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If the old maxim that the customer is always right still has meaning, then the airlines that ply the world’s busiest air route between London and Paris have a flight on their hands.
The Eurostar train service linking the UK and French capitals via the Channel Tunnel is winning customers in increasing numbers. In late May, it carried its one millionth passenger, having run only a limited service between London, Paris and Brussels since November 1994, starting with two trains a day in each direction to Paris and Brussels. By 1997, the company believes that it will be carrying ten million passengers a year, and continue to grow from there.
From July, Eurostar steps its service to nine trains each way between London and Paris, and five between London and Brussels. Each train carries almost 800 passengers, 210 of them in first class.
The airlines estimate that they will initially lose around 15%-20% of their London-Paris traffic to the railways once Eurostar starts a full service later this year (1995), with 15 trains a day each way. A similar service will start to Brussels. The damage will be limited, however, the airlines believe, with passenger numbers returning to previous levels within two to three years.
In the short term, the damage caused by the 1 million people-levels traveling between London and Paris and Brussels on Eurostar trains means that some air services are already suffering. Some of the major carriers say that their passenger numbers are down by less than 5% and point to their rivals-Particularly Air France-as having suffered the problems. On the Brussels route, the railway company had less success, and the airlines report anything
from around a 5% drop to no visible decline in traffic.
The airlines’ optimism on returning traffic levels is based on historical precedent. British Midland, for example, points to its experience on Heathrow Leeds Bradford service which saw passenger numbers fold by 15% when British Rail electrified and modernized the railway line between London and Yorkshire. Two years later, travel had risen between the two destinations to the point where the airline was carrying record numbers of passengers.
1.British airlines confide in the fact that__.
A.they are more powerful than other European airlines.
B.their total loss won’t go beyond a drop of 5% passengers.
C.their traffic levels will return in 2-3 years.
D.traveling by rail can never catch up with traveling by air.
2.The author’s attitude towards the drop of passengers may be described
as__.
A.worried.B.delightedC.puzzled.D.unrivaled.
3.In the passage, British Rail (Para 6) is mentioned to__.
A.provide a comparison with Eurostar.
B.support the airlines’ optimism.
C.prove the inevitable drop of air passengers.
D.call for electrification and modernization of the railway.
4.The railway’s Brussels route is brought forth to show that__.
A.the Eurostar train service is not doing good business.
B.the airlines can well compete with the railway.
C.the Eurostar train service only caused little damage.
D.only some airlines, such as Air France, are suffering.
5.The passage is taken from the first of an essay, from which we may well
predict that in the following part the author is going to__.
A.praise the airlines’ clear-mindedness.
B.warn the airlines of high-speed rail services.
C.propose a reduction of London/Paris flights.
D.advise the airlines to follow British Midland as their model.
Part III Cloze
Directions: There are twenty blanks in the following passage. For each blank
there are four choices. Choose the one that best fits into the passage and then
marks your answer on the Answer Sheet.
In 1982, Mark Thatcher, the son of Mrs. Thatcher was reported 61 in the
Sahara Desert while competing in the Grand Prix motor race from Paris to Dakar.
This sad news, so 62 , shook the usually calm and unperturbed seasoned
politician 63 her balance. Though she did her best to pretend as if 64 had
happened and made her public appearances as usual, people could not 65 to notice
that she was no longer the old 66 prime minister who always had everything 67
control. 68 she had become a very sad mother who was unable to recover from her
shock.
One day, when she was to speak at a luncheon party, a reporter caught her 69
her guard by 70 up the subject of her missing son again. She was totally
mentally 71 for the question and lost her self control. Tears were rolling down
her eyes as she sobbingly told the reporter that there 72 still no news of Mark
and that she was very worried about him. She said that all the countries 73 had
promised to do their best to help her find her son. 74 that she broke down
completely and sobbed silently for quite a while. Gradually she 75 down and
started to speak as 76. it was a very moving scene which 77 a new side of Mrs.
Thatcher’s character the public do not usually see, 78 people began to talk
about the Iron Woman’s maternal love, a sentiment that is 79 to all human
kind.
Later Mark returned 80 and sound to his mother’s side, good-humored and all
smiles as usual, as if nothing unusual had ever happened. The Iron Woman,
however, broke down again as was sobbing for the second time.
61. A. missing B. missed C. wanting D. wanted
62. A. expected B. expecting C. unexpected D. unexpecting
63. A. with B. on C. out D. off
64. A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
65. A. miss B. fail C. pretend D. expect
66. A. reassured B. self-assured C. assuring D. self-assuring
67. A. for B. beneath C. below D. under
68. A. Instead B. however C. Therefore D. So
69. A. into B. out of C. on D. off
70. A. putting B. bringing C. taking D. giving
71. A. ready B. prepared C. unprepared D. unexpected
72. A. was B. were C. should be D. would be
73. A. concerning B. concerned C. worrying D. worried
74. A. At B. Before C. After D. With
75. A. sat B. broke C. calmed D. became
76. A. planned B. planning C. plans D. a plan
77. A. explained B. exposed C. excluded D. exclaimed
78. A. however B. instead C. so D. but
79. A. universal B. unique C. single D. strange
80. A. safe B. safely C. sight D. hearing
Recent research has claimed that an excess of positive ions in the air can have an ill effect on people’s physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well, the air is full of ions, electrically charged particles,
and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charged. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorm, earthquakes
when winds such as the Mistral, Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibres, or from TV sets, duplicators or
computer display screens.
When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals
are also affected, particularly before earthquakes, snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation, rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a
network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California.
Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.
To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionisers: small portable machines, which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.
1.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people?
A.They think they are insane.
B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.
C.They become violently sick.
D.They are too tired to do anything.
2.In accordance with the passage, static electricity can be caused by___.
A.using home-made electrical goods.
B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.
C.walking on artificial floor coverings.
D.copying TV programs on a computer.
3.A high negative ion count is likely to be found___.
A.near a pound with a water pump.
B.close to a slow-flowing river.
C.high in some barren mountains.
D.by a rotating water sprinkler.
4.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors?
A.Ionisers.
B.Air-conditioners.
C.Exhaust-fans
D.Vacuum pumps.
5.Some scientists believe that___.
A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending
on seismography.
B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.
C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.
D.earthquake
