首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
By 2010 the European Commission predicts transcontinental freight traffic will have risen 50 percent as a result of European exp
By 2010 the European Commission predicts transcontinental freight traffic will have risen 50 percent as a result of European exp
admin
2014-02-20
50
问题
By 2010 the European Commission predicts transcontinental freight traffic will have risen 50 percent as a result of European expansion, and much of that will have to cross the enormous obstacle of the Alps. Right now the only practical way for most heavy traffic to get through is by truck and tunnel. And while that could change if safer and cleaner rail lines were opened, the chances are that won’t happen anytime soon.
Several private trucking companies have adapted quickly and creatively to the demands of European unification. Some of the bigger truckers trace cargoes with the Global Positioning System and sophisticated computers. And if trucks also bring more road hazards and pollution, at present there is no alternative. Right now only 8 percent of European merchandise moves by rail, compared with more than 40 percent in the United States. Delays are so common that the average speed for freight is about 18km an hour.
The railways have had trouble outgrowing a heritage of national rivalries and open warfare between Europe’s countries. The result is what another European Commission report calls "a mosaic of badly interconnected national systems. " Language barriers remain a problem, requiring crew changes at some borders. Switching systems and signals differ.
And efficiency is more of a dream than a goal. Europe’s railroads still have to deal with "phantom trains" that run so late that they combine with others and disappear from the railroad’s records. In an era when many companies depend on a "just-in-time" inventories to make a profit, railroads are rarely on time at all.
Yet there is little official enthusiasm for changing the system. The reality is that governments have helped create the imbalance between road and rail in Europe—and government action will likely be needed to fix it. The French emphasis on using rail to move people instead of goods, for instance, has helped cripple freight service. "All the investments went to passenger traffic," says Denis Doute, director of freight services for the French rail company SNCF. Freight trains have had to find "windows" to run in between passenger trains, unlike those in the United States, which often travel on separate tracks. The further development of the freight network requires massive investments to modernize existing infrastructure and open new ones. However, the political will to fund that kind of investment is lacking, which means the citizens will have to hold their noses for a while longer.
The word "phantom"(Line 2, Para. 4)probably means______.
选项
A、trouble
B、ghost
C、hero
D、turtle
答案
B
解析
词汇题。phantom的意思可以通过下文对phantom trains的解释以及这个词组的引号猜出来。下文讲到这种火车太晚点了,以至于与别的火车重组并从火车的记录中消失。引号可表示讽刺、强调、拟人、引用的含义。结合这两方面,我们通过比较四个选择项,不难猜出选项B最合适,phantom trains也就是“幽灵火车"的意思。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/quXO777K
0
在职攻硕英语联考
相关试题推荐
By1830theformerSpanishandPortuguesecolonieshadbecomeindependentnations.Theroughly20million【C1】______ofthesenati
EconomistJohnMaynardKeynesoncesuggestedthatwhentheInternationalMonetaryFundimposedstrictconditionsonanationsee
Today’scollegestudentsaremorenarcissistic(自恋的)andself-centeredthantheirpredecessors,accordingtoacomprehensivenews
Wecannotbe______thechoicesthatourchildrenaregoingtomake,eventhoughwehavecontributedtothosechoices.
Ayearagothefirmhada______lossof4.3milliondollarsor20centsashareafterallnecessarydeduction.
Colorisveryimportanttomostanimalsforithelpsthemtogetalongintheworld.Color【C1】______tomakeananimaldifficult
Itdidn’thappenovernight.Theproblemofpollutedairhasbeenfesteringforcenturies.Suddenlytheproblemofairpollut
Untilmeninventedwaysofstayingunderwaterformorethanafewminutes,thewondersoftheworldbelowthesurfaceofthesea
Withallthewars,fightingandsadnessintheworldtoday,it’snotonlynecessary,butalsoessentialtohaveagoodsenseof
随机试题
A.心B.肺C.脾D.肾“气之根”是
患者,男,56岁。咳嗽、胸闷、憋气2日,持续不缓解。查体:左侧呼吸运动减低,叩诊呈鼓音,呼吸音明显减低。胸部X线片示左肺萎陷,压缩约90%。该患者最有效的治疗措施是()
患者,男,25岁。3个月前因外伤导致一上前牙脱落。口腔检查:左上中切牙缺失,间隙正常,牙槽嵴无明显吸收。右上中切牙牙冠1/2缺损,已露髓,叩诊阴性,无松动。左上前牙牙龈轻度红肿,易出血,可见菌斑及牙石。余牙未见明显异常。义齿修复前需进行一些必要的检查和治疗
护士小王和小李见面后,互相微笑并问候“你好”,然后各自分开。她们之间的沟通属于
()是指在借款偿还期内的息税前利润与应付利息的比值。
A企业为禽类加工企业,有员工415人,厂房占地15000m2,包括一车间、二车间、冷冻库、冷藏库、液氨车间、配电室等生产单元和办公区。液氨车间为独立厂房,其余生产单元位于一个连体厂房内。连体厂房房顶距地面12m,采用彩钢板内喷聚氨酯泡沫材料;吊顶距房顶2.
由合同法律规范调整的在民事流转过程中形成的权利义务关系为()。
甲公司2015年度取得销售货物收入1000万元,发生的与生产经营活动有关的业务招待费支出6万元,已知在计算企业所得税应纳税所得额时,业务招待费支出按照发生额的60%扣除,但最高不得超过当年销售(营业)收入的5‰。甲公司在计算2015年度企业所得税应纳税所得
下列各项中,不会引起企业利润总额发生增减变动的是()。
—Whatwilltheydotodealwiththeaccident?—Tendoctorsandfivenurseshave______amedicalteamandwillstartoutrightnow
最新回复
(
0
)