The flight finally （) and no one survive

A、accident

B、defect

C、damage

D、defeat

ed with a fan-like toy that spun upwards and fell back to the earth as rotation ceased. Leonardo da Vinci conceived the first mechanical apparatus, called a "Helix", which could carry a man straight up, but this was only a design and was never tested.

The ancient dream was finally realized in 1940 when a Russian engineer piloted a strange looking craft of steel tubing with a rotating fan on top. It rose awkwardly and vertically into the air from a standing start, hovered a few feet above the ground, went sideways and backwards, and then settled back to the earth. That vehicle was called a helicopter.

Imaginations were fired. Men dreamed of going to work in their own personal helicopters. People anticipated that vertical flight transports would carry millions of passengers as do the airliners of today. Such fantastic expectations were not fulfilled. The helicopter has now become an extremely useful machine. It excels in military missions, carrying troops, guns and strategic instruments where other aircraft cannot go. Corporations use them as airborne offices, many metropolitan areas use them in police work, construction and logging companies employ them in various advantageous ways, engineers use them for site selection and surveying; and oil companies use them as the best way to make offshore and remote work stations accessible to crews and supplies. Any urgent mission to a hard-to-get-to place is a likely task for a helicopter. Among their other multitude of uses: deliver people across town, fly to and from airports, assist in rescue work, and aid in the search for missing or wanted persons.

According to the passage, people expect that______.

A．helicopters could eventually replace the airliners of today

B．their imaginations fired by the Russian engineer's invention would be realized in the future

C．their fantastic expectations about helicopters could be fulfilled by airliners of today

D．helicopters would someday be able to carry millions of people from place to place as airliners are now doing

The Development of the Modern Hot Air Balloon

The modern hot air balloon is constructed by suspending a wicker basket underneath a large bag of nylon fabric, known as an envelope. The wicker basket carries the balloon's pilot, any other passengers, and the propane tanks that provide the balloon with a source of fuel The propane tanks are connected by hose to a pair of burners, which are Located between the basket and the envelope. When the burners ignite, their heat passes through the balloon's skirt—a circular sheath of fire-resistant material at the mouth of the envelope—and finally into the envelope itself. Located at the top of the envelope is a parachute vent, a mechanism that allows the pilot to release hot air and increase the balloon's rate of descent when required. This is controlled by a parachute valve cord that extends through the balloon, and into the basket.

The use of hot air balloons can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history (220-280 AD). Huge Lang used these early incarnations, known as Congaing lanterns, as military signals. The first manned flight on record took place in France on October 15th, 1783. In a balloon constructed by Jacques-Etienne Mongolia, a Frenchman named Pitter de Rosier was elevated eighty feet off the ground. Modern hot air balloons, with their capacity to ascend or descend and occasionally 'steer' at the pilot's will, were first developed by Ed Yost in the 1950s. The Bristol Belle is generally regarded as the first modern hot air balloon, and had its inaugural flight in 1967. Since then, balloon technology has become extremely sophisticated. Some hot air balloons have reached altitudes of 21,000 meters, traveled over 7,500 kilometers, and reached speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour.

Hot-air balloonin8 is generally a safe activity, and serious accidents are rare. In the event that something does 8o wrong, several items of safety gear are useful to have on board. In case the pi to light and the auxiliary pies ignition fail, it is a good idea to have a welding torch flint sparker available for the pilot's use. Given the propane combustion used to propel the hot air balloon, a fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity. Flame-resistant gauntlets made out of either leather or name are required for the pilot so that a gas valve can be disabled even if an open flame is present. While name is a specially-manufactured synthetic form. of fire-retardant material, synthetic clothing is generally a hindrance to fire safety, and clothing made of natural fiber is a superior option for pilots. Final[y, a handling line—a long rope that can be thrown overboard—is a vital precautionary measure that allows people on the ground to steer the balloon away from trouble.

To ensure baton longevity and safety in operation, it is vital that hot air batowns be maintained and repaired while not in use. Keeping the envelope dean and dehumidified is an important step that prevents mould from forming on the fabric. This is especial[y important if the balloon has landed in a wet or muddy environment. The burner and rue[ system also requires regular maintenance. This can involve the replacement or repair of damaged hoses and any sticking or leaky valves. The wicker basket has skids on its bottom to help it gain traction upon landing; over time these are worn down, and will need to be replaced. International regutations stipulate that balloons must be given a full inspection every one hundred flight hours, or twelve months. This ensures that any problems can be rectified before they become hazardous.

Questions 1-5

Complete the diagram below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes ]-5 on your answer sheet.

(1)

Part B

Directions: In the following article, some sentences ]tare been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A—G to fit into each of the numbered blank, There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET I. (10 points)

On the ground floor of a five story building in Rome, Italy, a lead aproned man carefully places a 400-year-o. ld painting on a table. Then he steps back and flips the switch of a 50,000-volt X-ray machine. Nearby, another painting is being wheeled into a special oven. Elsewhere the buzz of a power saw is heard from behind a closed door. Two workers are cutting the back off a 500-year-old wood panel painting.

