9.3 考研英语阅读题源外刊模拟试题【难度7.0】

Section II Reading Comprehension 

Part A 

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. 

Text 1

Plans to bring regular passenger services back to rural English towns along preserved heritage railway lines have divided enthusiasts. Some welcome the extra funding and relevance that commuter traffic could bring; others worry it will overwhelm lines kept alive for decades by volunteers devoted to steam travel rather than daily transport. The Severn Valley Railway is testing the idea directly, running rush-hour trains along three and a half miles of restored track into Kidderminster, giving nearby Bewdley its first direct rail link to Birmingham since 1970.

At least one other heritage operator has already asked the Severn Valley Railway about copying the approach, according to chief executive Jonathan Dunster. But several other operators insist the lines they spent years restoring should remain reserved for day trippers and steam enthusiasts, not daily commuters.

A similar push in Lancashire has met firmer resistance. MP Andy MacNae wants to restore services for the roughly 70,000 residents of Rossendale, a town some 18 miles outside Manchester, using track owned by the East Lancashire Railway, at an estimated cost of £80 million—modest, he argues, compared with other ways of adding transport capacity. Talks with the rail minister went well, MacNae says, but the charity that owns the track has refused, with its chair arguing that a commuter service cannot safely coexist with the existing heritage operation without putting decades of volunteer effort at risk.

Heritage lines currently cover roughly 600 miles of track and 260 stations nationwide, yet fewer than a fifth of the country's 173 heritage operators connect directly to the national rail network. Rising costs are adding pressure of their own: coal prices have roughly tripled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted supply, straining the finances of lines still reliant on steam.

Even sympathetic observers have reservations. The head of the Heritage Railway Association called the Severn Valley's trial "brilliant" but warned that success could invite creeping demands—first a lunchtime service, then a school run—that gradually wear away what makes a heritage line distinctive. A comparable pilot on the Swanage Line was scrapped after two years of losses, undercut in part by government-subsidised bus fares.

Perhaps the deepest obstacle is staffing. Heritage railways run largely on volunteer labour, and the same people willing to rise before dawn to prepare a steam engine for a weekend excursion may be far less willing to do so every weekday for a commuter run. As one industry figure put it, he is happy to start at quarter past seven in the morning for a ten o'clock departure—but running an early commuter service every single day is another matter entirely.

21. According to Paragraphs 1 and 2, opinion among heritage railway enthusiasts is divided mainly over whether ____

[A] heritage lines should be permitted to operate steam engines at all 

[B] introducing regular commuter services would compromise the character of lines maintained for leisure and steam travel 

[C] the government should take over ownership of all heritage railway lines 

[D] the Severn Valley Railway's trial has already been abandoned due to insufficient demand

22. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that the East Lancashire Railway rejected the proposed commuter service mainly because ____

[A] the £80 million cost was considered too expensive relative to other transport projects 

[B] the rail minister had expressed strong opposition to the proposal 

[C] it doubted the new service could operate alongside the existing heritage railway without undermining what volunteers had built 

[D] the track itself lacked the physical capacity to accommodate any additional trains

23. The statistics and cost figures in Paragraph 4 mainly serve to show that ____

[A] heritage railways face genuine limitations in their reach and mounting financial pressure on their traditional operations 

[B] the price of coal is expected to fall significantly in the coming years 

[C] most heritage railways are already well connected to the national rail network 

[D] heritage railways have become entirely unable to operate any steam services

24. What is the head of the Heritage Railway Association most concerned about, according to Paragraph 5?

[A] that the Severn Valley Railway's trial will fail to attract enough passengers to be worthwhile 

[B] that government subsidies for heritage railways will be reduced in future years 

[C] that competition from local bus services will drive most heritage railways out of business 

[D] that meeting growing commuter expectations could gradually transform a heritage line into something else entirely

25. Which of the following best summarizes the point made in the last paragraph?

[A] heritage railways will inevitably be forced to replace volunteers with paid staff 

[B] volunteers have expressed enthusiasm for running early commuter trains every weekday 

[C] the volunteer workforce that sustains heritage railways may be reluctant to take on the demands of daily commuter service 

[D] a shortage of volunteers has already brought most heritage railway operations to a halt

附注：根据历年考研英语真题阅读题源外刊等，摘选最新文章，模拟仿真出题。

参考答案见以下。

Quick look: BCADC

21.【正确答案】B

【解析】题型：细节理解题 

定位：首段"some hopeful that restored tracks will preserve steam engine rides and others fearful they will be overrun by commuters." 

