A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city. Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn’ t built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. 【小题1】

Even so, travel isn’ t difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. 【小题2】 They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there. 【小题3】

Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. 【小题4】 Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. 【小题5】 Every year, high water hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

Have you ever had a travel on the train that was named after the letter D?

Named after the letter D, the new trains run at a speed of 200 to 250 kilometers an hour. 【小题1】 For example, it used to take 12 hours to travel from Shanghai to Beijing. 【小题2】 The most interesting part of the trains is the revolving (旋转的) seats. People can adjust(调整) their seats as they like, so that it is easy for them to talk with others around them face to face.

However, many people still won’t choose D-type trains for some reasons. 【小题3】 For example, a hard seat ticket from Beijing to Tianjin is only ¥90 for T-type trains. But on the new trains, all the seats are soft. 【小题4】 On the other hand, the new trains stop at some stations for a very short time. 【小题5】

Mary works at a factory (工厂). She starts (开始) working at eight in the morning. She has a break (休息) at noon for one hour. She finishes working at five in the afternoon. At five they leave the factory. Every body goes home. Some people drive home. Some ride bikes. Some take the bus. Mary always walks home because she likes to walk. She walks, and walks and walks, Mary lives eight kilometers from the factory. She walks for two hours. At seven in the evening,. Mary is at home. She eats dinner. At ten she goes to bed. Mary is tired.