Much of European train is about efficiency and comfort --- leaving and arriving on time and having a comfortable seat. But the following European trains don’t necessarily offer the fastest journeys --- just the most memorable. Sweet Switzerland: The Chocolate Train
Route: Montreux to Broc, Switzerland
Time: 9 hours, 45 minutes, roundtrip
www.raileurope.com
This charming train, running in summer and fall, climbs from Montreux overlooking Lake Geneva to the old town of Gruyeres, population 1,600, home to the cheese of the same name. Tour the cheese factory and the local castle, have lunch, then reboard the train and continue on to Broc. There you’ll be bussed to the Cailler-Nestle chocolate factory, lying between Lake Gruyeres and mountains.
| Tunnels Galore: The Bernina Express
Route: Chur, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy
Time: 4 hours, 14 minutes
www.visitflam.com
This train takes on seven-percent inclines (斜坡), 55 tunnels, and 196 bridges --- reaching a height of 7,391 feet and then dropping to 5,905 feet before coming to a stop. It travels through the Alps south from Switzerland’s oldest town to an Italian town of just under 10,000 people.
| A Hotel on Wheels: Francisco de Goya
Route: Paris, France, to Madrid, Spain
Time: 13 hours, 30 minutes
www.elipsos.com
Leave Paris in the evening, enjoy a three-course dinner and the increasingly rural scenery, sleep with the rhythm of the rails, and wake the next day as you arrive in Madrid, rested and ready to tour the most populous (人口密集的) city in Europe. First class includes a welcome drink, good dinner, breakfast, and an in-room bathroom with shower.
| The Epic Journey: Trans-Siberian Railway
Route: Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia
Time: 19 days
www.trans-siberia.com
This route, a symbol of Russian culture, crosses eight time zones to connect the Russian capital with a port on the Pacific Ocean. On board, poor stay with rich, young with old, foreigners with locals. Social differences disappear as passengers share a unique rail experience.
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小题1:Travelling from Montreux to Broc on the Chocolate Train, you ____________. | A．will spend about five hours | | B．have to go in winter and spring | | C．will see a famous chocolate factory | | D．can have lunch on the train |
小题2:Which of the following websites offers more information about Francisco de Goya? | A．www.trans-siberia.com | B．www.visitflam.com | | C．www.raileurope.com | D．www.elipsos.com |
小题3:Which of the following trains can help you learn about Russian culture? | A．Trans-Siberian Railway. | B．The Chocolate Train. | | C．Francisco de Goya. | D．The Bernina Express. |
小题4:The passage is most probably taken from a _____________. | A．news report | B．book review | | C．travel magazine | D．geography textbook |
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