分析：铁路爱好者之间的分歧核心在于——引入常态化通勤服务是否会损害这些以休闲、蒸汽旅行为主的线路的原有特质。选项B准确概括了这一分歧焦点。 

干扰项：[A]"遗产铁路是否应被允许运营蒸汽机车"——无中生有，这从来不是争议的焦点，各方都认可蒸汽机车的运营；[C]"政府应接管所有遗产铁路线路的所有权"——无中生有，原文未提及所有权转移的议题；[D]"SVR的试运行已因需求不足而被放弃"——事实相反，第二段明确说明该试运行正在进行，并已吸引了其他运营方的兴趣。

22.【正确答案】C

【解析】题型：推理判断题 

定位：第三段"a commuter service cannot safely coexist with the existing heritage operation without putting decades of volunteer effort at risk." 

分析：ELR拒绝该提案，主要是因为其怀疑新的通勤服务无法与现有遗产铁路安全共存，可能危及志愿者多年积累的成果。选项C准确概括了这一推论。 

干扰项：[A]"相对于其他交通项目而言，8000万英镑的成本被认为过于昂贵"——无中生有，原文提到的是MacNae认为这一成本"并不算高"，而非ELR以成本为由拒绝；[B]"铁路大臣曾对该提案表达强烈反对"——事实相反，原文说MacNae与大臣的会谈"进展顺利"；[D]"轨道本身缺乏容纳额外列车的物理容量"——无中生有，原文未提及轨道物理容量不足这一具体理由。

23.【正确答案】A

【解析】题型：举例目的题 

定位：第四段"fewer than a fifth of the country's 173 heritage operators connect directly to the national rail network...coal prices have roughly tripled...straining the finances of lines still reliant on steam." 

分析：这组数据与成本信息意在说明，遗产铁路在覆盖范围上确实存在局限，同时其传统运营模式正承受着日益加重的财务压力。选项A准确概括了这一论证目的。 

干扰项：[B]"煤炭价格预计在未来几年将显著下降"——无中生有，原文未对未来价格走势做出预测；[C]"大多数遗产铁路已经与国家铁路网络实现良好连接"——事实相反，原文明确说"不到五分之一"实现了连接；[D]"遗产铁路已经完全无法运营任何蒸汽服务"——程度夸大，原文只说成本上涨带来了财务压力，并未说蒸汽服务已"完全无法运营"。

24.【正确答案】D

【解析】题型：推理判断题 

定位：第五段"success could invite creeping demands—first a lunchtime service, then a school run—that gradually wear away what makes a heritage line distinctive." 

分析：Heritage Railway Association负责人最担忧的是，一旦开始满足不断增长的通勤需求，遗产线路可能会逐渐演变成完全不同的事物，失去其原本的独特性。选项D准确概括了这一担忧。 

干扰项：[A]"SVR的试运行将无法吸引足够乘客而难以为继"——事实相反，原文对该试运行的评价是"brilliant"（出色）；[B]"政府对遗产铁路的补贴将在未来几年被削减"——无中生有，原文未提及补贴削减的议题；[C]"本地巴士服务的竞争将使大多数遗产铁路陷入经营困境"——张冠李戴，巴士竞争是下一段（Swanage线）提及的具体因素，并非这一段负责人所表达的担忧内容。

25.【正确答案】C

【解析】题型：主旨大意题 

定位：末段"the same people willing to rise before dawn to prepare a steam engine for a weekend excursion may be far less willing to do so every weekday for a commuter run." 

