1For centuries,the main way to Galicia,Spain's north-western corner,was on foot.Poor roads meant that,until a decade or two ago,the drive from Madrid took nine hours.Recent improvements have cut the trip to the closest Galician city,Ourense,to about five.

2Now the journey can be made in two hours and 15 minutes thanks to Galicia's first connection with Spain's high-speed railway network.Next year the line should be extended to Santiago,the regional capital,and A Coru?a,Galicia's biggest city.“Cinderellacan now travel in a bigger and more comfortable car,” said Ourense's mayor,Gonzalo Pérez Jácome,using his nickname for his city,which he says is treated like an unloved stepchild.No one wants to be left out of the system.Spain has the biggest high-speed rail network in the world after China's,but Mr Jácome doubts whether the new extension will bring dramatic changes.

3Spaniards have long been leaving poorer rural areas for better opportunities in richer cities.Mr Jácome notes that Zamora,another poorer rural area in Spain,has gained weekend tourists but continued to lose population since their arrival in 2015.

4In any case,Galicia has been doing well.It once meant isolation and poverty and was called “the end of the world”.So many Galicians moved to Latin America,so Galician means “Spaniard” there.But GDP per person,66% of the national average in 1955,is now 92%of it.

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Check

1.Compared to a decade or two ago,how many hours are saved from Madrid to Ourense by train now?

A.Nine hours.

B.Six hours and 45 minutes.

C.Five hours.

D.Two hours and 15 minutes.

2.What does the underlined word “Cinderella” refer to in paragraph 2?

A.A Galician city.

B.A comfortable car.

C.An unloved stepchild.

D.Galician people.

3.What can we learn about Galicia?

A.It has gained weekend tourists since 2015.

B.Its GDP per person is still at a very low level.

C.It was once regarded as isolation and poverty.

D.It has no changes even with modern trains there.

?語(yǔ)篇解碼

本文主要介紹了位于西班牙西北角的加利西亞。以前因?yàn)榻煌ú槐悖永鱽喡糜螛I(yè)發(fā)展困難，現(xiàn)在加利西亞終于通了高鐵，旅客去加利西亞更加方便了。

?語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)

Ⅰ.語(yǔ)料薈萃

語(yǔ)篇單詞重要短語(yǔ)improvement n.改善connection n.聯(lián)結(jié)；連接extend v.延長(zhǎng)；擴(kuò)展regional adj.地區(qū)的；區(qū)域的extension n.延伸；擴(kuò)建部分dramatic adj.戲?。ㄐ裕┑?；突然的rural adj.鄉(xiāng)村的；似農(nóng)村的population n.人口isolation n.隔離；孤獨(dú)_____________poverty n.貧窮；短缺thanks to 幸虧；由于_____________leave out 遺漏；省略；未顧及；忽略

Ⅱ.語(yǔ)句分析

Spain has the biggest high-speed rail network in the world after China's,but Mr Jácome doubts whether the new extension will bring dramatic changes.西班牙擁有僅次于中國(guó)的世界上最大的高鐵網(wǎng)絡(luò)，但哈科梅先生懷疑新的鐵路擴(kuò)建是否會(huì)帶來(lái)巨大的變化。

【點(diǎn)石成金】本句是一個(gè)并列句。but 表轉(zhuǎn)折，doubts 后跟了一個(gè)whether 引導(dǎo)的賓語(yǔ)從句。

?語(yǔ)言運(yùn)用

Ⅰ.例句仿寫

1.他母親不會(huì)在那里，但他父親也許會(huì)去。

His mother won't be there,____________________.

2.他不敢肯定她是否會(huì)遵守諾言。

He____________________she will keep her word.

Ⅱ.寫作實(shí)踐

假定你是李華，你的新西蘭朋友Jim 發(fā)來(lái)電子郵件，告訴你他將于今年暑假來(lái)中國(guó)旅游，希望你推薦一個(gè)景點(diǎn)。請(qǐng)你給他回一封電子郵件，要點(diǎn)如下：

1.推薦的景點(diǎn)；

2.交通狀況；

3.推薦的旅行方式。

注意：

1.詞數(shù)80左右；

2.可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

DearJim,

Iamsoexcitedthatyou'llcometoChinaandstaywithmeforhalfamonthduringthe summervacation.

Yours,

LiHua