Beijing plans to build huge free or low-cost parking lots beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads to encourage more car owners to take buses or subways to the downtown area.

　　The plan is just one of the many measures the city plans to take to reduce its traffic congestions(拥塞) as the 2008 Summer Olympic Games draw near. Low or no parking fees would be used as economic leverage(经济杠杆) to reduce growing parking demands from urban areas.

　　Car owners living in the suburbs will be encouraged to park their cars beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads and take buses or subways to the downtown area. Statistics show that nearly one quarter of the city’s traffic flow is concentrated in the 62-square-kilometre downtown area within the Second Ring Road, which makes up only 12 per cent of the city’s total area.

　　The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, receives between 400 and 500 calls reporting traffic jams every day and more than 90 per cent of the roads are filled to capacity during rush hour every morning and evening. Part of the problem is the lack of easy links between bus routes, subways and cars.

　　According to the communication commission, half of the city’s investment(投资) in transportation will go towards public transit construction in the next few years, marking a jump from the current only 20 per cent. Moreover, Beijing plans to change its layout(布局) by building new city centres, such as at Yizhuang, Tongzhou, Shunyi and Changping, in a bid to reduce the traffic flow to the downtown.

　　The current layout of Beijing ? expanded ring roads around the same centre of the Forbidden City, is seen as the root cause of the endless traffic jams.

　　The downtown area is crowded with three business centres and one financial centre, as well as nearly 400 government organs and institutions.

　　Traffic experts say building more urban centres around Beijing may reduce the number of residents living in the suburbs and traveling long distances to work downtown every day, thus reducing traffic flows.

　　64. In the coming years, if a man beyond the Fourth Ring Road goes to work in the downtown of Beijing, he is encouraged to _____.

　　A. drive there directly B. take a taxi

　　C. take buses or subways

　　D. park his car in a place which asks for no fees

　　65. According to the passage, while more and more people drive to work in rush hour in Beijing, it is likely to _____.

　　A. cause traffic accidents B. cause traffic jams

　　C. save time D. reduce air pollution

　　66. The aim in building new city centers is to _____.

　　A. develop its local resources

　　B. solve the problem of more laid-off workers

　　C. reduce the traffic flow to the downtown

　　D. make it convenient for people to go shopping

　　67. The passage suggests the author _____.

　　A. is tired of driving to work

　　B. is for the plan to reduce Beijing’s traffic congestions

　　C. finds it costs less to take subways than to drive

　　D. has benefited a lot by driving to the downtown every day

　　D

　　1812 - During the War of 1812, British forces burned the new capital at Washington, D.C.. They also attacked Baltimore and New Orleans and captured(占领) Detroit, which at the time was a remote military outpost.

　　1846 - A brief invasion(入侵) by Mexican troops across the Rio Gande began the US-Mexican War in 1846. But the remaining action in that conflict(冲突) occurred in California, New Mexico in Mexico. California and New Mexico belonged to Mexico at the time.

　　1916- Mexican revolutionaries led by Pancho Villa attacked the town of Columbus, N.M., on March 9, 1916.

　　1941 - Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec.7, 1941, killing nearly 2,400 people and forcing America into World War Ⅱ.

　　1993 - Terrorists(恐怖主义者) blew up a truck bomb in the basement of the World Trade Center in February 1993, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000.

　　2001 - Terrorists hijacked(劫持) several planes on Sept.11, 2001. Two ploughed into New York’s World Trade Center (WTC), toppling the two highest buildings in the city a third seriously damaged the Pentagon(五角大楼). The fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Several thousand people were killed in the attacks.

　　68. During the September 11th terrorist attacks, _____.

　　A. terrorists hijacked three planes

　　B. a plane destroyed the Pentagon completely

　　C. terrorists killed six people and injured more than 1,000

　　D. two planes knocked into New York’s World Trade Center

　　69. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. California and New Mexico didn’t belong to the USA in 1846.

　　B. Washington, D.C. had been the capital of the USA until 1812.

　　C. Japan’s attacking Pearl Harbor led to World War Ⅱ.

　　D. A truck bomb destroyed the World Trade Center in 1993.

　　70. The underlined word “toppling” in the last paragraph means “_____”.

　　A. reaching the highest point of B. causing to fall

　　C. knocking into D. building

　　E

　　American pilot Frank Webb first flew a glider at the age of 14, made his first flight alone on his 16th birthday and got his commercial pilot’s license(执照) on his 18th birthday.

　　After serving in the US Navy for 20 years, being a Boeing flight instructor, and working with Alaska Airlines for more than three years, Webb signed a contract with Shenzhen Airlines last May to captain domestic routes in China. As an experienced pilot, he still feels the same nervousness as he felt on his first fight.

　　Captain Webb said that the “Sept. 11” incident did not have a direct influence on his decision to move to China to work. “Safety is in fact tighter in the United States and I am not worried about a terrorist attack,” he said. “The main reason I came to China was that my children will have a chance to see the world and experience international living.”

　　Webb has not experienced any in-flight emergencies(紧急情况) during his term in China although he said the weather here was generally more changeable than in the United States. “The weather changes tend to be great from north to south. We may be flying in a snow storm in Harbin, and then later that same day we may be flying through a tropical rain shower approaching Shenzhen,” Webb said.

　　While Webb had more flexibility(灵活性) to deal with the weather in the United States, he said air traffic control in China was more strict and allowed fewer deviations(偏离).

　　Speaking of planes often being late in China, Webb said that in America, being late was one of the few things that would get him in trouble. “In China, on the other hand, it seems there are many things that can get you in trouble with the boss, but being late is not one of them.” Webb does everything in his power to keep his flights on schedule.

　　“They provide really excellent service during flights. Western flight attendants just serve passengers. But the Chinese attendants will also check on the crew to see if we need anything,” Webb said.

　　71. Webb signed a contract with Shenzhen Airlines because _____.

　　A. he was afraid of the influence of “Sept. 11”

　　B. he got a better pay there than in the US

　　C. he thought more for his children

　　D. he hoped to see the beautiful sights in China

　　72. The underlined word “glider” (in Paragraph 1) refers to“_____”.

　　A. a type of plane B. a type of car

　　C. a type of bike D. a type of motor

　　73. The changeable weather in the flight Webb met in China _____.

　　A. made him excited B. caused him frightened

　　C. affected his health D. increased his difficulty

　　74. Webb is a pilot who _____.

　　A. has been tired of planes’ being late

　　B. has never had the experience of planes’ being late

　　C. is trying his best to keep his flights on time

　　D. finds it hard to understand China’s air traffic control

　　75. Webb’s words in the last paragraph show that he _____.

　　A. is not satisfied with Western flight attendants

　　B. thinks highly of the flight attendants in China

　　C. encourages Chinese flight attendants to improve services

　　D. admires the services of Western flight attendants

　　key:

　　36-40CBABA 41-45ACBDB 46-50BDCBD 51-55DADDC

　　56-60ADBCB 61-65ADACB 66-70CBDAB 71-75CADCB