听力理解

　26.A) To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.

　　B) To reform railroad management in western European countries.

　　C) To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.

　　D) To set up an express train network throughout Europe.

　　27. A) Major European airlines will go bankrupt.

　　B) Europeans will pay much less for traveling.

　　C) Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.

　　D) Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.

　　28. A) Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.

　　B) Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.

　　C) Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.

　　D) Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than, by air.

　　29. A) In 1981.

　　B) In 1989.

　　C) In 1990.

　　D) In 2000.

听力原文
　In January 1989, (26) the Community of European Railways presented their proposal for a high speed pan-European train network extending from Sweden to Sicily, and from Portugal to Poland by the year 2020. (27) If their proposal becomes a reality, it will revolutionize train travel in Europe. Journeys between major cities will take half the time they take today. Brussels will be only one and a half hours from Paris. The quickest way to get from Paris to Frankfurt, from Barcelona to Madrid will be by train, not plane. When the network is complete, it will integrate three types of railway line:totally new high speed lines with trains operating at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, upgraded lines which allow for speeds up to 200 to 225 kilometers per hour, and existing lines for local connections and distribution of freight. If business people can choose between a three-hour train journey from city-center to city-center and a one-hour flight, they’ll choose the train, says an executive travel consultant. They won’t go by plane any more. (28) If you calculate flight time, check-in and travel to and from the airport, you’ll find almost no difference. And if your plane arrives late due to bad weather or air traffic jams or strikes, then the train passengers will arrive at their destination first. (29) Since France introduced the first 260-kilometer-per-hour high speed train service between Paris and Lyons in 1981, the trains have achieved higher and higher speeds. On many routes, airlines have lost up to 90% of their passengers to high speed trains. If people accept the Community of European Railways’ plan, the 21 century will be the new age of the train.
　　预览四道题的选项，由选项中的词汇passengers, railroad, railway lines, express train, plane, airlines等表达可以推知，短文很可能与交通运输或旅行相关。
　　26. What is the proposal presented by the Community of European Railways?［答案］D) To set up an express train network throughout Europe.[听前猜测]四个选项都是表示目的的不定式短语，因此猜测本题考查做某事的目的。[精解]短文开头提到1989年欧洲铁道协会提出建议在2020年前修建从瑞典到西西里，从葡萄牙到波兰的横贯欧洲的高速铁路网。由此可知欧洲铁道协会提出的建议是修建横贯欧洲的高速铁路网，故选项D)正确。
　　27. What will happen when the proposal becomes a reality?［答案］C) Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[听前猜测]四个选项关于旅行费用和旅行时间的变化、旅行方式的优劣，这些都与某一事件的后果有关，因此推测本题考查某一事件带来的影响。[精解]短文中明确提到If their proposal becomes a reality, it will revolutionize train travel in Europe. Journeys between major cities will take half the time they take today，即“如果这一方案成为现实，欧洲铁路运输业将会发生革命性变化。主要城市间的旅行时间可以比现在缩短一半”，所以本题的答案为C)。
　　28. Why will business people prefer a three-hour train journey to a one-hour flight?［答案］D) Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than, by air.[听前猜测]四个选项都出现了than引导的比较级，而且比较的对象都是train travel和air travel，所以可以推测本题考查对train travel和air travel的比较。[精解]文中提到，飞机旅行固然比火车旅行更快，但是如果把飞行时间和往返机场的时间加起来，两者几乎没有什么区别了。而且，如果遇到恶劣天气或航班拥挤或罢工，乘坐火车的乘客将会最先到达目的地。综合而言，火车旅行可以和飞机旅行一样快，甚至比飞机旅行还要快。故选项D)正确。
　　29. When did France introduce the first high speed train service?［答案］A) In 1981. [听前猜测]四个选项都是时间短语，因此本题肯定考查事情发生的时间，听音时注意将短文中提到每个事件及其发生的时间迅速记录下来，再根据问题进行判断。[精解]短文中明确提到法国在1981年首次在巴黎和里昂之间修建了时速达260公里的高速铁路。故正确答案为A)。选项B)中的时间1989也在文章中出现，那是欧洲铁道协会建议修建横贯欧洲的高速铁路网的时间；其余两个选项中的时间文中没有提到。