7.9 考研英语真题源外刊阅读模拟试题【难度7.5】

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

A new high-speed rail plan from the European Commission aims to slash journey times across Europe over the next few decades. The plan set a goal that all major hubs in the European Union be linked by train services running at least 200 kilometers per hour by 2040, with many services surpassing 250 kph.

If fully realized, the time savings offered by this upgrade and expansion would be spectacular: Trains from Berlin to Copenhagen would take four hours instead of the current seven, while travel times between Madrid and Lisbon would drop by two-thirds, to three hours from the current nine. In some cases, the higher speed train routes would be entirely new — Greece’s currently closed rail connection to Bulgaria would be reopened and improved, allowing travel from Athens to Sofia in six hours, as opposed to more than 13 hours currently by train and bus.

Presented together, these improvements could power a sharp swing towards rail travel, said EU Commissioner Apostolos Tsitsikostas, noting that if passengers had a fast and safe option, they would definitely choose the train over other means of transport.

Achieving these goals will be complex and expensive, and simply adopting them as targets does not guarantee their realization. The commission estimates that €345 billion of investment will be needed by 2040. Tripling the current number of routes running at 250 kph or more by 2050, meanwhile, would cost €540 billion. While some of this funding would come from commission coffers — funds allocated so far would cover roughly 10% of the cost — most would come from other sources, such as national governments and train companies.

The commission estimates that the gains EU member states would see from this investment would far surpass costs, with indirect benefits reaching €750 billion in total by 2050, from improvements such as reduced pollution and congestion costs if more passengers switch from car and plane travel.

But achieving benefits of this magnitude is contingent on how well-used the trains are, which will depend on more than just upgrading the tracks. The commission expressed commitments to affordability and transparent booking to boost ridership. Europe’s current high-speed services have a reputation as expensive transportation for affluent elites, while other travelers often opt to fly instead due to marked cost differences.

One prime example is the channel tunnel from London to continental Europe — currently Europe’s most expensive rail service. Commission officials cited this line as a cautionary tale: Despite running for more than 30 years, this service is only now coming close to opening to competing train companies, thanks in part to a lack of facilities to store and repair high-speed trains.

Ticketing is also uneven. Booking the same train route frequently costs a different amount depending on whether it is booked via Germany’s national carrier or Belgium’s. These pain points could be avoided in the future by ensuring full competition from the start, more forward-thinking about infrastructure needs, and the promotion of a second-hand market for trains.

While details were not forthcoming, Tsitsikostas said the commission would propose legislation to improve cross-border ticketing and booking systems by 2026, making it easier for passengers to plan and book seamless cross-border journeys with one click. This would enable passengers not just to combine tickets between different rail companies but to seamlessly mix plane and train travel on a single ticket.

These highly ambitious plans represent an expansion and clarification of current efforts set out in the EU’s TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) plan. Whether or not the EU can meet all these goals, the proposal could help in overcoming stasis in European rail expansion: The system has seen almost no growth in capacity since 2014, thanks in part to a necessary focus on prioritizing investment for maintenance and repairs.

21. What does the EU Commission anticipate regarding the financial aspect of the high-speed rail plan?
[A] The indirect socio-economic dividends will ultimately outweigh the immense capital expenditure.
[B] The overarching budgetary burden will be predominantly shouldered by the EU's centralized reserves.
[C] The projected environmental savings will directly finance the technological upgrades of the tracks.
[D] The national governments will independently fund the entire expansion of the high-speed routes.

22. The example of the channel tunnel is utilized to illustrate that ________.
[A] maintaining geographical connectivity requires exorbitant international infrastructural investments
[B] infrastructural deficits and prolonged market exclusivity can stifle prospective industry competition
[C] affluent elites remain the primary demographic sustaining cross-border railway networks
[D] long-standing train services inevitably face operational obsolescence after three decades of service

23. To genuinely boost future ridership, the commission acknowledges the necessity to ________.
[A] temporarily subsidize the travel expenses of affluent European elites
[B] standardize international flight schedules to align with rail departures
[C] rectify the prevalent pricing inconsistencies and cultivate an integrated booking ecosystem
[D] prioritize the ongoing maintenance of existing tracks over ambitious route expansion

24. The "stasis in European rail expansion" (Last Paragraph) is largely attributed to ________.
[A] the persistent diplomatic friction among member states regarding funding quotas
[B] the unforeseen technological bottlenecks in developing 250-kph train engines
[C] the overwhelming dominance of the low-cost aviation sector across the continent
[D] a pragmatic prioritization of structural upkeep that inadvertently hindered developmental capacity

25. Which of the following best encapsulates the primary theme of the text?
[A] The Financial Perils of Europe's Ambitious Railway Upgrades
[B] Revitalizing European Railways: Grand Visions Confronting Structural Realities
[C] How Unified Ticketing Systems Will Reshape the European Tourism Industry
[D] The Environmental Mandate Driving the EU's Transport Network Evolution

