27. What is the text?

A. A news report. B. A book review. C. A children's story. D. A diaryentry.

C

Can a small group of drones(无人机)guarantee the safety and reliability ofrailways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euroseach year? That is the very likely future of applying today's "eyes in the sky"technology to making sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks andinfrastructure(基础设施)worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.

Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. Theycould do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vitalaspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracksand switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railwaysafety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cutand operations would be more efficient(高效)across the board.

That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection ofrailway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spendapproximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sendingmaintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the railinfrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with dronesassisting the crews' efforts.

By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providinghigher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches,before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones forrail don't need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a newconcept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track aheadof the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones withadvanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like aco-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, sothat fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.

28. What makes the application of drones to rail lines possible?

A. The use of drones in checking on power lines. B. Drones' ability to workat high altitudes.

C. The reduction of cost in designing drones. D. Drones' reliable performancein remote areas.

29. What does "maintenance" underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Personnel safety. B. Assistance from drones.

C. Inspection and repair. D. Construction of infrastructure.

30. What function is expected of the rail drones?

A. To provide early warning. B. To make trains run automatically.

C. To earn profits for the crews. D. To accelerate transportation.

31. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A. What Faults Can Be Detected with Drones

B. How Production of Drones Can Be Expanded

C. What Difficulty Drone Development Will Face

D. How Drones Will Change the Future of Railways

D

The Government's sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much moneyas Ministers first predicted it would generate, the first official data on thepolicy has shown.

First announced in April, 2016, the tax which applies to soft drinkscontaining more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reducechildhood obesity(肥胖). It is believed that today's children and teenagers areconsuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting them at a higherrisk of the disease.

Initially the sugar tax was expected to make ?520m a year for the Treasury.However, data of the first six months showed it would make less than half thisamount. At present it is expected to generate ?240m for the year ending in April2019, which will go to school sports.

It comes after more than half of soft drinks sold in shops have had theirsugar levels cut by manufacturers(制造商)so they can avoid paying the tax. Drinksnow contain 45 million fewer kilos of sugar as a result of manufacturers'efforts to avoid the charge, according to Treasury figures. Since April drinkscompanies have been forced to pay between 18p and 24p for every litre of sugarydrink they produce or import, depending on the sugar content.

However, some high sugar brands, like Classic Coca Cola, have accepted thesugar tax and are refusing to change for fear of upsetting consumers. Fruitjuices, milk-based drinks and most alcoholic drinks are free of the tax, as aresmall companies manufacturing fewer than 1m litres per year.

Today's figures, according to one government official, show the positiveinfluence the sugar tax is having by raising millions of pounds for sportsfacilities(设施)and healthier eating in schools. Helping the next generation tohave a healthy and active childhood is of great importance, and the industry isplaying its part.

32. Why was the sugar tax introduced?

A. To collect money for schools. B. To improve the quality of drinks.

C. To protect children's health. D. To encourage research in education.

33. How did some drinks companies respond to the sugar tax?

A. They turned to overseas markets. B. They raised the prices of theirproducts.

C. They cut down on their production. D. They reduced their products' sugarcontent.

34. From which of the following is the sugar tax collected?

A. Most alcoholic drinks. B. Milk-based drinks. C. Fruit juices. D. ClassicCoke.

35. What can be inferred about the adoption of the sugar tax policy?

A. It is a short-sighted decision. B. It is a success story.

C. It benefits manufacturers. D. It upsets customers.

第二节(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10分)