Three-point-four billion riders on New York City subways and buses a year. This amazing number equals one-third of all mass transit trips in the United States. Ridership is at its highest in almost 60 years in almost every American city.
A commuter advocacy group, “Straphangers Campaign,” attributes it to younger Americans, said Gene Russianoff.
“Millenials（千禧一代）, those people born around the turn of the past century are much less car-oriented," he said. "They are urban. They like not owning cars, they like less responsibility and there are a lot of them."
In addition to millenials, many people believe public transit is economical and eco-friendly. In 2012 across America, people took 10.7 billion trips.
“When we talk about insurance rates going up, price of automobiles going up, then people are waking up and realizing: wait, here’s this huge asset(優(yōu)點)that has been underutilized," said Richard Rudolph, chairman of the Rail Users Network. "Why not take advantage of this particular opportunity. It certainly makes more sense to get people out of automobiles into subways and into commuter and passenger railroads.”
New York is not standing still -- as passenger demand requires several major expansion projects. A new $4.5 billion subway line on New York’s Second Avenue -- which was recently excavated underneath businesses and apartment houses -- will take an overload of passengers off of other subway lines. Its first phase completion is scheduled in 2016.
People who work in New York’s financial district will soon be using a new transit subway transfer center. Almost all lines converge in lower Manhattan and the new center will give riders an easier way to get around the city and into New Jersey.
And, probably the most controversial and costly project is a $7 billion tunnel connection from Long Island into Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. Trains from there will have access to New York’s midtown business district.
Andrew Albert, a board member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, said there were many other reasons the public was riding in increasing numbers.
“The system has gotten a lot more dependable. We have new cars. We have countdown clocks to tell you when the next train is coming. We have expanded facilities in places," he said.
New York’s 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, transit system costs a $1.5 billion a year to maintain. It is one of the world’s oldest, with its first subway line having opened in 1904.
小題1:Who is more likely to use public transmit?
A.People living in suburb          B.American young people     
B.People living in the countryside     D.American old people.
小題2:What does the underlined word in the 5th paragragh “underutilized” mean?
A．Not be put forwardB．not be noticed
C．not be made full use ofD．not be thought of
小題3:What does the underlined sentence in the 6th paragragh “New York is not standing still” mean?
A．New York is taking action to expand public transmit.
B．New York will encourage more people to use public transmit.
C．New York will make public transmit faster.
D．New York is waking up and realizing the importance of public transmit.
小題4:Which is Not the reason why the public is riding subways and buses in increasing numbers.
A．Public transport facilities are better than before.
B．Many people believe public transit is economical and eco-friendly.
C．The system has gotten a lot more dependable.
D．It is more convenient to ride city subways and buses.

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:D

試題分析：文章報道了紐約這幾年使用公共交通的人迅速增長，分析了這個現(xiàn)象的原因，也希望能充分利用這個機會，擴大公共交通系統(tǒng)。
小題1:細節(jié)題：從第二段的句子：A commuter advocacy group, “Straphangers Campaign,” attributes it to younger Americans, said Gene Russianoff.可知美國的年輕人更有可能乘坐公共交通設(shè)備。選B。
小題2:猜詞題：從第五段的句子：Why not take advantage of this particular opportunity.為什么不充分利用這個機會？可知underutilized是“未充分使用”的意思，選C
小題3:句意理解題：從第六段的句子：as passenger demand requires several major expansion projects. 和后面的例子，可知這句話的意思是：紐約在采取措施擴大公共交通系統(tǒng)，選A
小題4:細節(jié)題：從文章的第四段的句子：In addition to millenials, many people believe public transit is economical and eco-friendly. 可知B是對的，從最后一段的句子：“The system has gotten a lot more dependable. We have new cars. We have countdown clocks to tell you when the next train is coming. We have expanded facilities in places,可知A、C是對的，但是文章沒有說坐公共交通是方便的。選D
練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge. it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about US. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
46. You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.
A. dare to challenge yourself
B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself
D. have a high opinion of yourself
47. According to the passage, our serf-images _________.
A. have positive effects
B. are probably untrue
C. are often changeable
D. have different functions
48. How should you change your serf-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others.
B. To make your life successful.
C. To understand your own world.
D. To change the way you think.
49. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success.   
B. How to face challenges in your life.
C. How to build a positive self-image.
D. How to develop your good qualities.
50. Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A. Parents.
B. Adolescents.
C. Educators.
D. People in general.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.

Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator（獵食動物）gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.    
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them,  and they don't need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying "You can't fool Mother Nature." But maybe you can't trust her, either.
小題1:A plover protects its young from a predator by______.
A．getting closer to its young
B．driving away the adult predator
C．leaving its young in another nest
D．pretending to be injured
小題2:By "Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky" (paragraph 5), the author means______.
A．chimps are ready to attack others
B．chimps are sometimes dishonest
C．chimps are jealous of the winners
D．chimps can be selfish too
小題3:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Some chimps lower their cry to keep food away from others.
B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner's hand.
C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests.
D．Some clever scrub jays often steal their food back.
小題4:Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A．Do animals lie?
B．Does Mother Nature fool animals?
C．How do animals learn to lie?
D．How does honesty help animals survive?

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Although the U.S. is so big and its people have so many different ethnic (racial) backgrounds, it is in some ways less varied than Europe. The English language is used almost everywhere in its American form. The American way of speaking has developed independently of England and is on the whole closer to what can be heard in Ireland.
American instance of uniformity（一致性） is in habits and ways of living. From Boston to Los Angeles it is as far as from France to Central Asia, and from east to west there are five time zones; but everywhere people get up and go to bed at about the same time, eat the same kind of food, buy in the same kind of shops, work and rest at the same times of the day and have the same pattern of holidays. In most of the things that matter there is less difference between rich people and ordinary people, or between town and country, than in any single European nation.
Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs, its people are by now almost entirely an urban society. Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture, and most of the rest live in or around towns, large and small. Here the traditional picture is changing; most Americans do not live in small towns any more. Half the population now live in some thirty metropolitan（大城市的） areas.
The fact that the United states has always been a single economic unit has contributed to uniformity. Modern industry favors large organizations, and it is no accident that the world’s biggest commercial firms are American. The people can choose between the products of competing manufacturers, but the products are all much alike.
小題1:In describing the uniformity in the U.S. the author does not mention that
A．the American people get up and go to work at the same time.
B．the American people spend their holidays in the same pattern.
C．the American people buy and eat the same kind of food.
D．the American people have more or less the same income.
小題2:What can we learn from the passage about the U.S. agriculture?
A．The American farmers need more land than before.
B．More and more Americans are interested in farming.
C．It is quite modernized.
D．It is now going backward.
小題3:What is the feature of the U.S. modern industry according to the last paragraph?
A．The production scale and the organizational scale are very big.
B．It is a single economic unit that manufactures the same kind of products.
C．There are more and more competing manufacturers.
D．There are always a variety of products to choose from.
小題4:What does “most of the things” in the second paragraph refer to?
A．food, clothing and houses.
B．Cars, computers and TV sets.
C．Their wealth and income.
D．Land, housing and bank savings.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Recently, professor of philosophy（哲學）in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our daily life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.
He says our relations with others often become clearly defined（清晰的）when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful relationship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?
Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.
小題1:According to the first paragraph, people have not realized ______.
A．how important money is in their daily life
B．how one spends money shows what is important to him
C．that money is more important than their philosophy of life
D．that their understanding of life is more important than money
小題2:The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some  money ________.
A．is a good way to test your friendship
B．will do harm to your friendship
C．will strengthen your friendship
D．is a good way to break off your friendship
小題3:What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?
A．Money is an end．B．Money is a means．
C．Money is everything．D．Money is unimportant
小題4:The underlined phrase “enter the picture” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “_________”.
A．is used upB．is spent on pictures
C．is paid in the right wayD．is paid attention to
小題5:What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?
A．He doesn’t feel that he is well educated.
B．He doesn’t think he is a very important person.
C．He doesn’t consider himself to be very successful.
D．He doesn’t think that being rich deserves so much attention.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Stop Spam!
When I first got an e-mail account ten years ago, I received communications only from family, friends, and colleagues. Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail, I have an endless series of advertisements and other correspondence that do not interest me at all. If we want e-mail to continue to be useful, we need specific laws that make spamming (發(fā)送垃圾郵件) a crime.
If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam, the problem will certainly get much worse. Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly. As more and more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products, individual (個人的) e-mail boxes are often flooded with spam e-mails. Would people continue to use e-mail if they had to deal with an annoying amount of spam each time?
This problem is troubling for individuals and companies as well. Many spam e-mails contain computer viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company. Companies rely on e-mail for their employees to communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local communications networks, and their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively. Such a situation results in a loss of productivity and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks. These computer problems raise production costs of companies, which are, in the end, passes on to the consumer.
For these reasons, I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam. Spammers should be fined, and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people. E-mail is a tool which helps people all over the world to communicate conveniently, but spam is destroying this convenience.
小題1:What does the underlined word “correspondence” in the Paragraph 1 probably mean?                                                       
A．messagesB．ideasC．connectionsD．programs
小題2:According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam?   
A．Companies rely on e-mail for communications.
B．More people in the world communicate by e-mails.
C．Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail.
D．More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam.
小題3:According to Paragraph 3, who is the final victim of spam?             
A．The businessB．The advertiser.
C．The employeeD．The consumer.
小題4:What is the purpose of the text?
A．To inform.B．To educate.C．To persuade.D．To instruct.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Last week I talked with some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手術(shù))”, one replied.
I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.
One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it re-grows, you can get at least 5 cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.
In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
小題1:We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.
A．a(chǎn) doctorB．a(chǎn) modelC．a(chǎn) teacherD．a(chǎn) reporter
小題2:Many graduates today turn to cosmetic s surgery to ________.
A．marry a better man\womanB．become a model
C．get an advantage over others in job-huntD．a(chǎn)ttract more admirers
小題3:According to the passage, the author believes that ________.
A．everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost
B．it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs
C．it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career
D．media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery
小題4:The best title for the passage should be “________”.
A．Young Graduates Have Higher Expectation
B．Young Graduates Look to Surgery for Better Jobs
C．Young Graduates’ Opinion About Cosmetic Surgery
D．Young Graduates Face a Different Situation in Job-hunt

