In 2022, authorities in Yunnan Province built the 268-meter Qingyun Ladder elevator to help the children of Nizhuhe village, which lies deep inside the Nizhu River Grand Canyon, reach their school without having to climb for hours.

The children used to make a long and dangerous climb to the Guanzhai Village Primary School. “Before, I had to carry my things and walk for three hours on mountain roads to get to school, and if I wasn’t careful, I could easily slip and fall,” one student said. Now the elevator built along a steep cliff takes them up in just a few minutes.

The Qingyun Ladder elevator was a huge achievement and made headlines at home and abroad when it opened. Yet it became too popular for its own good, as tourists crowded into the scenic area to ride it. It soon became clear that the elevator was too small to meet the demand, and people sometimes had to wait in line for hours, including the children.

Luckily, the waiting time has recently been cut in half thanks to the opening of a second elevator built right next to the first one. The new Fuyao Ladder elevator is faster and bigger than the first one. It stands 288 meters, or about 945 feet, above the canyon floor, making it one of the most amazing outdoor elevators in the world.

The children can ride the elevators free of charge. They still have to walk or take a bus to the elevators and ride a cable car afterwards, but they can now reach their school in about 30 minutes altogether. Thanks to the twin elevators, one of the most tiring and dangerous journeys to school has now become a short and safe one.

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1.1. Why was the Qingyun Ladder elevator originally built?

A To attract more tourists.

B To help children get to school.

C To carry farming products.

D To build a scenic spot.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。文章第一段第一句明确说，云南省政府修建268米高的青云梯，是为了帮助尼珠河村的孩子“reach their school without having to climb for hours”，即帮助孩子上学，不用再爬几个小时山路。与B项符合。A“吸引游客”是电梯后来走红带来的结果，不是建梯初衷；C“运农产品”和D“建景区”文中都没有作为建梯目的提到。故选B。

2.2. Why does the writer quote a student’s words in Paragraph 2?

A To show how the journey has changed.

B To show the children took a bus.

C To show why tourists visit the area.

D To show that the roads were repaired.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第二段先写过去“三个小时的艰难山路”，紧接着写Now the elevator … takes them up in just a few minutes，引语正夹在这组对比中间，作用就是让这个变化具体可信——由学生自己讲出过去怎么走、怎么容易滑倒。B项提到的“坐公交”是第五段写现在去电梯那一段路，引语里学生明明说walk for three hours，时间层被读混；C项游客为何来与孩子的上学路无关；D项全文没有任何“修路”的信息。故选A。

3.3. What does the underlined part “it became too popular for its own good” probably mean?

A It became famous for its safety.

B It was not popular with local children.

C It attracted more visitors than it could handle.

D It had to close for weeks for repairs.

解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。结合后文tourists crowded into the scenic area to ride it、the elevator was too small to meet the demand、people sometimes had to wait in line for hours可知，青云梯因太受欢迎而超出承载能力，反而造成排队等问题，所以too popular for its own good意为“太受欢迎反而带来麻烦”。A“因安全而闻名”文中无依据；B“不受当地孩子欢迎”与孩子可免费乘坐不符；D“只好关闭数周维修”文中没有说关闭，只说后来新建第二部电梯来缓解排队。故选C。

4.4. What did the second elevator change for the children?

A It made the trip quicker.

B It carried them to the classroom.

C It saved them a second trip.

D It reduced the queues.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。第四段明说第二部电梯带来的变化是the waiting time has recently been cut in half——缩短的是排队时间；而“三小时变30分钟”早在2022年第一部青云梯投用时就已经发生（第一段takes them up in just a few minutes、第五段in about 30 minutes altogether）。所以A把第一部的功劳记到了第二部头上；B、C与第五段they still have to walk or take a bus to the elevators and ride a cable car afterwards直接矛盾。故选D。