At the 【小题1】 (begin) of the 21st century China had no high-speed railways. Slow and often uncomfortable trains ran slowly across this huge country, 【小题2】 (make) journeys such as Shanghai - Beijing 【小题3】 test of travel endurance.

Today, it's a 【小题4】 (total) different picture. The world's most populous nation has the world's 【小题5】 (large) network of high-speed railways. Since 2008 no fewer than 37,900 kilometers of lines have criss-crossed (纵横交错) the country, linking all of its major 【小题6】 (city).

Half of the total 【小题7】 (complete) in the last five years alone, with a further 3,700 kilometers due to open in the coming months of 2021. The network is expected to increase in length 【小题8】 more than70,000 kilometers, by 2035. With maximum speeds of 350 kph on many lines, intercity travel has been changed and the ruling position of airlines has been broken on the busiest routes.

Spain, 【小题9】 has the most high-speed networks in Europe and sits in second place in the global league table, is a little fish 【小题10】 (compare) with just over 2,000 miles of lines built for operation at over 250 kph. In contrast, the UK presently has just 107 kilometers while the United States has only one rail route that (just about) qualifies for high-speed status.

The world’s longest sea-spanning bridge, the highway-railway bridge 【小题1】 the longest span in the world, the first sea-spanning dual-use bridge in the world-These are just some of the “world firsts” China has created in the sphere (领域) of bridge building. But 【小题2】best represents China’s modern industrial power is possibly the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

On July 7, 2017 the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was fully opened. Seen from the air, the 【小题3】 (wind) bridge looks like a long dragon. From Zhuhai bay, the bridge【小题4】 (stretch) for over 30 km above the sea, together with 6. 7 km of tunnels under the seabed, to end in Hong Kong. On the way, there are three specially 【小题5】 (model) cable-stayed bridges, 【小题6】 names are “China Connection”, “Dolphin” and “Sail” 【小题7】 (respective) , capable of sustaining a total of three hundred thousand tons of wheeled cargo.

As Su Quanke put it, the bridge not just links the three geographical regions, 【小题8】 it forms a link between our thoughts and feelings, including the creative superiority that we 【小题9】 (develop) over centuries. When we look at this magnificent sea-spanning bridge, as a great achievement of the century, we can see a 【小题10】 (combine) of the millennia-long history of bridge building in China and modern technology, and the glitter of the Chinese people’s diligence and wisdom.

People build bridges for a 【小题1】(vary) of reasons. There are bridges built for cars to cross over rivers. There are also bridges for trains to use. In Washington State, there is a very 【小题2】(usual) bridge ─ a bridge for squirrels.

Longview has a very busy street with many cars 【小题3】(pass) it every day. Before the bridge was built, many squirrels 【小题4】(run) over by cars when they tried to cross the street. A local builder, Amos Peters, wanted to protect these small and lovely animals. So in 1963, after getting【小题5】(permit) by the local government, he built a bridge for the squirrels, one 【小题6】 would let them pass above the traffic.

The bridge 【小题7】(be) a symbol of the town since then. And every Christmas, the local people add a small Christmas tree 【小题8】 the center of the bridge. 【小题9】, they raised more money to build two more bridges for those lovely animals. Thanks to the bridges, the squirrels are able to cross 【小题10】(safe) from one side of the street to the other.