A Chinese consortium(联盟)led by China Railway Corp will participate in bidding for a highspeed railroad linking Singapore and Malaysia in 2018, marking another step in China's ambitious strategy to export its highspeed railway technologies to Southeast Asia.
The consortium, consisting of eight companies including CRRC, China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd, China Railway Signal and Communication Co and ExportImport Bank of China, covers the design, construction, telecommunication, financing, operating and maintenance(维护)sectors for the highspeed rail network.
A joint tender(招标)for the Kuala LumpurSingapore highspeed rail project was issued by the Malaysian and Singaporean governmentowned utilities(公用事业)—MyHSR Corp and SG HSR, on Dec 20.According to a joint statement released by the two companies, the potential bidder would be responsible for the design, construction, financing, operating and maintenance of rolling stock and railway systems for the doubletrack line with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.
The tender is open to all companies, regardless of their location. A tender briefing will be held in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 23, and proposals need to be submitted by June 29. Submissions will be evaluated based on technical merit(优点), commercial robustness,_financial sustainability and price. The preferred bidder will be selected by the end of next year. The governments of both countries signed a bilateral(双边的)agreement late in 2016 to begin the project. According to the agreement, the highspeed rail link is expected to become operational by Dec 31, 2026, and will cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes.
“The move indicates that China's Stateowned enterprises have stopped cruel competition to hurt each other，” said Du Chunbu, a professor of rail transportation at Beijing Jiaotong University. “Instead, they have started to form a consortium to better compete with companies from Japan, South Korea, Germany and Canada by bringing their specialties into play.”
本文属于新闻，主要讲述由中国铁路公司等八家公司组成的同盟将竞标马来西亚到新加坡的高铁项目，这也标志着中国公司不再是内部厮杀，开始走出国门向世界输出自己的技术。
1．What can we learn about the highspeed railroad?
A．It is expected to become operational in about five years.
B．It is designed at a speed of 350 kilometers every hour.
C．It is a singletrack line linking Singapore and Malaysia.
D．It will cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to one hour.
答案：B
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段According to a joint statement released by the two companies, the potential bidder would be responsible for the design, construction, financing, operating and maintenance of rolling stock and railway systems for the doubletrack line with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.可知，根据联合声明，中标者负责双向导轨铁路的设计、建设、集资以及所有机车的运营和维护，铁路设计时速为350千米每小时，故B切题。
2．The underlined word “robustness” in Para.4 probably means “the state of being ________”．
A．strong and unlikely to become weak
B．able to wait calmly for a long time or to accept difficulties
C．able to understand other people's feelings and problems
D．likely to develop into a particular type of thing in the future
答案：A
解析：词义猜测题。根据分析本句的technical merit(优点), commercial robustness, financial sustainability and price可知，这几个短语为并列关系，technical merit技术优势，financial sustainability and price金融的可持续性以及价格，这些都是竞标者报告中关于自己的经济技术情况，因而可以推测出commercial robustness 为商业稳健性，故A切题。
3．Why do eight Chinese companies join together to bid for the project?
A．To invest more money in the project.
B．To be able to finish the project ahead of time.
C．To avoid fierce competition to hurt each other.
D．To guarantee the quality of the highspeed rail project.
答案：C
解析：推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“The move indicates that China's Stateowned enterprises have stopped cruel competition to hurt each other”可知，这一举动标志中国国企停止因国内残酷竞争而伤及彼此的行为，故选C。
4．Which of the following can be the best title for the news report?
A．China to bid for Malaysia railway project
B．A Chinese consortium led by China Railway Corp
C．China to export its highspeed railway technologies to Southeast Asia
D．China to participate in building highspeed railroad linking Singapore and Malaysia
答案：A
解析：标题判断题。根据文章的第一段A Chinese consortium(联盟)led by China Railway Corp will participate in bidding for a highspeed railroad linking Singapore and Malaysia in 2018, marking another step in China's ambitious strategy to export its highspeed railway technologies to Southeast Asia.可知，本句为本文的中心句，讲述中国国企联合参与马来西亚到新加坡高铁的竞标，结果未知，故A切题。
