Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays.
They found eleven major problems and suggested eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don't talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers.
Also, more planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays.
The airport in San Francisco is a good example. It is growing fast. Many people go through San Francisco to get to other places around the world. Ron Wilson of the San Francisco International Airport says, “If you've got 18 flights that all want to take off at 8：00 am and you're on the 18th plane in line, you're going to be 40 minutes late.”
Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays.
The first thing the FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on things that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays.
The FAA knows that their solutions will not solve the problems with airport delays. But, they hope to make things better. There are just too many planes, too few traffic controllers, and not enough new technology.FAA found that some of the delay problems are caused by ________ between two regions.
| A．different languages |
| B．technical misunderstanding |
| C．misunderstanding of the rules |
| D．lack of communication |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for airline delays?
| A．A growing number of flights. |
| B．Bad weather. |
| C．A growing population. |
| D．Lack of new technology. |
From the passage we can infer that ________.
| A．FAA is a national center which controls all the flight matters |
| B．FAA has taken control to solve airport delays |
| C．in San Francisco, each plane will delay about 40 minutes |
| D．safety rules during bad weather may cause more delays |
Which of the statements best gives the idea of the passage?
| A．FAA should make decisions to stop airport delays. |
| B．Airport delays are on the rise. |
| C．Travel problems cost billions in lost work time. |
| D．FAA has taken control of air traffic nationwide. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students to begin at an earlier age. Robby insisted that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him on as a student.
Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions. But he just did not have any inborn ability.
I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else.
I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career. However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came，telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part in. I agreed, but I made him perform last in the program, so I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.
I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart’s. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart’s played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering.
I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that, Robby! How could you do it?”
“Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could.”
That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life.
36. Why did Robby stop coming to piano lessons suddenly?
A. He lost heart and believed that he would never make it.
B. His mother might had been seriously ill.
C. He thought that his teacher disliked him.
D. His mother died and he didn’t need to play any longer.
37. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. the writer thought that students shouldn’t begin playing the piano too early
B. the writer thought that Robby had given up his piano lessons
C. only by practicing at home did Robby learn to play well
D. no one else could play the piece of Mozart’s as well as Robby
38. The writer made Robby perform last because ______.
A. the one who performs last always performs very well
B. Robby asked the writer to do so
C. she wanted to do something to save a poor performance
D. Robby thought his mother would come at last
Arnold followed Eugie down the slope, stealing, as his brother did, from one stock of wheat to another. Eugie paused before climbing through the wire fence that divided the Wheatfield from the marshy pasture （牧场）around the lake. They were screened from the ducks by the trees along the lake’s edge.
“If you hit your duck, you want me to go in after it?” Eugie said.
“If you want.” Amold said.
Eugie lowered his eyelids, “You’d drown before you got it, the legs of yours are so weak.” he said contemptuously（轻蔑地）.
He shoveled the tub under the fence and, pressing down the center wire, climbed through into the pasture.
Arnold pressed down the bottom wire, pushed a leg through and leaned forward to bring the other leg after. His rifle caught on the wire and he pulled at it. The air was rocked by the sound of the shot. Feeling foolish, he lifted his face, uncovering it to an expected shower of derision （嘲弄）from his brother. But Eugie did not turn around. Instead, from his crouching position, he fell into his knees and then fell forward onto hi
s face. The ducks rose up crying from the lake, cleared the mountain background and beat away northward across the pale sky.
Arnold squatted beside his brother. Eugie seemed to be climbing the earth, as if the earth ran up and down, and when he found he couldn’t scale it he lay still.
“Eugie?”
Then Arnold saw it, under the rolling hair at the back of the need — a slow rising of bight blood. It had an unpleasant movement, like that of a parasite（寄生虫）.
“Hey, Eugie, ” he said again.
He was feeling the same discomfort he had felt when he had watched Eugie sleeping; his brother didn’t know that he was lying face down in the pasture.
Again he said, “Hey, Eugie,” an anxious push in his voice. But Eugie was as still as the morning about them.
72．What does the underlined word “screened” in Para 1 probably mean?
A．Separated. B．Stopped. C．Dragged. D．Hidden.
73．According to the passage, we know that .
A．Eugie always laughed at Arnold
B．Eugie would help Arnold hit the ducks
C．Arnold begged Eugie to go in after the ducks
D．Eugie was worried that Arnold might drown
74．Why did Eugie lie still?
A．Arnold shot him intentionally. B．Arnold killed him accidentally.
C．He pretended to be unconscious. D．He was ready to shoot some ducks.
75．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．the relationship between Arnold and Euie was not so good
B．Arnold followed Eugie approaching the lake to steal ducks
C．they were crouching forward to steal the wheat
D．Eugie was always
taking care of Arnold
Vancouver ended its time hosting the 2010 Olympic games on a light-hearted note, with a closing ceremony that featured floating moose, dancing Mounties and gigantic cut-out hockey players wearing the gold medals Team Canada had won hours before.
