“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more

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“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.
小题1:The Channel Tunnel links ______ with _______.

A．Dover; Kent

B．London; Paris

C．Lille; Brussels

D．Cheriton; Sangatte

小题2:Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?

小题3:The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.

A．passengers	B．drivers and their vehicles
C．goods	D．staff members of the Chunnel

小题4:The text can most probably be __________.

A．found in a textbook	B．read in a magazine
C．broadcast on a train	D．heard in a railway station

答案

小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:C

解析

试题分析：本文主要介绍了连接英国和法国的英吉利海峡的地下隧道的具体信息。
小题1:D 细节题。根据文章第二段最后2行. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.可知D项正确。
小题2:A 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train.可知一个有三个隧道，外面2个是大的，中间一个是小的。故A正确。
小题3:B 细节题。根据文章倒数2,3行The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off.可知B正确。
小题4:C 推理题。本文主要介绍的是连接英国和法国的英吉利海峡的地下隧道的具体信息，可能是火车的广播信息。故C正确。

举一反三

Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU). The agreement or treaty (条约) which created the organization that eventually became the EU, the Treaty of Rome, stated that each country"s language must be treated equally. The original six countries had only three languages between them: French. German and Dutch/Flemish. However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages. EU documents must be translated into all these languages, and at official meetings the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
All this translating is very expensive and time-consuming (费时的). it is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches, and nearly half of the EU"s administrative(管理方面的) costs are spent on this task. In the near future it is probably that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.
The problem is not just cost: there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages, there are 132 possible "translation situations" that might be needed. It is often" difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from (for example) Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard.
In practice the problem has been made less serious by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials, since almost all of them speak some English. However, any move to reduce the number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, powerful member countries like France and Germany are strongly against it.
小题1:What"s the main purpose of this passage?

A．To give a solution to a problem.

B．To discuss a problem and show how serious it is.

C．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(效率低).

D．To show that the problem cannot be solved.

小题2:According to the writer, the use of English in contacts among EU officials has ________.

A．angered the officials who don"t speak English

B．reduced the number of official languages

C．made the problem less serious

D．been opposed by powerful member countries

小题3:In paragraph three, the writer mentions "Danish into Greek" as an example of ________.

A．a situation that might be difficult to deal with

B．a situation that occurs often

C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

D．languages that are easy to translate

小题4:The writer suggests that if the number of official languages was reduced _______.

A．the EU would not know which official languages to choose

B．countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy

C．only languages that are easy to translate would be used officially

D．the smaller member countries would be pleased

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There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侣） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice（傲慢与偏见）by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.
The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted（侮辱） both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after.
Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（学者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramas（戏剧）and a lot of novels and stories modeling(模仿) after Austen’s memorable (难忘的)characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.
Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韵律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted.
小题1:In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to .

A．master the skills of writing	B．marry the one she loved
C．change her life by marrying rich	D．obey her parents

小题2:What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?

A．They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich.

B．They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end.

C．They get separated from each other shortly after being married.

D．Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him.

小题3: According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.

A．inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it.

B．was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon

C．tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers

D．is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide

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A new retail phenomenon from Japan which allows customers to walk away with free products is to launch in Britain.
From tomorrow, visitors to Sample Trend’s central London store can try anything on its shelves, and all of the products can be taken home without charge. For a nominal annual membership fee of £60, users are free to enter the shop once a month and help themselves to no less than £250 worth of goods every year. The only ‘catch’ is that shoppers are asked to complete a simple questionnaire about each product they try.
Known as ‘try-vertising’, the concept allows manufacturers to test products and receive consumer feedback before launching onto the open market. It is already very popular in Japan and now looks set to transform the fortunes of the embattled（严阵以待的） UK retail industry. According to new figures, stores are facing a Christmas crisis with the weakest High Street trading for six months.
Michael Ghosh, the brainchild（创意者）behind Sample Trend, said: “The concept behind Sample Trend is unique in the UK. It allows shoppers the opportunity to walk away with a number of real, full-size products of their choosing without handing over a penny.”
The concept of in-store try-vertising is simple but effective. Businesses across all sectors, from cosmetic manufacturers to beverage（饮料） makers, place new products on the shelves at Sample Trend and wait for consumers to try them out.
Customers complete a short 10-point questionnaire about the product, and the feedback they provide is used to make any last-minute improvement before the product is brought officially to market. The Sample Trend store stocks everything from cosmetics, food and drink, and household goods.
Ghosh, the former advertising and sales director for Disney Europe, said such feedback may also build brand loyalty from the outset---a particularly appealing prospect for new businesses.
小题1:What can we know about the Sample Trend?

A．It has turned out to be a success in London.

B．The goods in the shop are free for everyone

C．The customers can only go to it once a month.

D．It sells everything people need.

小题2:The word “catch” (in para2) can be replaced by _________

A．advantage

B．disadvantage

C．problem

D．requirement

小题3:The customers need to fill a questionnaire to________

A．give suggestions for the products

B．recommend the products

C．give feedback about the products

D．express their thanks

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Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels (元音) being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact (接触) with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.
Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution (工业革命) led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization (殖民地化) of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence (影响) on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA’s movies, television, popular music, trade and technology.
小题1:The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in _____.

A．vocabulary	B．pronunciation
C．spelling	D．grammar

小题2: What helped to increase the vocabulary of Late Modern English?
a. the invention of printing
b. the Industrial Revolution
c. the colonization
d. the contact with other countries

A．a, b, c

B．a, c, d

C．a, b, d

D．b, c, d

小题3:From the passage, we can learn the word “canyon” is from _____.

A．American dialect	B．African dialect
C．Spanish	D．French

小题4:The third paragraph mainly talks about _____.

A．English colonies in North America

B．the development of American English

C．other languages influence on American English

D．the difference between American English and British English

小题5: The underlined word “froze” can best be replaced by _____.

A．remained unchanged	B．disappeared
C．improved	D．kept active

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Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.
Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition(释义)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA. When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart. people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.
小题1:The word SEASICK means“______”.

A．to be eager to go to the sea	B．what has nothing to do with the sea
C．to be sick because of the sea	D．that the sea is terrible

小题2:When we say a person is heartsick, we mean that________.

A．his heart is sick	B．his heart needs testing
C．he’s sorry at heart	D．he’s terribly disappointed and sad

小题3:“The last place you want to be” is_________.

A．where you want to be most	B．where you want to be least
C．where you go the last	D．the last place you go to

小题4:The definitions of handshake, handstand and handbag are_______.

A．easy to know	B．difficult to know
C．impossible to learn	D．unnecessary to learn

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