2015年职称英语考试《综合类》阅读理解(3)
A Ride in a Cable-car
A ride in a cable-car is one of the exciting and enjoyable experiences a child can have.In Switzerland,which is the home of the cable-car,it is used mostly to take tourists up the slope of a mountain,to a restaurant from which one can have a bird-eye view of the surrounding country,or to a top of a ski-run,from which,in winter,skiers glide down the snow covered the slope on skis.In Singapore,however,the cable-car takes one from the summit of a hill on the main island to a low hill on Sentosa,a resort island just off the southern coast.
The cable-car is really a carriage which hangs from a strong steel cable suspended in the air.It moves along the cable with other cars on pulleys,the wheels of which are turned by electric motors.The cars are painted in eye-catching colours and spaced at regular intervals.Each car can seat up six persons.After the passengers have entered a car,they are locked in from outside by an attendant,they have no control over the movement of the car.
Before long,the passengers get a breath-taking view through the glass windows of the modern city,the bustling harbour,and the several islands off the coast.The car is suspended to a high in the air that slips on the sea look like small boats,and boats like toys.On a clear day,both the sky above and the sea below look beautifully blue.
In contrast to the fast-moving traffic on the ground,the cars in the air move in a leisurely manner,allowing passengers more than enough time to take in the scenery during the brief trip to the island of Sentosa.After a few hours on Sentosa,it will be time again to take a cable-car back to Mount Faber.The return journey is no less exciting than the outward trip.