The upbeat ending was in stark contrast to the grim beginning of these games, which were marred by protests, the death of a Georgian luger, and then by unseasonably warm weather that left organizers postponing events and trucking in snow on Cypress Mountain.
``You took on a stubborn mountain with all your might,'' said Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong, lauding the games' blue-garbed staff in a speech during the ceremony. ``The final result: Blue Jackets 1; Cypress Mountain weather zero.''
During the closing ceremony, Vancouver passed the baton to Sochi, Russia, which will host the 2014 winter games.
68. Which one didn’t happen at the beginning of games?
A. snow once was a big problem for the events. B. a Georgian coach died
C.weather became warm out of season. D. something unharmonious happened.
69. According to Furlong’s speech, we can infer that _________.
A.you made every effort to climb up the mountain
B.Cypress Mountain is quite stubborn. C.mountain weather was up to zero cold.
D.to some degree, blue-grabed staff are supernatural.
70. What happened at the closing ceremony?
A.Team Canada won the first place in hockey. B.A handover ceremony ocurred.
C.Furlong announced the final result in the last event.
D.Some staff trucked snow to the scene.
71. The best title is ______________.
A.Vancouver Ends 2010 Games With A Smile B.Team Canada Achieved A Great Success.
C.A Splendid Closing Ceremony D.The Wonderful 2010 Winter Games
Anti-bird flu contingency (意外事故) measures, including a proposal to separate poultry from humans and a series oftraffic and logistics (后勤) measures will be discussed at the Legislative Council's Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Pane
l meeting next month. Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Dr York Chow says the contingency plan would come into force if an outbreak occurred near Hong Kong.
Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Dr Chow said the separation of poultry from humans policy, which will be determined after a decision whether to set up a central slaughtering (屠宰) house or several regional ones,would be based on thedemand for live chickens.
He pointed out that at present therewere 30,000 live chickens imported from the Mainland and 30,000 supplied locally. If this demand persisted, therewould beno central slaughtering house or wholesale point that could handle such an amount and regional slaughtering housescouldbe the choice.
He added that building of regional slaughtering houses took time, but stressed the need to study the views of the public and the sector before a final decisionwas made.
Regarding avian flu vaccination (种痘) for humans, Dr Chow said itwas still being developed.He added that it may not be reliable in the case of an outbreak as records show vaccination can only offer 5% protection against a virus.
He said Hong Kong had more experience and expertise than neighbouring territories in the fight against viral outbreaks, andwas willing to offer them help.He addedtherewas no “boundary” for infectious diseases and close cooperation among different countries had to be maintained to fight against a possible outbreak.
64. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.
A. the government is planning to take strong action to fight against bird flu
B. an outbreak which happened near Hong Kong made people very frightened
C. anti-bird flu contingency measures will come into use next month
D. Dr York Chow will organize a meeting to discuss the contingency plan
65. According to the passage, the best way to fight against bird flu is to ______.
A. separate poultry from humans B. set up a central slaughtering house
C. set up several regional slaughtering houses D. get avian flu vaccination
66. When the final decision will be made mainly depends on ______.
A. the demand for live chickens
B. the views of the public
C. the advice from experts
D. the time when regional slaughtering houses will be finished
67. Which of the following statements isn’t Dr York Chow’s opinion?
A. Hong Kong is better at dealing with viral outbreaks than its neighbours.
B. Infectious diseases could happen in any country.
C. Other territories should ask Hong Kong for help because it has more experience.
D. Cooperation is quite necessary when danger is coming.
Pocket Tape-Recorders "Family and Home Magazine" test what's on the market now.
1. Pearlcorder S702 $ 64
This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn't turn off automatically.
Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 240g.
2. Sony M9 $ 49. 95
Small and very good looking. Sony's latest offering scored most for appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. Doesn't switch off automatically but a red light shows if the machine is still running.
Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 195g.
3. Sony M400 $115
Lots of little control buttons that make a noise and are difficult to use. Recording was good but machine noise lost points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful.
Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g.
4. Imperial OEM. MC 7 $ 29. 95
Cheap and simple compared with the res
t, but recording was good as long as there was no background noise. Use only its own make of cassette. No light to show it is on, no fast forward button and the record button makes a loud noise.
Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g.
5. Philips 585 $ 80
Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light.
Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g.
60. The machine that produces the best recording with the least unwanted noise is the ______.
A. Pearlcorder S702 B. Sony M9 C. Sony M400 D. Imperial OEM MC7
61. If you want a machine which turns off automatically and weighs very little you should choose the ______.
A. Pearlcorder S702 B. Sony M9 C. Sony M400 D. Philips 585
62. Which machine is unsuitable for general use?
A. Pearlcorder S702. B. Imperial OEM MC7. C. Sony M400. D. Philips 585.
63. What disadvantage does only the Imperial OEM MC7 have?
A. No light shows when it is on. B. It's is easy to operate and inexpensive as well.
C. It requires a special cassette. D. The record button makes a noise.