For years people have been saying that the railways are dead. We all keep hearing that

trains are slow, that they lose money, that they’re dying. But this is far from the true. In these days of expensive oil, the railways have become highly competitive with motorcars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they’re cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, a railway takes you from the heart of a city center. It doesn’t hold you up as a car does, in endless traffic jams. And a single train can carry goods which no plane or motorcar could ever do.

Far from being dead, the railways are very much alive. Modern railway lines give you a smooth, untroubled journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep in comfort, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at speed at the same time？ And we are only at the beginning. For we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, trains traveling at 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on motorways we can’t use because we have not enough money to buy the oil and planes we can’t fly in for the same reason.

1. Some people think the railways are dead for many reasons EXCEPT that ____.

A. planes and motorcars have taken the place of trains

B. oil is expensive today

C. trains are slow

D. railways lose money

2. The writers idea seems to be that ______.

A. we can do without railways

B. trains have much in common with motorcars and planes

C. motorcars and planes are not as good as trains

D. trains are as good as motorcars and planes

3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT the advantage of railways？

A. It is cheaper to travel by train than by plane.

B. Super-fast trains travel even faster than planes.

C. The railway station is usually at the center of a city.

D. A train carries more goods than a motorcar or plane does.

4. The writer thinks that the railways, far from being dead, are very much alive because ___________.

A. we can have a smooth and untroubled journey

B. we’ll not have enough money to fly everywhere

C. we can now travel in super-fast trains

D. all of the above

5. The best title for this passage may be ________.

A. The Best Choice: Train, Motorcar or Plane

B. The Dying Railways

C. Super-fast Trains in the Future

D. Not the End, But the Beginning