As motorways become more and more blocked up with traffic, a new generation on flying cars will be needed to ferry people along skyways. That is the conclusion of engineers from the US space agency and aeronautical firms, who envision future commuters traveling by “skycar”.
These could look much like the concept skycar shown in the picture, designed by Boeing research and development. However, such vehicles could be some 25 years from appearing on the market. Efforts to build flying vehicles in the past have not been very successful. Such vehicles would not only be expensive and require the skills of a trained pilot to fly, but there are significant engineering challenges involved in developing them. “When you try to combine them you get the worst of both worlds: a very heavy, slow, expensive vehicle that’s hard to use,” said Mark Moore, head of the personal air vehicle(PAV) division of the vehicle systems program at Nasa’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, US. But Boeing is also considering how to police the airways and prevent total pandemonium(吵杂狂乱的喧闹)-if thousands of flying cars enter the skies.
“The neat, gee-whiz part is thinking about what the vehicle itself would look like,” said Dick Paul, a vice president with Phantom Works, Boeing’s research and development arm. “But we’re trying to think through all the consequences of what it would take to deploy(散开) a fleet of these.”
Past proposals to solve this problem have included artificial intelligence systems to prevent collisions between air traffic. Nasa is working on flying vehicles with the initial goal of transforming small plane travel. Small planes are generally costly, loud, and require months of training and lots of money to operate, making flying to work impractical for most people. But within five years, Nasa researchers hope to develop technology for a small plane that can fly out of regional airports, costs less than $100,000(£55,725), is as quiet as a motorcycle and as simple to operate as a car.
Although it would not have any road-driving capabilities, it would bring this form of travel within the grasp of a wider section of people. The new technology would automate many of the pilot’s functions. This Small Aircraft Transportation System(Sats) would divert pressure away from the “hub-and-spoke(中心辐射型)” model of air travel. Hub-and-spoke refers to the typically US model of passengers being processed through large “hub” airports and then on to secondary flights to “spoke” airports near their final destinations.
The best title for this text would be_______ .
A.Developing Skycars |
B.The Traffic Jams in the Sky |
C.How to Guide Flying Cars in the Sky |
D.What Flying Cars Will Look Like |
The underlined word “envision” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “ “.
A.imagine | B.expect | C.think | D.announce |
When engineers develop the skycars, they have to deal with the following difficulties except____ .
A.how to fly out of regional airports |
B.how to prevent the disorder of the airways |
C.how to reduce expenses and the vehicle’s weight |
D.how to fly the skycars to enter skies |
Now Nasa researchers’ aim is to .
A.make big flying cars |
B.work out the plan---how to transform small plane travel |
C.develop a new kind of small plane different from the traditional one |
D.build a new kind of small plane with road-driving abilities |
Finally, a cell phone
That’s… a phone
With rates as low as $3.75 per week !
“Well, I finally did it. I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone. My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help. But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind. The phones all have cameras, computers and a “global-positioning” something or other that’s supposed to spot me from space. Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids! The people at the store weren’t much help. They couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want a phone the size of a postage stamp. And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the contract (合同)lasted for two years! I’d almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone. Now, I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use. ”
Affordable plans that I can understand---and no contract to sign (签订)! Unlike other cell phones,Jitterbug has plans that make sense. Why should I pay for minutes I’m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan,I won’t find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone. Best of all, there is no contract to sign, so I’m not locked in for years at a time. The US-based customer service is second to none. And the phone gets service anywhere in the country.
Monthly Minutes |
50 |
100 |
Monthly Rate |
$14.99 |
$19.99 |
911 Access |
FREE |
FREE |
Long Distance Calls |
No additional charge |
No additional charge |
Friendly Return Policy |
30 days |
30 days |
Call now and receive a FREE gift when you order. Try Jitterbug for 30 days and if you don’t love it, just return it! Why wait, the Jitterbug comes ready to use right out of the box. If you aren’t as happy with it as I am, you can return it and get your money back. Call now, the Jitterbug product experts are ready to answer your questions.
