WASHINGTON---At least four more U.S. air-traffic controllers are caught nodding off on the job at three separate airports across the nation, the government said Wednesday.
The controller working alone in the tower fell asleep and was out of communication for 16 minutes while a medical flight carrying a patient was trying to land at about 2 A.M. Wednesday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The FAA announced that it is also investigating a controller who fell asleep Monday at Boeing King County International Airport in Seattle and two controllers who were unresponsive at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee on Feb.19.
“I am sick of this,” Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. “We can’t have a system where some of the people responsible for safety are asleep at the switch.”
As the incidents pile up, sleep experts say it demonstrates that the agency faces a systemic issue with the thousands of people expected to work through the night in safety-critical jobs. Scientific research shows that workers on midnight shifts make more errors because it is so difficult for the body to adapt to sleeping during the day, they say.
The agency will add an extra controller at the 27 towers staffed with one worker on the midnight shift, the FAA statement said.
Representative John Mica, the Florida Republican who chairs the House transportation committee, criticized the decision to add controllers. “Only in the federal government would you double up on workers, averaging $161,000 per year in salary and benefits, that aren’t doing their job,” Mica said in a statement. Mica has pushed legislation that would allow as many as 90 smaller airports to switch from federal to private controllers.
“People have known these problems with fatigue（疲劳）have existed for years,” said John Goglia, a Boston-based aviation safety consultant. “They’re now showing up. The FAA is admitting they exist. Now the FAA needs to work on it.”
The four controllers in Nevada, Seattle and Texas have been suspended(暂时停职) during the investigations, the FAA said.The underlined part “double up on workers” means “______”.
| A．add two more workers | B．staff two workers at a post |
| C．settle two workers in a double room | D．give the workers double pay |
According to John Goglia, fatigue problem ______.
| A．is a known potential danger | B．has never appeared before |
| C．is common for day-time shift workers | D．seldom shows up at night |
Which statement is true?
| A．A controller fell asleep without communication for 16 minutes in Knoxville, Tennessee. |
| B．A medical flight carrying a patient failed to land with the controller asleep. |
| C．Jay Rockefeller pays little attention to sleeping at the switch. |
| D．Mica refused to support the decision to staff more controllers on the midnight shift. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．All the controllers in the US were working alone while they were on duty |
| B．The incidents are rooted in fatigue problems and those on midnight shifts need an extra nap |
| C．In the U.S. , thousands of people expect to work through the night in safety-critical jobs |
| D．The agency has added an extra controller at the 27 towers |
The story of Madame Tussaud is as fascinating as that of the exhibition itself. From a housekeeper's daughter to a successful business woman, her life has all the marks of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Madam Tussaud was born in 1761 and named Marie Grosholtz. Her father was killed in battle only two months before Mane's birth. For the first five years of her life, Marie lived in Berne with her mother, who worked as housekeeper for Dr Philippe Curtius. A doctor, with a talent for wax modeling, Curtius became her teacher.
It was Curtius who opened the original wax exhibition in Paris in 1770 and introduced Marie to some famous people. At only 17, she modeled the famous writer Francois Voltaire, followed by a portrait of American statesman Benjamin Franklin when he was in Paris as US ambassador. Both figures are still on display at Madame Tussaud's, London today.
Her work at Curtius successful wax exhibition led to an invitation to the court of Louis XVI and his queen. For nine years she lived at the palace of Versailles guiding the artistic education of the king's sister. Meanwhile the French Revolution was about to erupt. Aware of the political nrest,Philippe Curtius called Marie back to Paris. Marie7 s connection with the royal family made her guilty. Both she and her mother were arrested. After she was set free, Marie was forced to make death masks (a death mask is a model of a dead person's face, made by coving their face with a soft substance and letting it become hard) of executed (被处决的) nobles. Many were former friends at court, including her former employers, the king and queen.
By 1800 Marie was married with two young children and a poor business inherited from Curtius. Madame Tussaud made the decision to take her exhibition on tour. In 1802, she left France. For the next 33 years, Madame Tussaud traveled the British Isles, exhibiting her growing collection of portraits. In those pre-television days, this was the only way most people had direct contact with the famous people of the time. The exhibition became permanently based in London in 1835, moving to its present site in Marylebone Road in 1884. Her last work, a remarkable self – portrait that is still on show, was completed only eight years before her death aged 89.The underlined part in Para. 1 implies that Madame Tussaud’s life was .
| A．complicated | B．successful | C．peaceful | D．lonely |
Marie got a job at that court of Louis XVI because of .
| A．Curtius’ recommendation | B．her gift for wax modeling |
| C．her mother’s help | D．her friendship with the king’s sister |
Marie was arrested during the French Revolution because .
| A．she had worked for Dr Philippe Curtius |
| B．she had modeled the French royal family |
| C．she had worked at the place of Versailles |
| D．she had refused to make death masks |
The last paragraph is mainly about .
| A．how Marie’s was modeling business became successful |
| B．how Marie balanced her family and work |
| C．the establishment of Madame Tussaud’s, London |
| D．the popularity of Madame Tussaud’s wax exhibition |
According toe the passage, how many of the following statements about Marie are TREU?
a. She hadn’t seen his father since she was born.
b. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
c. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
d. She guided the artistic education of the king’s daughter.
e. In 1842, she completed her last work.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
When you have a post-office box, the postman doesn’t bring letters to you, but you go to the post-office and get your letters and parcels from your box. The box is locked, only you have the key, so the letters and parcels are safe.
