For years and years people have been saying that railways are dead. “We can do without railways,” people say—as if cars and planes have made railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, lose money and are dying. But this is far from the truth. In these days of expensive oil, railways have become highly competitive with cars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they’re cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, a railway takes you from the heart of a city center. It doesn’t stop you as a car does on crowded roads. And no plane or car can ever carry as many goods as one train does.
Far from being dead, railways are much alive. Modern railway lines give you a comfortable journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep comfortably, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at the same time? And we are only the beginning, for we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, which are traveling 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on highways and planes we can’t fly in because we don’t have enough money to buy the oil.
【小题1】Some people think railways are dying because______.

The Black family live in a small town. Every morning, Mr. Black gets to work at 8：00 by car. Mrs. Black doesn’t go to work. She stays at home. She always takes their children—a son and a daughter to school. She cleans the rooms, washes clothes and cooks meals in the morning. She sometimes goes shopping in the afternoon. Sometimes she goes to see her friends in the same town. The children come back from school at 4:30. Mr. Black usually comes back from work at 6：00. Then they have supper. In the evening the children do their homework. Sometimes they watch TV. Mr. Black and Mrs. Black read newspapers or sometimes go to the movies. But they never watch TV.　

(　 )51. How many people are there in the Black family?
　　　 A. two　 B. Three　 C. Four　 D. Five
(　 )52. What does Mrs. Black do every day?
　　　 A. She goes shopping　 　　　　 B. She goes to see her friends

　　 C. She takes her children to school. D. She goes to the movies
(　 )53. When do they usually have supper?
　　　 A. At 4:30　 B. At 5:00 　 C. At 5:30 　D. At 6:30
(　 )54. How long does Mr. Black work?
　　　 A. For six hours B. For eight hours　 C. For nine hours D. For ten hours

(　 )55. Which of the following sentences is NOT right

　　 A. Mrs. Black has no job.　　 B. Mr. Black and Mrs. Black sometimes watch TV.

　　 C. Their children sometimes watch TV. D. Mr. Black drives his car to work.