中老铁路发展势头强劲

The Belt and Road Initiative flagship project of China-Laos Railway has facilitated 27.87 million passenger journeys and 32.56 million tons of cargo（货物） since it entered operation on December 3， 2021， China Media Group reported on February 8， 2024， reflecting the strong momentum in China-Laos business trade and personnel exchanges.

By the end of January， 2024， the railway had transported about 2.01 million tons of cargo， of which about 55，000 tons were cross-order cargo， an increase of about 29.7 percent year-on-year. Over half of railway cargo transport with ASEAN countries was facilitated by the China-Laos Railway， according to the report.

The China-Laos Railway is now a common means of importing tropical（热带的） fruits and beer from Thailand and Laos that is then sold in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and South China’s Guangdong Province. In addition， China’s vegetables， fruits， photovoltaics（太阳能光板） and home appliances（电器） were transported to Southeast Asian countries via the rail link， the report said.

With the increasing number of cargo types and volume， the regular Kunming-Vientiane Express shortens travel time between the two cities to 26 hours. It has also formed an international logistic artery（要道） by linking with China-Europe freight train network， which made the travel time from countries such as Laos and Thailand to European railway to 15 days.

For passenger transport， the China-Laos Railway facilitated 1.86 million passenger trips， of which 23，000 were cross-border passenger trips in January of 2024.

The railway operator in Kunming has lifted daily passenger limit. Since China-Laos Railway’s cross-border passenger service first opened on April 13， 2023， the railway has facilitated a total 130，000 cross-border travelers from 83 countries and regions.

The China-Laos Railway， now running for over two years， has further combined regional logistics， capital flow， and personnel communication between the two countries.

There were only about 10 types of cross-border cargos being transported when the railway began operation. Currently， that figure has surpassed（超过） 2，900 types， from electronics and photovoltaics to cold-chain fruits， boosting economic development along the railway.

（材料出自Global Time，有删改）

1. When did the China-Laos Railway first have transport service？

A. December 3， 2021. B. February 1， 2024.

C. April 13， 2023.    D. January 31， 2024.

2. Which of the following may NOT be transported by the China-Laos Railway？

A. Tropical fruits from Thailand to China.

B. Photovoltaics and home appliances from China to Southeast Asian countries.

C. Vegetables and fruits from China to America.

D. Passengers from Thailand to China.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the China-Laos Railway？

A. Indifferent. B. Doubtful.

C. Disapproving. D. Positive.

4. Where would you most probably find this passage？

A. A geography textbook.     B. A newspaper.

C. A novel.                 D. A travel brochure.

1. A。解析：细节理解题。根据材料第一段中的“since it entered operation on December 3， 2021”，我们可知A选项正确，故选A。

2. C。解析：细节理解题。此题要选的是不符合材料内容的选项，根据材料第三段，我们可知A、B两个选项是符合的，再根据材料第一段和第五段，我们可知D选项也是符合的。C选项中提到了美国，而美国在美洲，不在“一带一路”范围内，故选C。

3. D。解析：推理判断题。材料讲述了这条铁路的货运量、客流量和运输种类不断增加，而部分地区间铁路旅行时间缩短，材料末尾又提到它推动了铁路沿线的经济发展，由此可知作者对这条铁路持积极肯定的态度，故选D。

4. B。解析：推理判断题。通读材料，加上材料第二段和第三段最后一句中的“according to the report”和“the report said”，我们可知本篇材料是一篇新闻报道。据此可推知本篇材料有可能源于报纸，故选B。