单选题 Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
Our government recently has focused on the importance of investment in clean energy and energy efficiency as the best way to sustain ably grow America's dying economy, and President Obama has called for the creation of a high-speed rail system as a way to generate green jobs, enhance economic productivity and reduce carbon emissions. The White House has announced the awarding of $ 8 billion in stimulus funding to kick-start high-speed-rail projects and improve service in 13 corridors across the country.
That's a nice move, but America's antiquated (旧式的，过去的) rail system will have to advance a long way just to make it to the present, let alone the future. U. S. intercity railroads are a laughingstock compared with those in most other developed nations.
Today you can travel the 250 miles from Paris to Lyon on the high-speed TGV in two hours. Covering a similar distance from Philadelphia to Boston takes some five hours. and that's on an Amtrak Acela train, the closest thing the U.S. has to high-speed rail. "Every other major industrialized nation has recognized that high-speed rail is key to economic growth and mobility," says Petra Todorovich, director of the America 2050 program at the Regional Planning Association. "It's time for America to realize that as well."
But whatever the public's vision of a sparkling new 150-m. p. h. bullet train like those in Japan and Europe, the reality is that not all, or even most, of the stimulus money will go toward creating entirely new rail service. Instead, much of the initial funding will be spent improving and speeding up existing service.
Still, the initial round of $ 8 billion is just a tiny percentage of what it would cost to significantly overhaul(彻底革新) the country's rail system. And there are concerns that by spreading the funds to so many different projects in so many different states, it won't be possible to make a real difference in any one place, It doesn't help that the one region that could most obviously benefit from truly high-speed rail--the Boston-to Washington corridor-received a mere $112million in funding, in part because building new track in the congested area would be prohibitively expensive and politically challenging.
Nevertheless, high-speed rail is an idea whose time has come---at least for environmentalists. According to Environment America, high-speed rail uses a third less energy per mile than auto or air travel, and a nationwide system could reduce oil use by 125 million bbl. a year. In addition, high speed rail represents the kind of long-term infrastructure investment that will pay back for decades. "This is a down payment on a truly national program," said Petra, "It will change the way we travel and change the way we work and live./

单选题 What do we learn about the current U.S. intercity railroads from the passage?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[答案详解] 根据题干关键词current U．S．intercity railroads定位到原文第二段第一句：…but America's antiquated rail system will have to advance a long way just to make it to the present, let alone the future. U.S. intercity railroads are a laughingstock compared with those in most other developed nations, 可知, 美国的铁路系统水平远远落后于大多数发达国家，故选D)项。
[避错点拨] A)项“已经是一个高速铁路系统”和B）项“吸引了很多用来改善的资金”都与原文内容不符，原文只提到奥巴马总统提倡修建一条高速铁路系统以及白宫宣称将奖赏80亿美元的刺激资金来促进高速铁路系统工程；C)项“覆盖了全国大部分路程”原文没有提及。

单选题 What is the main reason for developing high-speed rail in some developed countries?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[答案详解] 根据题干关键词main reason，developed countries定位到原文第三段第三句：“Every other major industrialized nation has recognized that high-speed rail is key to economic growth and mobility“…可知，其他主要的工业化国家都已经意识到高速铁路是经济发展和稳定的关键因素，故选D)项。
[避错点拨] A)项“缩短人们乘火车城市间旅行的时间”、B）项“通过创造更多绿色就业机会来解决失业问题”和C)项“促进对清洁能源以及能源效率的投资”都是发展高速铁路系统的原因，但都不是主要原因。据原文，发展高铁的主要原因还是在于经济发展和稳定。

单选题 What will the $ 8 billion funding mainly be invested in?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[答案详解] 根据题干关键词$8 billion．mainly invested in定位到原文第四段第一、二句：…the reality is that not all, or even most, of the stimulus money will go toward creating entirely new rail service. Instead, much of the initial funding will be spent improving and speeding up existing service.可知，并不是全部的，甚至也不是大部分的刺激资金将用于建设全新的铁路运输。与此相反，很多启动资金将被用于改善和提速现有的铁路运输，故选C)项。C)项中的modifying the existing railroads service是原文improving and speeding up existing service的同义转述。
[避错点拨] A)项“崭新的高速子弹头火车”、B）项“创建全新的铁路服务系统”和D)项“帮助最能够从铁路中受益的地区”都不是这80亿美元的主要投资用途。

单选题 Why doesn't it help for Boston-to-Washington corridor to receive a mere $ 112 million in funding?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[答案详解] 根据题干关键词Boston-to-Washington corridor定位到原文第五段第三句：It doesn't help that the one region that could most obviously benefit from truly high-speed rail----the Boston-to-Washington corridor—received a mere$112 million in funding, in part because building new track in the congested area would be prohibitively expensive and politically challenging．可知，最能从高速铁路中得到明显受益的波土顿到华盛顿大通道地区只收到1.12亿的资金支持，其中部分原因是由于在人口密集的地区铺设新的铁路会极其昂贵，而且还会遇到政治方面的阻力，故选D）项。D）项中的be economical and political oppositions是原文be prohibitively expensive and politically challenging的同义转述。
[避错点拨] A）项“这个地区不太有可能从新铁路中受益”、B）项“这个地区高度发达不需要钱”和C)项“在这个发达地区没有空间铺设新铁路”都与原文不符．不能说明波士顿到华盛顿大通道地区只收到1.12亿的资金支持的原因。

单选题 What can we infer from the last paragraph?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[答案详解] 根据题干提示定位到原文最后一段。第一句提到：…high-speed rail is an idea whose time has come-at least for environmentalists.第二句又提到：In addition，high-speed rail represents the kind of long-term infrastructure investment that will pay back for decades．可知，高速铁路概念的时代已经到来——最起码对于环境保护主义者是如此。而且，高速铁路代表的是一种长期的基础建设投资，这种投资将在未来的几十年得到回报。即高速铁路的发展是一种必然，也是一种有广阔前景的投资，故选A)项。
[避错点拨] B）项“只有环保主义者赞同高速铁路系统的想法”和C）项“基础建设投资要等到几十年之后才能得到回报”都与原文意义不相符；D）项“投资建设高速铁路系统会花费国家太多财力”也与作者的观点不相符，原文作者对这一笔投资是持赞同观点的。