If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012. The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“It’s next ‘wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car-plane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you hold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport-you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Thrrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under the bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界的) conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000. But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, , a transponder or a GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option.” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _________.
| A．car-planes will be popular in 2012-4-6 |
| B．people might drive a car-plane in 2012 |
| C．both the Transition and Ferrari can take off and land |
| D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts |
It takes the car-plane one minute to _________.
| A．fold and unfold its wings | B．unfold wings for flying |
| C．land in the airport | D．meet flying safety regulations |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C. The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D. People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.
They sit by the door waiting for me. And while I may speak more about the narrowness of my very limited life than their real worth, just the fact that they're sitting there, waiting for me, makes me happy.
I speak, of course, of my wonderful, brilliant, intelligently designed, calf-high rubber boots. They are a piece of industrial genius（杰作）. They are real and vibrant（活力的），and make my life more worth living.
My rubber boots are real and they do not fail me. I slip them on over my socks at a moment's notice. They go on easily. My feet feel joyful like the wagging（摇摆）tail of a dog waiting for its walk. My feet know they are safe.
I step outside the house and nothing can stop me the late season snowstorm, the pool of standing water at the bottom of my doorsteps that will never give off, the mud and dirt this season brings. My feet are warm and dry and happy. And so am I.
My boots are modest. They make no promise they can't keep. I found them at one-third the price of the long boots I looked at longingly for years. Mine are American-made and inexpensive and unattractive and brown and solid. They are now three years old and still look new. I know I will have them forever. I will die with them on. They are homely and they are wonderful.
My rubber boots make me braver and kinder and more generous. Yes, I will get the mail. Yes, I will get the newspaper. Yes, I will walk the dog. Yes to the garbage. Yes. Yes. Yes. I have rubber boots, good strong rubber boots-and I am not afraid. We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．the writer has a small life circle |
| B．it must be very cold in winter where the writer lives |
| C．the writer enjoys the dog wagging its tail |
| D．the boots are designed by an industrial talent |
Which of the following is mentioned in the last two paragraphs?
| A．The writer is a postman by occupation. |
| B．The writer will wear the boots all his life. |
| C．The writer bought the boots out of curiosity. |
| D．The boots are good-looking, old and American made. |
Which is the right order of the writer's developing the passage?
a. He feels at home in the boots.
b. His feet feel safe.
c. They bring him happiness.
d. His life is meaningful.
e. He feels very fearless.
f. They warm his feet and keep wet out.
| A．a-c-b-e-d-f |
| B．c-d-e-f-b-a |
| C．a-c-b-f-d-e |
| D．c-d-b-f-a-e |
The writer writes the passage in order to __________.
| A．tell his daily life |
| B．advertise rubber boots |
| C．praise the objects ordinary but reliable |
| D．attach the importance to happiness and safety |
NSE Summer School is suitable for those who are at, or are about to start university. lt will begin accepting applications in January 2013.
Courses ： Accounting and Finance; Economics; Management; Law; International Relations; Government and Society
Dates ： Session （学习时间）1:7 July ~25 July Session 2 ： 28July~ 15 August
Rate ： Standard Rate ： One session: $ 1，400；Both session ： $2，400
Reduced Student Rate ： One session ： $ 1，100；Both session ： $1，875
The reduced student rate applies to （适用于）fulltime students registered at a university or college anywhere in the world. Accommodation is not included, and fees range from $ 500 ~ $ 1，000 for20 nights.
Applicant requirements ：
If you have studied in the USA then you do not need any additional English qualifications （资格）. Students from other countries will generally not require a visa （签证）to study at the Summer School; however, you will enter the USA as a "Student Visitor". You are permitted to change courses before the start of the program and within the first three days of the session.
Contact hours and teaching methods ：
Summer School courses are full-time and normally consist of 48contact hours over the three-week period, taking the form of 36hours of lectures and 12 hours of classes. Lectures, attended by all students, take place in either the morning or afternoon supplemented by small one-hour classes, of approximately 15 students.
Assessment and examinations ：
Assessment for Summer School is based upon the results of either two written examinations, or a final written examination and assessment work. Everyone is required to take the examinations and no exception can be made for any reason.
Summer School lecture series ：
Famous economists-Tony Godden and David Held-have agreed to give lectures to Summer School participants in July in 2013.
If any questions, please click here to see our Frequently Asked Questions/Contact Us Page. During the course，__________
| A．students can learn about everything from culture to science |
| B．students can choose not to attend the lectures they don't like |
| C．world-famous economists will give students lessons every day |
| D．all the students must take part in the exams without any excuse |
From the passage, we can learn that __________.
| A．the program is specially designed for foreign students |
| B．NSE Summer School 2013 is a university level program |
| C．students can change their courses whenever they want to |
| D．a visa is required to study at the NSE Summer School |
The purpose of the advertisement is to __________.
| A．attract students to NSE Summer School |
| B．introduce famous economists to students |
| C．help students to pass the final exams |
| D．advertise for new staff for university |
You will most probably find this passage __________.
| A．in a newspaper |
| B．in a guidebook |
| C．on a webpage |
| D．in a magazine |
My 14-year-old son, John, and I spotted （看到）the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It had beautiful tailoring and an unbelievable price：$28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John's eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.
