Traveling by train is usually not easy in China．It can be hard to get a ticket．When you’re traveling to the railway station you look at your watch，afraid you will miss your train．

  But there is good news for people traveling between Beijing and Shanghai．Construction(建設(shè)) on the express railway(高速鐵路)between the two cities started just before the Spring Festival of 2008．When it is finished by 2013，taking a train will be as easy as taking a bus．

  “There will be trains every several minutes．Buying a ticket，getting through the checkpoint(檢查站)to taking your seat。will take just lo minutes，”said a message on the government’s website．

  There may be high-speed trains running at 350 kilometers an hour．The travel time between the two cities will decrease from 10 to about five hours．The trains will carry twice the present number of passengers．

  The new line will be 1,318 kilometers long and go across specially built bridges．It will run alongside the present line．There will be 21 stations，in Hebei，Tianjin，Shandong，Anhui and Jiangsu．

  “The cost of traveling by the express railway may be around 800 yuan．That will be more expensive than an ordinary train．but cheaper than by air，”said Zhang Xiaolin9，a Jiangsu government official．

  According to Zhang．the higher price is caused by the large cost of the railway project．At about 200 billion yuan，the project may be even more expensive than the Three Gorges Project(三峽工程)．

1．The express railway between Beijing and Shanghai will be finished       ．

  A．a(chǎn)t the end of this year                    B．before the Spring Festival of 2008

  C．a(chǎn)fter 2013                         D．in about 5 years

2．Before taking your seat，you’re supposed to        with your ticket．

  A．buy a ticket                            B．get through the checkpoint

  C．pack your things                             D．make some friends

3．The word“decrease”in the passage possibly means        in Chinese．

  A．延長(zhǎng)                B．縮短             C．提速            D．限速

4．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage'?

  A．Traveling by train is usually difficult in China because tickets are too expensive．

  B．The high—speed trains will have 21 stations in Hebei，Tianjin，Shandong，Hunan and    Jiangsu．

  C．Tickets for the high-speed trains will be cheaper than those for planes．

  D．The cost of the express railway project is as high as that of the Three Gorges Project．

5．What can be the best title of the passage?

  A．An enormous project                     B．Train tickets will get more expensive

  C．Specially built bridges                    D．Beijing—Shanghai express railway

閱讀理解：

　Five months ago, I went to Beijing on business, While I was coming out of the Beijing Railway Station, a middle-aged woman came to me with a younger woman.

　“Hi, sir, where did you come from?” she asked.

　“I've just come from Hefei.” I answered at once, thinking that people in Beijing were so kind.

　“My younger sister came from the northeast. She needs a little bit of money to send a telegram（電報(bào)）to her family asking to post her some money. Can you lend her some? My sister is too shy to ask.” I felt sorry for them . Maybe some day I would also get into such trouble. So I gave them enough money to send a telegram.

　Five days later, I was coming into the Beijing Railway Station to take the train back to Hefei. Almost at the same place, another middle-aged woman came to . “Hi, sir, where are you going?”

　“I'm going to Anhui.”

　“I'm from the northeast. I want to send a telegram to my home for some money. Can you ...?”

　Once bitten, twice shy（一次被咬，下次膽�。�.I shook（搖）my head.

　“No .There are too many people like you. I just can not afford（提供）it!”

　The woman made a long face at once.

　“If you have no money, that's all right . But what are you saying?”

　“I'm saying there are too many strangers asking me to give them money to send telegrams,” I raised （ 提高）my voice, Then she said something in a low voice and went away.

(1) The word “Railway” means ________.　　　

[　　]

A．train　　　  　　B．bus

C．shop　　　　    　　　D．plane

(2) When he arrived at the station, ________.　　　

[　　]

A．he was welcomed

B．he met two kind women

C．he was fooled

D．he met two good women

(3) He did not give the second middle-aged woman any money because .

[　　]

A．he had no money left

B．he had little money

C．she made money in the same way

D．she needed money

(4) These women came from _________ really.　　　

[　　]

A．the northeast　    　　B．Beijing

C．Hefei　　　　　  　　D．We don't know

(5) Which is true?　　　

[　　]

A．People at the station need money very much.

B．The women were poor.

C．The women lied to him.

D．The women lost their money.