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If you want to travel from Xi'an to Chengdu by train, it will take about 16 hours. But starting this month, the new Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway will shorten this travel time to three hours. The 643-kilometer line is China's first high-speed railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which form a natural boundary(分界线) between China's north and south. With a speed of 250 km per hour, it's also the first mountain-heavy train line to provide a 4G network. Along the way, the train passes through two areas for rare(稀有) wild animals — one for pandas and the other for crested ibises(朱鹮). To reduce the railway's influence on the animals, workers and experts have designed and built the railway to be environmentally friendly, China Daily reported. In September, there were 345 wild pandas living in the Qinling Mountains. China now has l,864 wild pandas in total, according to the Xinhua News Agency. To avoid disturbing the pandas, the railway was designed to run through tunnels(隧道) within the area. Protective shields(防护屏) are placed near the entrance of each tunnel to stop animals from going in. To avoid hurting the thousands of crested ibises that fly near one part of the railway, protective nets have been set up along the tracks to make sure the birds will not fly into a train. The nets are about 32 km long and 4 meters high. Experts tested different shapes and materials for building the nets before making their final choice.(A report in December, 2017) 31. From this month, it will take to travel from Xi'an to Chengdu by the high-speed train. A. 16 hours B. 13 hours C. 6 hours D. 3 hours 32. Which of the following is TRUE about the new Xi'an-Chengdu railway? A. It is China's first high-speed railway. B. It runs through the Qinling Mountains. C. It is the first mountain-heavy train line. D. It is the first train line with a 4G network. 33. Why was the railway designed and built to be environmentally friendly? A. To save money and energy. B. To avoid harming wild animals. C. To avoid damaging the mountains. D. To help the train run through tunnels quietly. 34. What are experts using to stop animals from going into the tunnels? A. Entrances. B. Tracks. C. Protective shields. D. Protective nets. 35. This news about the new railway is reported by _. A. China Daily B. the Xinhua News Agency C. the 4G network D. CCTV (责任编辑：admin) |