John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a big grin . "Did the kids like your coat?" I asked. "They loved it，"he said.
Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less ar-gumentative, more thoughtful, and on the whole much happier. "Good dinner, mom，" he would say every evening. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove （火炉）. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said，"You're right. I guess I will. " When I mentioned this incident（事件，事情）to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.
John and I both know we should never mistake a person's clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside. What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?
| A．The coat looked like a magical coat. |
| B．They were good at shopping. |
| C．The coat was a real bargain（便宜货）. |
| D．They had the same taste in clothes. |
What does the underlined word "grin" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．A wide smile. |
| B．A worried look. |
| C．A jealous （嫉妒的）spirit. |
| D．A joking tone. |
After John wore the new coat, the author found he __________.
a. was happier and better-behaved
b. received more praise from his teachers
c. was willing to follow suggestions
d. made rapid progress in study
e. would say sweet words to please her
| A．a, b，c |
| B．a, c，e |
| C．b, d，e |
| D．c, d，e |
What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?
| A．We should not judge people by their appearance. |
| B．Life is full of possibilities when we are young. |
| C．It's beneficial to try different things in our lives. |
| D．What we wear could help shape who we are inside. |
A cat is recovering in California after surviving a 6，500-mile journey across the Pacific stowed inside a Chinese shipping container without food or water. Staff and volunteers have named it"Ni Hao"，which is Chinese for "hello".
It was discovered breathing shallowly after a two-week trip across the Pacific Ocean. The cat was seriously suffering from loss of water and starvation when the container was opened in California last week, but was said to be doing well after being sent to the Car-son Animal Care Center in Los Angeles. At first it was too weak to stand, but finally took its first step. Then it ate a good meal and slept soundly. The cat woke up Thursday morning, physically in a better condition than 24 hours ago.
"Ni Hao greeted the medical team with its first meow this morning and is attempting to stand，" said Marcia Mayeda, head of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. Aaron Reyes, director of the Department, added ： " We finally got to hear its voice. It sounds like a single-engine plane. "
Ni Hao is expected to be observed for 60 days but afterwards animal workers will look forward to providing it with a good shelter. "It's much better for it to recover in a home environment，" Mr Reyes said. "It's just like a human being in a hospital so we're ho-ping to move it. " He added ： " Little by little we're getting there. We're hoping that under the treatment and with rest, it'll be able to recover quickly. "
It was not immediately clear how the cat got into the container. The underlined word "stowed" in Paragraph 1 probably means "__________"
| A．packed |
| B．driven |
| C．raised |
| D．hidden |
The container to California started on its journey __________.
| A．60 days ago |
| B．one month ago |
| C．2 weeks ago |
| D．24 hours ago |
The cat is likely to be taken care of by __________ in the future.
| A．a medical team |
| B．animal workers |
| C．a caring family |
| D．an animal shelter |
Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be. Places of business that used to keep daytime" business hours" are now open late into the night. And on the Internet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant（不相关的）. A half century ago in the United States, most people experienced strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time. Today the boundaries still exist, but they seem not clear.
The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does. It used to keep the schools open in all seasons except summer; in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should become more "flexible"，is often debated. How should we, as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of time until we live in a world in which every minute is much like every other?
These are not easy questions even to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the" law of time" even when we meet it face to face. We know as children that we have to attend school a certain number of hours, a certain number of days, a certain number of years-but unless we meet the truant officer（学监），we may well think that we should go to school due to social custom and parents' demand rather than to the law. As adults we are familiar with" extra pay for overtime working"，but less familiar with the fact that what constitutes（构成）"overtime" is a matter of legal definition. When we turn the clock forward to start daylight-saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves： Here is the law in action? As we shall see, there is a lot of law that has great influence on how we organize and use time： compulsory education law, overtime law, and daylight-saving law-as well as law about Sunday closing, holidays, being late to work, time zones, and so on. Once we begin to look for it, we will have no trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess. By saying" Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be"，the writer means that __________.
| A．work time is equal to rest time |
| B．many people have a day off on Monday |
| C．it is hard for people to decide when to rest |
| D．the line between work time and rest time is unclear |
The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people __________.
| A．fail to make full use of their time |
| B．enjoy working overtime for extra pay |
| C．are unaware of the law of time |
| D．welcome flexible working hours |
According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they __________.
| A．need to acquire knowledge |
| B．have to obey their parents |
| C．need to find companions |
| D．have to observe the law |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Our life is governed by the law of time. |
| B．How to organize time is not worth debating. |
| C．New ways of using time change our society. |
| D．Our time schedule is decided by social customs. |