never asking，“What am I doing with my life?’’and they don’t know what they’re doing because they lack goals．
Goal-setting is a focusing of the will to move in a certain direction．Begin with a clear conception of what you want．Write down your goals and date them—putting them into words clarifies them．Rather than concentrating on objects to acquire and possess，focus on fulfilling your desires to do，to produce，to contribute—goal-setting that yields the true sense of satisfaction we all need．
It’s important to visualize(想象)yourself accomplishing your goal．While losers visualize the penalties(不利)of failure，winners visualize the rewards of success．I’ve seen it among athletes，statistics contrasting air and highway safety，but it made no difference．I had read too many articles describing crash scenes and imagined these scenes vividly．I had programmed myself，without realizing it，to stay off planes．
Then one summer I had the opportunity to fly on a private plane with friends to a resort；I didn’t want to miss out on a great vacation．So I spent two weeks imagining a smooth flight on a beautiful sunny day and an easy landing．
When the day arrived，I was eager to go．To everyone’s surprise，I got on the plane and I loved every minute of it，and I still use the techniques I employed that day．According to the passage，if you want to be successful，the first thing for you to do is.
| A．find the right methods | B．be careful about everything |
| C．know your ability | D．have a clear goal |
If you have a target，you will.
| A．wander like a sleepwalker | B．know well what you are doing |
| C．do the same work every day | D．put it into words |
The problem with the author before he overcame his fear of air travel is that.
| A．he didn’t know air travel is safer than highway travel |
| B．he couldn’t imagine himself accomplishing his goal |
| C．he read too much about plane crashes and tried to avoid flying |
| D．he wanted to take a private plane instead of a public one |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Define Your Coal |
| B．Visualize Rewards of Success |
| C．Overcome The Fear of Air Travel |
| D．Sleepwalking Through Life |
By early Tuesday，the swine flu outbreak in Mexico had caused in 152 deaths and more than 1，600 illnesses．So far，at least 113 cases have been proved worldwide，including 64 in the United States；six in Canada；11 in New Zealand and two each in Spain the United Kingdom and Israel．None has yet resulted in death.
T'he World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale．The move means the U.N.agency has determined that the virus can transmit from human to human．
“In this age of global travel，where people move around in airplanes so quickly，there is no region to which this virus could not spread，”said Fukuda，assistant director-general of the WHO．
Governments around the world struggled to prevent further outbreak．Some，like China and Russia，banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico U.S.President Barack Obama said the outbreak was a cause for concern，not for alarm．The gov-ernment urged travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico．
The latest WHO report listed only seven proved swine flu deaths in Mexico but it was not clear why there was the discrepency．
Mexico City has closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb (contro1) the spread of swine flu and ordered 35,00 public venues to close or serve only take away meals．In addition，bars，clubs，movie theaters，pool halls，gyms，sport centers and convention halls have been told to close until May 5．Armed police officers are also guarding hospitals in Mexico City while roads and schools in the city of 20 million people are deserted．Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems．When learning the outbreak of swine flu，the WHO was.
| A．calm | B．nervous |
| C．shocked | D．careful |
Fukuda’s words suggest that.
| A．he likes travel by air |
| B．global travel hasn’t been affected |
| C．this virus can spread quickly because of global travel |
| D．planes must be forbidden to take to prevent swine flu |
The last paragraph mainly tells us.
| A．Mexico has taken measures to control swine flu |
| B．Mexico City is too dangerous to live in |
| C．the normal life in Mexico has been changed |
| D．people in Mexico are badly in need of help |
Roskilde Festival(July)
The Danes love the outdoors and they love rock music；the Roskilde Festival is where they combine these passions for a weekend of drunken celebration．The four-day event is held about 30 minutes from the city completely，which means you can either go in for the full festival experience，or you can travel from the city to the festival each day．
There are also day tickets if you don’t have the power for the whole collection of facts．
Kulturnatt en(October)
For something a little more high brow there’s the Night of Culture．For one night only some 300 venues in the city stage theater performances，art exhibitions，concerts and poetry readings．
Father Christmas Congress(July)
One of the more bizarre fixtures in Copenhagen’s calendar，the event is held in July—the slow season for Santas—at the Bakken amusement park，some 20 minutes north of the city．The most interesting of the event is a procession of Santas from all over the world along Strget．Parents should be prepared for some embarrassed questions from the kids．
Tivoli Gardens(November／December)
These pleasure gardens make for a great day out any time of the year but to see them at their most attractive，visit from mid-November through December，when they are transformed into a fairy tale of lanterns and Christmas markets．There’s also outdoor skating，a Christmas entertainment and the very Danish‘Nissekbing’village，home to more than 100 mechanical fairies．If you are free in October，you can go to.
| A．Roskilde Festival | B．Kulturnatten |
| C．Father Christmas Congress | D．Tivoli Gardens |
Roskilde Festival is a festival.
| A．where many famous singers in Denmark gather |
| B．which is only held in the center of a city |
| C．that lasts about half an hour per day |
| D．that the Danas can enjoy |
How does the author think of the procession of Santas?
| A．Astonishing | B．Funny |
| C．Worth seeing | D．Full of encouragement |
The passage is probably written for.
| A．guides | B．tourists |
| C．businessmen | D．writers |