Such things happen every day at Rome' s Institute of Restoration. 41)____________In terms of an treasures, Italy is one of the richest countries in the world. Yet until 1939, when Italy' s government founded the Institute, the country" s museums had to hire private restorers for cleaning and repair jobs. Says Doctor Urbani, "Most of the restorers did not have proper training. They often did more harm than good."

No wonder they did harm. 42)____________.

43)____________. Sometimes they even changed the picture.

Any number of things can damage 'an art work. Smog eats away at stone and metal. Insects chew wood. Moisture causes wood and canvas to swell, shrink and finally rot. For one art show, a painting was flown from England to Rome. During the flight, the canvas shrank so much that the paint lost its grip and began peeling. When the box was opened in Rome, there was a halfbare painting——and a pile of tiny colored flakes.

Doctor Urbani remembers, "The painting was rushed to us. It looked hopeless. But we never give up on a case." After months of slow, careful work, every piece of paint had been puzzled back together and glued on a new canvas. The job was so well done that no damage could be seen.

When a painting arrives at the art hospital, it goes to the laboratory, where scientific work is done. Infrared and ultra- violet photographs are taken. 44)____________.Newer coats of paint stand out as dark spots against older coats of paint, if there seems to be a different picture beneath the one showing on the surface, the painting is finally X-rayed.

Paintings on wood are then carried into a boxcar sized room. 45)____________.For 24 hours, a deadly gas seeps into all the cracks in the wood to kill hidden bugs and their eggs. Paintings on torn canvas go to a room where new cloth hackings are glued and ironed on. Finally the paintings are ready to be given new life by one of the restorers.

[A] Instead of just touching up damaged spots, most early restorers painted over them with a heavy hand.

[B] Using these photographs and an analysis of the paint, it began removing dirt and old, yellowed varnish with cotton dipped in a special liquid.

[C] Headed by Doctor Giovanui Urbani, the men and women here work at keeping works of art in good health.

[D] These photographs make it possible to see through the thin top coats of paint to find out if the painting has been touched up or painted over in the past.

[E] They often cleaned paintings with strong black soap, or scrubbed them with raw onions and green apples.

[F] Tile door is sealed shut.

[G] After cleaning, they began the job of filling in the spots where paint was missing.

41.____________

flights and one space walk. But he recalls with special fondness a decidedly earthbound experience in the summer of 1980, when he participated in the NASA-AS-EE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Voss, then a science teacher at West Point, was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center's propulsion lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump seal on the space shuttle was working so well when previous seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast complexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seals could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.

"I worked a bit with NASA engineers," says Voss, "but I did it mostly by analysis. I used a handheld calculator, not a computer, to do a thermodynamic analysis. "At the end of the summer, he, like the other NASA-ASEE fellows working at Marshall, summarized his findings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss because the ASEE program gave him added understanding of NASA, deepened his desire to fly in space, and intensified his application for astronaut status.

It was not an easy process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he reapplied repeatedly, and was finally accepted in 1987. Since then he has participated in three space missions. The 50-year-old Army officer, who lives in Houston, is now in training for a four-month mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000.

Voss says the ASEE program is wonderful for all involved. "It brings in people from the academic world and gives NASA a special property for a particular period of time. It brings some fresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA, and establishes link with our colleges and universities," Voss explains. "There's an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important."

For the academic side, Voss says, the ASEE program also "brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on real-world problems and take it back to the classroom. "

Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle？

A．Because previous seals all failed.

B．Because it was very complex in running the space program.

C．Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing.

D．Because any crack in the seals would cause disastrous results for the astronauts.

