China has a growing love affair with the cars．This is clear at the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange, where more and more people come to look and increasingly to buy．
Alice Wu is an editor at a Chinese Internet publication．She takes the subway to work, but she is certain she can cut her commute time if she drives herself．Wu says it takes her three hours to get to work now．If she had a car, she says, the same trip would only take her two hours．
The Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange is the biggest car dealership in Beijing．General manager Guo Yong says the business sells more than two thousand cars each week．Guo says it is much easier for Chinese consumers to buy a car now．In the past, it would take them several years to earn enough money to buy a new car．Now, he says, many people only need to save for one year．Also, the emergence of less expensive domestic brands like Chery and BYD means more Chinese can afford cars．
For decades, most Chinese city residents got about by bicycle or public buses and trains．Now, in many areas, the number of new cars is growing faster than the road system, leaving city streets jammed with traffic．Guo Liang has wanted to buy a car for a decade, and he will be the first in his family to own one．He is not deterred by Beijing's traffic jams．Guo says if the traffic is too bad, he will use the car for leisure or holidays with his family．Another customer, Zhang Menxin, works in Beijing, but is from Xi'an, more than 900 kilometers away．Zhang says it is very difficult to get a train ticket to return home for Chinese New Year．She adds that train is not convenient．If she had her own car, she says, she could go anytime she wanted to．
World Bank transportation specialist Shomik Mendhiratta says, “Getting a car makes people feel like they have arrived to the middle class, and it's got a huge status associated with it．It's a fantastic thing to have．”
【小题1】The underlined word "deterred" in the 4^th paragraph probably means           .

In the United States，train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes．Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001．The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation．They only studied trips longer than 50 miles．The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle．Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane．Two percent were traveled in a bus．And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States．In the past ten years，the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent．Although the number of passengers has increased，it is still very small now．In countries such as France，Germany，or Japan，more people use trains．
There are several reasons why many people __________________________．
Firstly，Americans love to drive their own cars．On highways，cars can travel as fast as trains．These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly，many travelers like to be independent．When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel．Thirdly，many buses travel between major cities．Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States，cities are far away from each other．In some cases，travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day．Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster．People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly．For these people saving time is the most important thing.
【小题1】What is the best title of the passage? （Please answer within 10 words.）
【小题2】Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.
【小题3】Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（Please answer within 10 words.）
【小题4】What means of transportation do you like best when traveling，trains，cars，or planes? Why? （Please answer within 30 words）
【小题5】Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.

Imagine, one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．

         Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high-speed railway system．And that’s not all．China has an even greater high-speed railway plan — to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．

         China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．

         China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．

         The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour.

         China’s bullet train（高速客车），the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．

         Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge（轨距），maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．

         But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion．

         China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．

         It’ll be a win-win project． For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries．

         For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all．And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．

1.China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ________.

         A. China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

         B. China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

         C. China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

         D. The foreign countries involved will develop their business and tourism

2.According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ________.

         A. technical issues                                            B. safety of the system

         C. financial problems                                          D. maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?

         A. Critical．                    B. Reserved．               C. Doubtful．      D. Positive．

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

         A. New Railway Standards.                            B. Big Railway Dreams.

         C. High-speed Bullet Trains.                               D. International Railway Network

Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．

Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system．And that’s not a11．China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．

China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．

China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming withSingapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly

to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beiling in under two days．

The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．

    China’s bullet train(高速客车)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the

 World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．

Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(轨距)，maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．

But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on

domestic railway expansion．

China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital

investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．

It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countnes．

For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11．And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．

1．China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ____________．

  A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

  B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

  C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

  D． the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism

2．According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is____________．

  A．technical issues    B．safety of the system

  C．financial problems  D．maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed

  railway plan?

  A．Critical．    B．Reserved．    C．Doubtful     D. Positive．

4．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

  A．New Railway Standards    B．Big Railway Dreams

  C．High—speed Bullet Trains D．International Railway Network

Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．

Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system．And that’s not a11．China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．

China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．

China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming with

Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．

The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．

    China’s bullet train(高速客车)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the

 World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．

Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(轨距)，maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．

But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on

domestic railway expansion．

China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital

investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．

It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries．

For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11．And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．

1.China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because      ．

  A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

  B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

  C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

  D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism

2.According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is      ．

  A．technical issues                     

B．safety of the system  C．financial problems                   

D．maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed

   railway plan?

  A．Critical．        B．Reserved．      C．Doubtful         D. Positive．

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

  A．New Railway Standards               

B．Big Railway Dreams

  C．High—speed Bullet Trains             

D．International Railway Network