分析：末段的核心观点是，支撑遗产铁路运转的志愿者群体，可能并不愿意承担日常通勤服务所要求的高强度、常态化投入。选项C准确概括了这一论点。 

干扰项：[A]"遗产铁路将不可避免地被迫用带薪员工取代志愿者"——以偏概全，原文并未做出这种确定性的预测；[B]"志愿者们已表达出每个工作日运营早班通勤列车的热情"——事实相反，原文引用的观点恰恰是志愿者对此意愿不高；[D]"志愿者短缺已经导致大多数遗产铁路运营陷入停滞"——程度夸大，原文只是指出潜在的人力障碍，并未说明已导致大规模停滞。

【词汇注释】

adamant: adjective (FIRM) refusing to change one's mind or position; unshakeable in decision 坚决的；不肯让步的

enamoured: adjective (FOND OF) very much in love with, or extremely fond of or excited about something 迷恋的；钟情的

viable: adjective (WORKABLE) capable of working successfully; feasible 可行的；能维持运转的

coexist: verb (EXIST TOGETHER) to exist at the same time or place as something else without problems 共存

creeping: adjective (GRADUAL) developing gradually and almost without being noticed 逐渐蔓延的

undercut: verb (WEAKEN) to weaken or damage something, especially by offering a lower price 削弱；破坏（文中指政府补贴的巴士票价"削弱"了铁路试运行的商业可行性）

sticking point: noun (OBSTACLE) an issue or problem that prevents an agreement or plan from moving forward 症结；障碍

【长难句】The head of the Heritage Railway Association called the Severn Valley's trial "brilliant" but warned that success could invite creeping demands—first a lunchtime service, then a school run—that gradually wear away what makes a heritage line distinctive.

• warned后接that引导的宾语从句：success could invite creeping demands...that gradually wear away what makes a heritage line distinctive；
• 破折号中间first a lunchtime service, then a school run为对creeping demands的具体举例；
• that gradually wear away what makes a heritage line distinctive为定语从句修饰demands，其中what makes a heritage line distinctive为what引导的名词性从句，作wear away的宾语。

【参考译文】

恢复英国乡村小镇沿线保存完好的传统铁路的定期客运服务计划，在铁路爱好者中引发了争议。一些人欢迎通勤客流带来的额外资金和铁路运营价值；另一些人则担心，通勤客流会使这些几十年来一直由志愿者维护、致力于蒸汽火车旅行而非日常通勤的线路不堪重负。塞文河谷铁路公司正在直接测试这一想法，在高峰时段开行列车，沿着修复后的3.5英里（约5.6公里）长的铁轨驶入基德明斯特，使附近的贝伍德利自1970年以来首次拥有直达伯明翰的铁路连接。

据首席执行官乔纳森·邓斯特透露，至少还有一家其他历史铁路运营商已向塞文河谷铁路公司咨询过效仿其做法的可能性。但其他几家运营商则坚持认为，他们花费数年时间修复的线路应该继续保留给一日游游客和蒸汽火车爱好者，而不是日常通勤者。

兰开夏郡的类似举措则遭遇了更为强烈的阻力。议员安迪·麦克奈希望恢复罗森代尔镇（位于曼彻斯特郊外约18英里处）约7万居民的铁路服务。他计划利用东兰开夏郡铁路公司拥有的铁轨，预计耗资8000万英镑——他认为，与其他增加运力的方式相比，这笔费用并不算高。麦克奈表示，他与铁路部长的会谈进展顺利，但拥有该铁轨的慈善机构拒绝了这一提议。该机构主席认为，通勤服务无法与现有的历史铁路运营安全共存，否则将危及数十年来志愿者们的努力。

目前，英国各地的历史铁路线路总长约600英里，拥有260个车站，但全国173家历史铁路运营商中，只有不到五分之一直接接入国家铁路网。不断上涨的成本也带来了新的压力：自俄罗斯入侵乌克兰导致煤炭供应中断以来，煤炭价格已上涨近三倍，这给仍然依赖蒸汽动力的铁路公司带来了沉重的财务负担。

即使是持同情态度的观察人士也对此有所保留。遗产铁路协会负责人称塞文河谷铁路的试运行“非常出色”，但也警告说，成功可能会带来一些意想不到的需求——先是午餐时间服务，然后是学校接送服务——这些需求会逐渐侵蚀遗产铁路的独特性。斯旺内奇线的类似试点项目在亏损两年后被取消，部分原因是政府补贴的公交车票价。

或许最大的障碍在于人员配备。遗产铁路主要依靠志愿者运营，那些愿意在黎明前起床为周末短途旅行准备蒸汽机车的人，可能就不愿意每天工作日都这样做来运营通勤列车了。正如一位业内人士所说，他很乐意早上七点一刻开始工作，为十点的发车做准备——但每天都要运营早班车通勤服务则完全是另一回事。

附注：