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: ABCDB

21.【正确答案】A
【解析】题型：事实细节题
定位： 第五段“The commission estimates that the gains EU member states would see from this investment would far surpass costs, with indirect benefits reaching €750 billion in total by 2050...”
分析： 原文明确指出，欧盟委员会估计该投资带来的收益将远超成本（far surpass costs），并且间接收益（indirect benefits，如减少污染和拥堵成本）将达到7500亿欧元。选项 A“间接的社会经济红利最终将超过巨大的资本支出（indirect socio-economic dividends will ultimately outweigh the immense capital expenditure）”是对原句高阶的学术化同义替换（outweigh 对应 surpass）。
干扰项：[B] 整体预算负担将主要由欧盟的中央储备承担（事实相反，第四段指出欧盟金库只覆盖大约10%的成本，绝大部分由各国政府和列车公司承担）；[C] 预期的环境节省将直接资助轨道的技术升级（强加因果，环境节省是未来的预期收益，并非用于直接“资助”当前的升级建设）；[D] 各国政府将独立资助高铁路线的全面扩张（修饰错位，虽然国家政府出了大部分钱，但欧盟也出了10%，且还有列车公司的参与，并非“独立地/independently”提供全部资金）。

22.【正确答案】B
【解析】题型：例证推断题
定位： 第七段“Commission officials cited this line as a cautionary tale: Despite running for more than 30 years, this service is only now coming close to opening to competing train companies, thanks in part to a lack of facilities to store and repair high-speed trains.”
分析： 欧盟委员会将英吉利海峡隧道作为一个“警示故事（cautionary tale）”。原因在于它运营了30多年才勉强开始向竞争对手开放，而造成这种垄断的原因之一是“缺乏储存和维修设施（lack of facilities）”。选项 B“基础设施匮乏和长期的市场排他性会扼杀潜在的行业竞争（infrastructural deficits and prolonged market exclusivity can stifle prospective industry competition）”深刻提炼了这一例证背后的经济学意义。
干扰项：[A] 维持地理连通性需要极其高昂的国际基础设施投资（偏离核心，举该例子是为了说明“缺乏竞争导致票价高昂”，而非单纯强调建设成本）；[C] 富裕精英仍然是维持跨国铁路网络的主要人口结构（张冠李戴，富裕精英是第六段提到的现状，但第七段举隧道的例子是为了批判“垄断”，而不是分析乘客构成）；[D] 长期运行的火车服务在三十年后不可避免地面临运营淘汰（无中生有，原文未提及服务被淘汰，反而说它现在才开始引入竞争）。

23.【正确答案】C
【解析】题型：细节推断题
定位： 第六、八、九段。“The commission expressed commitments to affordability and transparent booking to boost ridership... Booking the same train route frequently costs a different amount... propose legislation to improve cross-border ticketing and booking systems...”
分析： 为了真正提高乘客量（boost ridership），委员会提出要解决“负担能力（affordability）”和“透明预订（transparent booking）”问题。第八段指出当前票价在不同承运商处差异巨大（pricing inconsistencies），第九段提出要通过立法改善票务系统。选项 C“纠正普遍存在的定价不一致问题并培育一个综合、透明的预订生态系统（rectify the prevalent pricing inconsistencies and cultivate an integrated booking ecosystem）”是对官方解决路径的精准归纳。
干扰项：[A] 暂时补贴富裕的欧洲精英的旅行费用（事实倒置，精英已经坐得起了，委员会的目标是降低票价让普通人也坐得起）；[B] 标准化国际航班时刻表以与铁路出发时间保持一致（无中生有，第九段提到将机票和火车票整合到一张票上，但并未提及“标准化航班时刻表”）；[D] 优先考虑现有轨道的持续维护，而不是雄心勃勃的路线扩展（本末倒置，最后一段指出正是由于过于关注维护，才导致了欧洲铁路网扩张的“停滞”，现在的计划是为了打破这种停滞）。

24.【正确答案】D
【解析】题型：因果细节题
定位： 第十段（最后一段）“The system has seen almost no growth in capacity since 2014, thanks in part to a necessary focus on prioritizing investment for maintenance and repairs.”
分析： 原文用 thanks in part to（部分归因于）引出了铁路扩张停滞的原因：一种“优先将投资用于维护和修理的必要做法（a necessary focus on prioritizing investment for maintenance and repairs）”。选项 D“一种无意中阻碍了发展能力的、对结构维护的务实优先考虑（a pragmatic prioritization of structural upkeep that inadvertently hindered developmental capacity）”极其巧妙地进行了高阶词汇替换（structural upkeep 对应 maintenance and repairs）。
干扰项：[A] 成员国之间关于资金配额的持续外交摩擦（无中生有，文中未探讨成员国间的外交争端）；[B] 开发250公里/小时列车引擎时遇到的未预见的技术瓶颈（凭空捏造，文章未提及任何引擎技术问题）；[C] 廉价航空业在整个大陆的压倒性主导地位（修饰错位，第六段确实提到人们因为票价差异选择飞行，但导致系统“运力未增长（no growth in capacity）”的直接内部原因是“资金被用于维护了”，而非航空业的主导）。