One day the headmaster of a school wrote to the post-office and asked for a post-office box for his school. He soon got an answer. It said, “We will give you a post-office box in one month.”
Three months later, the headmaster wrote to the post-office and said, “Why haven't we got a post-office box yet?”
This was the answer from the post-office:
“Dear sir,
We gave you a post-office box two months and wrote to you then to tell you. Here is the key to your box. You will find our letter to you in it.”When you have a post-office box, _____.
| A．it is easier for you to write letters | B．you will have more letters than parcels |
| C．you get your letters in front of your house | D．you got to the post-office to get your letters |
The word “key” in this passage means _____.
| A．邮件 | B．密码 | C．编号 | D．钥匙 |
The headmaster _____.
| A．wrote many letters to the post-office | B．didn’t like the postman |
| C．didn’t know how a post-office box worked | D．forgot to pay for the post-office box |
When the post-office said that you could get a post-office, he meant _____.
| A．you may go to the post-office to get your mails |
| B．you must wait to get the post-office box |
| C．you must write again to get the key |
| D．you must pay for the box before you got it |
Which of the following might not be true?
| A．If you want to get a post-office box, you must let the post-office know. |
| B．When you get a post-office box, you have to do the work of a postman. |
| C．You go to the post-office to get the key to your box. |
| D．After you get a post-office box, the post man will not send mails to your house. |
My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren’t too many tourists in October.
We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn’t understand the bus routes, and my wife didn’t like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick.
We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn’t have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn’t think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals.
In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I’m sure we’ll need them sometimes.The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _________.
| A．taxis were too expensive | B．they could go sightseeing on foot |
| C．the underground made the wife feel sick | D．all the above |
The couple had some difficulty in ________.
| A．booking in the hotel | B．finding the bus routes |
| C．going sightseeing on foot | D．having meals |
Generally speaking, the couple _________the trip to London.
| A．were satisfied with | B．disliked |
| C．were a bit unhappy about | D．regretted |
What did the couple think of English food?
| A．terrible | B．not bad | C．great | D．comfort |
Which of the following is NOT true about the couple?
| A．They thought English food was bad. | B．They will visit London again. |
| C．They visited London last October. | D．They didn’t take their umbrella last year. |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Good fellow
Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Good fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00. Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The Workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.
International Picnic（野餐）
Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Take Me out to the Ballgame
It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold …, don’t forget to wear sweaters and jackets.
Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo”?
“The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow night at 8 at Rose Hall, City College.If you get to the Museum Theatre at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, you can .
| A．enjoy the film: The Workers | B．enjoy the film: See Broken Window |
| C．enjoy interesting stories | D．enjoy the concert |
You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arabic food ______.
| A．at the front entrance of City Hall | B．at the ballgame |
| C．at 5:00 p.m. | D．at Central Park on Saturday |
If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget ______.
| A．your worries | B．your beautiful dog |
| C．your learning about local history | D．your comfortable shoes |
The Redbirds ballgame ______.
| A．is in the afternoon | B．is outside | C．is at the gate | D．might be cold |
“The Zoo” is ______.
| A．a park with lots of animals there | B．US concert |
| C．a music group | D．going to give the concert at 8 a.m. tomorrow |
Do you know how to play a game called “Musical Chairs”？It is easy to play and most people enjoy it. All you need are some chairs, some people and some way of making music. You may use a piano or any other musical instrument, if someone can play it. You may use a tape recorder. You can even use a radio.
Put the chairs in a row. The chairs may be put in twos, back to back. A better way is to have the chairs in one row with each chair facing in the opposite direction to the chair next to it.
The game is easy. When the music starts, the players walk round the chairs. Everyone goes in the same direction, of course, they should walk in time to the music. If the music is fast they should walk quickly. If the music is slow, they should walk slowly.
The person playing music cannot see the people in the game. When the music stops, the players try to sit on the chairs. If a person cannot find a chair to sit on, he drops out. Then, before the music starts again, one chair must be taken away. When the music stops again, one more player will be out.. At last, there will be two players and one chair. The one who sits on the chair when the music stops is the winner.If ten people are playing musical chairs，you must begin with _______.
| A．nine chairs | B．ten chairs | C．eleven chairs | D．one chair |
Which of the following is not suitable for playing musical chairs？ _______.
| A．A piano | B．A radio | C．A tape recorder | D．A telephone |
The chairs should be put _______.
| A．with the desks | B．before the winner | C．all over the room | D．in a line |
When the music starts，the players must _______.
| A．run about the room | B．get down |
| C．walk around the chairs | D．sit on the chairs |
Which of the following statements is NOT true？
| A．The game “Musical Chairs” is not difficult to learn. |
| B．The last one can sit on the last chair. |
| C．The winner can sit on the chair. |
| D．If the person plays music, he cannot be the winner. |