Stephanie Kirchner is a 33-year-old horse trainer and farm owner. She now leaves her car at home and uses real horse power to get to work. She rides a carriage(马车) pulled by two horses. She says she has little choice. Fuel(燃料) prices have increased following the war between Russia and Ukraine. She also expects the running of her farm to become more costly. So, she said, “we have to save a little money.”

Kirchner now uses the carriage to travel about 6 kilometers from her home in western Germany to work. That turns a one-way trip from 10-15 minutes to as much as an hour. But Kirchner estimates(估计) that she could save about $264 a month by not driving her car and using “horse power” every day.

The carriage and her horses are popular with children and other people. However, she does admit that some people are always in a hurry and can get annoyed if they cannot pass her fast enough.

Kirchner knows that her answer to rising fuel prices is not for everyone. And she does run into some difficulties. Parking, for example, can be hard to find for her horses and carriage. “I can’t put a horse in a parking garage,” she says. However, she adds that “a lot more horse riders would do it if opportunities were created for the horses.”

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1.Why does Stephanie Kirchner go to work by carriage?

A Because her car breaks down.

B Because she can’t afford the fuel.

C Because she wants to save money.

D Because she likes going green in life.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句可知，斯蒂芬妮·基什内尔驾马车上班是因为想节约一点钱。故选C。

2.What’s the disadvantage for Kirchner to travel by carriage?

A She has to take another road.

B She has to get traffic punishment.

C She has to spend more time on the road.

D She has to set out for work a little earlier. 

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第二段的“That turns a one-way trip from 10-15 minutes to as much as an hour.”可知，单程出行时间从10-15分钟变为1个小时。由此说明基什内尔驾马车出行得在路上花费更多时间。故选C。

3.Which word has the closest meaning to the underlined word “annoyed”?

A Angry.

B Excited.

C Frightened.

D Stressed.

解析：选A。A词义猜测题。根据上下文可知，有些人着急赶路，但基什内尔的马车挡道，由此推断如果他们不能快速超过她的马车，他们就会“恼火”，angry与之同义。故选A。

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to Kirchner?

A More and more horse riders will do as she does.

B Everyone is worried about the rising fuel prices.

C She has difficulty parking her horses and carriage.

D Her way to get to work will cause traffic problems.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据最后一段的“And she does run into some difficulties. Parking, for example, can be hard to find for her horse and carriage.”可知，基什内尔确实遇到了一些困难，如她的马和马车很难找到停车位。故选C。

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A The creation in life.

B Kirchner’s new “car”.

C Fuel problems in Germany.

D A traditional form of transportation.

解析：选B。B主旨大意题。根据全文内容可知，本文主要讲述了德国女子斯蒂芬妮·基什内尔因油价太高而驾马车上班的故事，文章围绕她的新“座驾”展开。故选B。