A growing number of intercity commuters are turning to rail from air. They take the Eurostar train, which runs hourly city center-to-city center from London to Paris or Brussels, with check-in 20 minutes before departure or just 10 minutes for first-class passengers.
Eurostar Group cun-ently holds 60% of the Paris-London market, with 92% of Eurostar trains arriving on time—24 percentage points better than aircraft times.
High-speed trains, which travel at 200 to 300 kilometers an hour, have cut trip times between Madrid and Seville to two hours and 15 minutes from six hours, and between Rome and Florence to one hour and 35 minutes from three hours.
On short journeys, rail clearly beats air travel for market share. High-speed rail wins 80% to 90% of market share of a route if the journey is under two hours, and 50% to 60% if travel takes two to three hours.
Some airlines, such as Air France, have opted to cooperate and not compete with rail on shorter routes. As of March 25, Thalys, a joint venture of the French, Belgian, Dutch and German railroads, will replace Air France’s flights between Paris and Brussels with rail transport. Lutihansa AG said it would begin rail links between the Stuttgart rail station and Frankfurt airport as of March
1 in a pilot project with Deutsche Bahn AG, Germany’s state-owned railroad.
Simon McNamara, manager of infrastructure and environment for the European Regions Airline Association, which represents 82 regional airlines, complains that air and rail cannot compete fairly unless rail subsidies stop.
On average, state support represented 38% of subsidized rail companies’ income in 1997.
"Railways’ subsidies put them at a huge competitive advantage," Mr. McNamara said. "It just isn’t
a level playing field. "
But not everything is fast on high-speed rail. Travelers complain about tardy service in the dining cars, that cabins are shabby and there is not enough room. " The Eurostar was really cramped. We had to sit with our legs wrapped around each other," said Clive France, director of Internetics Co. , an Internet design company. "The train’s decor looked tired, dated and the carpet was filthy. "
Catering and decor aside, the ease and speed of Europe’s high-speed trains still looks likely to convert more passengers to rail in the future. Eventually, the various national high-speed networks will link up, leaving Europe with a rapid, significantly more efficient system across the whole continent.
The rail is winning customers over from the air because trains ______.

A:run right into the city center B:do not have departure wait C:have now speed and convenience D:arrives on time while planes do not

What kind of city is Tokyo

A:A historic city. B:A world famous seaport. C:A highly modernized city. D:A most attractive city for tourists.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer) in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

46（）.

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer) in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

47（　）.

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.

Blindness first began creeping up on Barbara Campbell when she was a teenager, and by her late 30s, her eye disease had stolen what was left of her sight.
Reliant (依赖于) on a talking computer for reading and a cane for navigating New York City, where she lives and works, Ms. Campbell, now 56, would have been thrilled to see something. Anything.
Now, as part of a striking experiment, she can. So far, she can detect burners on her stove when making a grilled cheese, her mirror flame, and whether her computer monitor is on.

A:As part of the experiment, Ms. Campbell now are able to all the following EXCEPT walking in the city without the cane. B:seeing her mirror flame. C:telling whether her computer monitor is on. D:detecting burners on her stove.

On what is now a windblown patch of grassland enclosed in colossal walls and dotted with ancient cathedrals, there was once a great city—the ancient Armenian capital of Ani. You can still see the lines of its streets outlined in the turf, and inside the granite churches you can make out the fading faces of saints and kings painted on the ceilings more than a millennium ago. On one side of the city, a dramatic single - span bridge, now ruined, brought the Silk Road across the gorge of the Akhurian River. On the other, the road wound on across the Anatolian plains to Constantinople and the great trading cities of the Mediterranean. Once, Ani was close to the center of the world. Being at the crossroads of empires made Ani as large and as wealthy as Venice. Today, only a few determined tourists make it to this remote patch of borderland on Turkey’s frontier with Armenia ( it’s just four years since it became possible to visit the site without special permission from the military). It feels like the end of the earth.
The Seljuk Turks took Ani from the Armenians in the middle of the 11th century. Today, in Ani and all over ancient Armenia—now eastern Turkey, there’s a feeling that the place has been ahandoned by history, and by the people who made the place’s history. Lately, though, the governments of both Turkey and Armenia have been feeling their way toward reconciliation. The locals care much more about cross - border trade, cheaper electricity supplies and tourism. And the elements of diplomacy have been falling into place: a friendly soccer match, an equally friendly return match, and presidential visits.
Perhaps Ani supplies a clue as to how the future world might look. Ani’s two greatest cathedrals served Christianity for less than 70 years before being converted to mosques by the Seljuks. But the Turkish conquerors left most churches as they were, side by side with new mosques. Like all the great trading cities of the medieval world, Ani was a promiscuous mix of faiths and peoples—a crossroads, a meeting point, a place of equal footing. Perhaps with the opening of the border, this comer of the world could start to become a crossroads again, instead of a lonely dead end.
Which description about Ani is right according to the passage

A:Now, Ani is a city in Armenia. B:Now, Ani is a city in Turkey. C:The Seljuk Turks invaded Ani in the late 11 th century. D:The Seljuk Turks invaded Ani in the beginning of 11 th century.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer)in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

46（　）

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer)in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

48（　）

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer)in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

49（　）

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.

Saving a City’s Public Art Avoiding traffic jams in Los Angeles may be impossible, but the city’s colorful freeway murals（壁画）can brighten even the worst commute. Paintings that depict（描述）famous people and historical scenes cover office buildings and freeway walls all across the city. With a collection of more than 2,000 murals, Los Angeles is the unofficial mural capital of the world. But the combination of graffiti（涂鸦）, pollution, and hot sun has left many L.A. murals in terrible condition._____（46）In the past, experts say, little attention was given to caring for public art. Artists were even expected to maintain their own works, not an easy task with cars racing by along the freeway. _____（47）The work started in 2003. So far, 16 walls have been selected, and more may be added later. Until about 1960, public murals in Los Angeles were rare. But in the 1960s and 1970s, young L.A. artists began to study early 20th-century Mexican mural painting._____（48） The most famous mural in the city is Judith Baca’s "The Great Wall," a 13-foot-high（4-meter-high）painting that runs for half a mile (0.8 kilometer)in North Hollywood,_____（49）it took eight years to complete—400 underprivileged teenagers painted the designs—and is probably the longest mural in the world. One of the murals that will be restored now is Kent Twitchell’s "Seventh Street Altarpiece." which he painted for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984._____ （50）Twitchell said, "It was meant as a kind of gateway through which the traveler to L.A. must drive. The open hands represent peace." Artists often call murals the people’s art. Along a busy freeway or hidden in a quiet neighborhood, murals can reach people who would never pay money to see fine art in a museum, "Murals give a voice to the silent majority," said one artist.

50（　）

A:The city trying to stop the spread of graffiti, has painted over some of the murals complete. B:This striking work depicts two people facing each other on opposite sides of the freeway near downtown Los Angeles. C:Artists like murals because they like the work of Mexican artists. D:Now the city is beginning a huge project to restore the city’s murals. E:The mural represents the history of ethnic groups in California. F:Soon, their murals became a symbol of the city’s cultural expressions and a showcase for L.’s cultural diversity.