25.【正确答案】B
【解析】题型：主旨大意题
定位： 全文逻辑结构。
分析： 文章开篇描绘了欧洲高铁扩张的宏大愿景（Grand Visions），随后在第四至九段详细剖析了实现这一愿景所面临的资金、基础设施、垄断和票务系统等现实结构性障碍（Structural Realities），并在最后总结该计划旨在打破欧洲铁路多年的停滞。选项 B“振兴欧洲铁路：宏伟愿景面临结构性现实（Revitalizing European Railways: Grand Visions Confronting Structural Realities）”最全面、客观地概括了全文“有野心，但困难重重”的论述基调。
干扰项：[A] 欧洲雄心勃勃的铁路升级面临的财务风险（以偏概全，财务成本只是其中一个挑战，文章还大量讨论了票务和垄断问题）；[C] 统一票务系统将如何重塑欧洲旅游业（局部细节，票务系统只是第九段提出的一项改革措施，不能作为通篇主旨）；[D] 推动欧盟交通网络演变的环境任务（偏离重心，环保（减少污染）是高铁带来的间接收益之一，文章的核心探讨点在于铁路基建与政策改革，而非纯粹的“环保驱动”）。

【词汇注释】

【长难句】Whether or not the EU can meet all these goals, the highly ambitious proposal could help in overcoming stasis in European rail expansion: The system has seen almost no growth in capacity since 2014, thanks in part to a necessary focus on prioritizing investment for maintenance and repairs.

拆解：

【参考译文】

欧盟委员会的一项新的高速铁路计划旨在未来几十年内大幅缩短欧洲的列车旅行时间。该计划设定了一个目标，即到2040年，欧盟所有主要枢纽都将由时速至少200公里的列车服务连接，其中许多列车的时速将超过250公里。

如果完全实现，这种升级和扩建所带来的时间节省将是惊人的：从柏林到哥本哈根的列车所需时间将从目前的7小时缩短至4小时，而马德里和里斯本之间的旅行时间将减少三分之二，从目前的9小时降至3小时。在某些情况下，更高速的列车路线将是全新开辟的——希腊目前关闭的通往保加利亚的铁路连接将被重新开放和改善，使得从雅典到索非亚的旅行只需6小时，而目前乘坐火车和公共汽车需要13个多小时。

欧盟可持续交通和旅游委员阿波斯托洛斯·齐齐科斯塔斯指出，如果乘客有一种快速安全的方式前往某地，他们肯定会选择火车而不是任何其他交通工具，因此这些改善措施的集中推出，足以推动人们大幅转向铁路旅行。

实现这些目标将是复杂且昂贵的，仅仅将它们作为目标并不能保证其实现。委员会估计，到2040年将需要3450亿欧元的投资。与此同时，到2050年将目前时速在250公里或以上的路线数量增加两倍，将耗资5400亿欧元。虽然部分资金将来自欧盟委员会的金库——迄今为止拨出的资金将支付约10%的成本——但绝大部分资金将来自其他渠道，如各国政府和列车公司。

委员会估计，欧盟成员国从这项投资中获得的收益将远远超过成本。如果委员会达到其2050年的目标，随着更多乘客放弃汽车和飞机出行，污染和拥堵成本的降低等改善措施将带来总计达7500亿欧元的间接效益。

但是，要实现如此巨大的效益，取决于列车的使用情况，而这不仅仅取决于轨道的升级。委员会还表达了对确保票价可负担性和预订透明度的承诺，以提高乘客量。欧洲目前的高铁服务有着“富裕精英昂贵交通工具”的名声，而其他旅客由于明显的成本差异，往往选择乘坐飞机。

一个典型的例子是从伦敦到欧洲大陆的英吉利海峡隧道——它目前是欧洲最昂贵的铁路服务。委员会官员将其作为一个警示故事：尽管该服务已运营了30多年，但由于缺乏停放和维修高速列车的设施等原因，这项服务直到现在才勉强开始向竞争的列车公司开放。

票务系统也参差不齐。预订同一条火车路线的票价经常会有所不同，这取决于你是通过德国的还是比利时的国家铁路公司预订。未来，通过确保从一开始就引入全面竞争、在轨道和车站之外更多地前瞻性考虑基础设施需求，以及促进列车二手市场的发展，可以避免这些痛点。

虽然暂未披露细节，但齐齐科斯塔斯表示，委员会将在2026年提出立法，改善跨境票务和预订系统，让乘客只需点击一下就能轻松规划和预订无缝的跨境旅程。这将使乘客不仅可以在不同的铁路公司之间组合车票，还能在一张票上无缝混合飞机和火车的行程。

这些雄心勃勃的计划代表了欧盟 TEN-T（全欧交通网络）计划当前努力的扩展和澄清。无论欧盟最终能否实现所有这些目标，这项高度野心勃勃的提案都可能有助于克服欧洲铁路扩张的停滞：自2014年以来，该系统的运力几乎没有任何增长，部分原因在于过去的投资必须优先用于系统维护和修理。

附注：