Question

I am traveling home. It is bitterly cold and snowy, but the warm train is right on time. I feel pleasantly satisfied as I look out at the rush hour traffic on the motorway. I feel more satisfied as the smell of fresh coffee announces the arrival of the drinks service. Swiss friends often tell me, proudly, that their rail service is the best in the world, but recently, one experience has proved that the great Swiss love affair with their railway has turned a little sour.

It all began with the decision to end ticket sales on trains. One cold morning I arrived at my local station only to find that the ticket machine was broken. No matter, I thought, I have got a smart phone, and I hurriedly set about buying my ticket that way. This was not as easy as I had expected, busying myself between credit card and phone with freezing cold fingers, but, by the time I got on the train to Geneva I had an e-ticket and I proudly showed it to the conductor. Unfortunately she told me that my ticket was not valid. Several weeks later a letter arrived from Swiss railways together with a fine for 190 francs ($ 210).

The good people there tell me the formal payment for my ticket from my credit card company arrived four minutes after my train left the station. That means, they say, that I bought my ticket on the train—and that is strictly prohibited.

Swiss railways say their policy is designed to protect honest ticket-paying passengers, but a quick look at their balance sheet suggests something else. The company is making about $2 million a month from fines.

Although train travel is still popular, those seats do not feel as comfortable; the coffee does not smell quite so good—because Swiss railways have lost, for now anyway, something far more precious than $2 million a month: good relations with their customers.

1.What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A. The Swiss trains usually come late.

B. Traffic on the motorway goes smoothly.

C. The author hates traveling on the Swiss train.

D. The author is generally pleased with the Swiss rail service.

2.Why did the conductor say that the author’s e-ticket was invalid?

A. It was purchased online.

B. It was paid for after the train’s departure.

C. It was purchased on a ticket machine.

D. It was paid on a smart phone.

3.What does the author want to show by telling the experience?

A. The fine was unfair.

B. The conductor was impolite.

C. E-tickets are getting popular.

D. Credit cards can be inconvenient.

4.What does the author think of the new policy of Swiss railways?

A. It attracts more people to travel by train.

B. It makes the company lose a lot of money.

C. It damages company-customer relations.

D. It protects honest ticket-paying passengers.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

本文为夹叙夹议文。作者听瑞士的朋友说他们的铁路服务是世界上最好的。作者坐车时由于匆忙买了电子票被罚款的亲身经历，说明了瑞士的铁路虽仍然很受欢迎，但已经失去了比罚款获利更珍贵的东西：与顾客的良好关系。

1.推理判断题。第一段主要描述了作者在高铁上享受着好的服务，印证了瑞士朋友的话“他们的铁路服务是世界上最好的”。分析选项可知D项符合题意。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段的内容可知：那里的好心人告诉我，信用卡公司的钱正式到帐是在火车离开车站4分钟后到的。这意味着，他们说我是在火车上买了票，这是严格禁止的。分析选项可知B项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段内容“瑞士铁路说他们的政策旨在保护诚实的付票乘客，但快速查看他们的财务状况表，会发现其他一些东西。该公司每月从罚款中赚取约200万美元”。及最后一段最后一句“因为瑞士铁路目前已经失去了比每月200万美元更珍贵的东西：与顾客的良好关系。”再结合作者在上车前已买了票但仍被罚款可知，作者想通过他的经历告诉我们，这种罚款不合理，分析选项可知A符合题意。

4.细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句“Swiss railways have lost, for now anyway,something far more precious than $ 2 million a month: good relations with their customers.”（瑞士铁路目前已经失去了比每月200万美元更珍贵的东西：与顾客的良好关系。），故选C项。