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
69
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
"Whatdoesthemiddlemandobutaddtothepriceofgoodsintheshops?"Suchremarksareaimedattheintermediateoperationsb
Istestanxietydestructive?Canwemaketestanxietyworkforus?Theanswertobothofthesequestionsisyes.Testanxietyof
Certainlymanmust______thefuture,andfindwaysofprovidingforhisuse.
InevertrustedhimbecauseIalwaysthoughtofhimassucha______character.
Duringrecentyearswehaveheardmuchabout"race":howthisracedoescertainthingsandthatracebelievescertainthingsand
Writeacompositionwiththetitle"IsUniversityExpansionaGoodThing?"basedonthefollowinggivenoutline.Yourcompositio
Althoughmoneyisalwaysuseful,itisn’tall______.
A、Theyhaveaverycloserelationship.B、Theydon’tspendmuchtimetogether.C、Theyaregettingalongwitheachotherbetter.D
Thepostofficeisnot______fordamagetoaparcelsentbymailunlessitisinsured.
随机试题
Whotalksmore,then,womenormen?Theseeminglycontradictory(矛盾的)evidenceisshownbythedifferencebetweenwhatIcallpubl
治疗慢性肾衰患者骨软化症首选的药物是
A.1/2B.1/3C.1/5D.1/8E.1/10多数情况下,饲料中最合适的钙磷关系是,磷是钙的
下列不属于窝洞抗力形的是
根据《中华人民共和国反倾销条例》,在认定倾销是否存在时,有关出口价格的认定方法哪项是不正确的?
当在使用中对水泥质量有怀疑或水泥出厂超过()个月时,应进行复验,并按复验结果使用。
(),是指合同当事人一方向另一方提出订立合同的要求,并列明合同的条款,以及限定其在一定期限作出承诺的意思表示。
建筑施工企业安全生产许可证有效期满需要延期的,应当于期满前()个月向原安全生产许可证颁发管理机关办理延期手续。
唐太宗时期,政治清明,经济繁荣,国力强盛,史称()
《大同书》中体现的教育意义是()
最新回复
(
0
)