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That’s when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.
People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico’s town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.
The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.
Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.
小題1:Piobbico is rather special in that     .
A．it is a very small townB．it is home to ugly people
C．it receives no visitorsD．it is the capital of Italy
小題2:Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?
A．Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world.
B．Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable.
C．Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere.
D．Because he has won the members’ trust and admiration.
小題3:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Ugly people are most respected in Italy.
B．The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years.
C．Ugly people are unfairly treated in society.
D．The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives.
小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．The Ugly Capital of the WorldB．The Ugliest Person of the World
C．Festival of the UglyD．Beauty Contests Should be Banned

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people.“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒)my luck?”“And Paul-why didn’t he pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?”When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.”that’s being friendly. But“l(fā)ucky dog”?There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for ”is another noise that says one thing and means another . It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up(包藏) in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s got a date for Saturday night? Good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture(姿態(tài))?The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.
小題1:This passage is mainly about_____.
A．how to interpret(understand) what people say
B．what to do when you listen to others talking
C．how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people
D．why we go wrong with people sometimes
小題2:According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that_______.
A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk
B．we tend to（傾向）doubt what our friends say
C．people usually state one thing but means another
D．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say
小題3:In the sentence “Maybe he doesn’t see it himself.”In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it”refers to____.
A．being friendlyB．a(chǎn) bit of envyC．lucky dogD．your luck
小題4:When we listen to a person talking , the most important thing for us to do is _______.
A．notice the way the person is talking
B．take a good look at the person talking
C．mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes
D．examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案