t for two and then went to select seats on the airline's site. Based on thedestination and time of year, I was surprised to find only two adjacent seats were available without paying apremium (额外费用). But I was even more surprised a few weeks later, when we boarded the aircraft and a flightattendant announced that only 30% of seats were occupied, so we should all feel free to stretch out. So how could a flight that looked nearly full a month earlier wind up with seven out of ten seats empty？ That's a question only the airlines can answer, and they're not eager to provide many details. Are some carriers intentionally holding back seat assignments, in the hope we'll all pay for "premium" seats？ It's a fair question, and the evidence is intriguing. Behind the screen indeed An awful lot goes on behind airline and travel booking screens, and much of it is strictly off-limits toconsumers. What we do know is that for decades now airlines have become masters of what the industry calls yieldmanagement, offering millions of combinations of fares based on advance purchase patterns and other bookingtrends, so nearly everyone pays a different price based on when they buy. But now that paying extra for your seatselection has become common practice, securing your reservation is just half the battle. Some industry experts have connected the dots. "They're trying to get people to buy premium seats," saysGeorge Hobica, USATODAY.com's Fly Guy columnist and the founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. "They want toincrease revenue. And we're getting more complaints about it. "He notes that it "really annoys" passengers whowant to sit together, particularly when traveling with small children. He's echoed by Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition(联盟) : "With yield management, consumers are aware and they know that airlines are constantly changing prices on seats. But if this is true, it isunethical--they're grossly misleading us. The thing that I find so offensive is conveying to me that I have nooptions, but if I wait a week or two then I do have options. " According to the airlines, the reason for ancillary (附加的) revenue is unbundling (分类计价) ticket prices, sopassengers who desire a given service-say checking a bag or ordering a soft drink-pay for it; while those whodon't are spared the cost. But as Mitchell notes, "There's another twist to this. The airlines are saying fees are for'optional services.' Well, seats aren't optional! " Of course, securing a good seat isn't an issue if you're in first class or you're an elite member of a frequentflyer program. But what about the rest of us？ As I've pointed out repeatedly in recent columns, we're faced withrecord-high load factors, the highest for the U.S. airline industry since World War II. But even with the averagepercentage of occupied seats for domestic flights at 82.7%, it's still an average-some flights will be fuller butothers will not, particularly weeks in advance. Yet searching for seats keeps getting harder and harder. Seats for sale Hobica cites the major airlines as the prime culprits (起因), but he also notes even low-cost carders can makesecuring seats difficult. On the flip side, he credits JetBlue and Virgin America for providing customers with clearpolicies. And then there is British Airways, which allows passengers in economy and business classes to selectseats only 24 hours in advance. I asked an airline representative if seeing fewer free seats is a trend, and theresponse was: "That's going to vary because there are so many variables. " I decided to check on seat availability at Delta.com. I inquired about economy-class availability for two seatson a busy route-Atlanta to Chicago--and conducted an apples-to-apples search for the same morning departureseven days in advance, and again 14 days in advance. For the flight one week out, a total of only eight seats wereavailable, one preferred and seven standard, but only one set of two seats together. For the flight two weeks out, atotal of 29 seats were available, consisting of 20 preferred and only nine standard, and still with only one settogether. Remarkable how even twice the booking time still produced so few "free" seats, separately or together,yet there were plenty of seats that could be bought for the right price. I contacted Delta and a spokesman said the price for preferred economy varies "depending on a number ofdifferent factors," so customers need to compare the costs on a flight-by-flight basis. The preferred seats arereserved primarily for Medallion (大勋章) members, and become available without additional charge 24 hoursprior to departure. When asked if Delta has received complaints about a dearth of free seats, he stated, "Overall, our seat program has been received very well." But my findings dovetailed (吻合) with recent complaints filed with Airfarewatchdog: ·When (my husband) tried to get a seat assignment on the first flight there was just one "complimentary(免费的) seat" (near the back in the middle) available.., the other available seats had to be purchased for$69. On the connecting flight there were no "complimentary seats" at all! Is this legal？ He bought andpaid for a ticket on these flights and now he is supposed to "buy" a seat! · (After) paying for the flight, a message popped up and said that I could only get a seat assignment when Ichecked in. In order to get a confirmed seat, I had to pay $129 extra! Unless I pay, without a confirmedseat, I am the first one to be bumped from the flight if they are overbooked. How do they get away withthis？ · Does checking in online at the 24-hour mark before the flight give me a number in line or let me selectseats then？ Or do we all rush the gate with our boarding passes (and no seat assignment) in order to getthe seat assignment？ How to respond？ So what can you do？ It's a tough proposition. Usually I would offer strategies for countering such airlineinitiatives, but in this case the options are limited. That's why some believe the U.S. Department of Transportationshould investigate these practices. As Mitchell says, "The airlines are holding all the cards with this one. There is a sore need for transparency on this. When people are confused, they make bad decisions. " That said, consider the following: · When budget your airfares, make sure you consider not just baggage fees but the added cost of seatselection-for all travelers and in both directions. · If possible, book early, when there should be more seats available, and check in early too. Why .thequalifier "should"？ Because if availability is artificially manipulated, it's hard to be certain. · Book airlines that offer more transparent seat-selection policies. Of course, this is not an issue withSouthwest and other carriers that offer "open seating" policies. · Finally, the last resort is what Hobica calls "horse trading": negotiating seat swaps with other passengers.But this has become a risky and undesirable option with flights so full, overhead bins (行李仓) so crammedand fellow passengers who may have paid for premium seats in advance. The author was even more surprised when_________ A) he couldn't find two adjacent seats when booking a flight B) he had to pay a premium to get two adjacent seats C) he found that more than half of the seats were empty D) he could not stretch out on the plane

A.Area controllers

B.flight engineer

C.Airport controllers

D.Captain

A.The man will take a flight

B.The man will leave at once

C.The flight will leave at 2:30

D.The flight will be late

If someone ask for your flight nember,you will answer as ()

A.International flight

B.Domestic flight

C.Beijing flight

D.CZ367