Call 1-888-809-8794 or visit www.jitlerbugdirect. com.What made “I” finally think of getting a cell phone?
A.Being stuck by the highway. |
B.Being urged by his grandkids. |
C.Being persuaded by cell phone salespersons. |
D.Being attracted by the friendly return policy. |
On the monthly basis of 100 minutes, the Jitterbug weekly rate is about_______.
A.$3.75 | B.$4.99 | C.$14.99 | D.$19.99 |
An advantage of Jitterbug mentioned in the passage is _______.
A.its discount price with a free gift |
B.its reasonable rate plans without a contract |
C.its "global-positioning" system with 911 access |
D.its good customer service all over the world |
The main purpose of the passage is to _______.
A.tell a customer’s story of Jitterbug |
B.provide two ways to order Jitterbug |
C.give a brief introduction of Jitterbug |
D.attract potential customers to Jitterbug. |
Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
A.Controversial. | B.Ridiculous. | C.Boring. | D.Puzzling. |
Why was the author confused about the task?
A.He was unfamiliar with American history. |
B.He followed the advice and flipped a coin. |
C.He forgot his teacher’s instruction. |
D.He was new at the school. |
The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means _______.
A.annoyed | B.ashamed | C.ready | D.eager |
In the end, the author turned things around _______.
A.by redoing his task |
B.through his own efforts |
C.with the help of his grandfather |
D.under the guidance of his headmaster |
Babysitter(保姆) Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. This position also suits a college student with experience looking for a part-time job. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply to rebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. The office manager will be responsible for keeping financial (财务的) records, so he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics (基本要素) of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Duties include:
●Cleaning the washrooms
●Cleaning the furniture
●Sweeping the floors
●Other general cleaning experience is necessary. Pay: $15 per hour
Reply to:job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org or call 800-8197. Which of the following position is a full-time job?
A.Babysitter. | B.Office manager. |
C.Waiter / waitress. | D.Office cleaner. |
If a college girl with some experience caring for children wants to apply for a job, where should she send an email?
A.job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org |
B.job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org |
C.jim@californiaaquatics.com |
D.rebecharv@aol.com |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.The office cleaner has to work three hours each day. |
B.One can apply for a waiter or waitress by telephone. |
C.A babysitter earns $5 more than an office cleaner per hour. |
D.Experience is necessary for all these four jobs. |
Which of the following is necessary for a waiter / waitress?
A.Being familiar with computers. |
B.Having knowledge of wines. |
C.Knowing more about menus. |
D.Working well with others. |
I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry. I had never been late and didn’t want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However, it seemed that day wasn’t a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat. The moment I wanted to rush downstairs one of my stiletto heels (细高跟) broke. I had to return to change my red shoes. I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match with the shoes. I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident. I had no choice but to wait. I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem, but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients (客户) that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the office one hour later. I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future commercial (商业的) project. However, I left the plan I had made the night before at home and was going to present (介绍) it to the clients. I was about to get angry when I realized that I had a draft (草稿) of it in my office.
At last, the presentation came to an end and it turned out to be a success. But I have to say that I had a terrible day, full of incidents (事件).Which of the following is NOT the reason of the writer being late for her work?
A.She got up late in the morning. |
B.She changed her purse and other little things. |
C.One of her shoe heels broke. |
D.She had a traffic accident on the way to work. |
According to the passage, what could we learn about the writer?
A.Her boss was very angry with her. |
B.She often arrived at her office on time. |
C.She left her plan on the bus. |
D.She was nervous at the meeting. |
What did the clients think of the writer’s presentation (介绍)?
A.Dull. | B.Just so-so. | C.Excellent. | D.Terrible. |
According to the passage, which is the correct order of the following events?
a. She presented the plan to the clients.
b. One of her stiletto heels broke.
c. She arrived at the office.
d. She phoned her boss.
e. She tried to match her purse with her red shoes.
A.beacd | B.ebdca | C.dceab | D.Edcba |
Which old saying could be used to describe the writer’s incidents?
A.Failure is the mother of success. |
B.A good beginning makes a good ending. |
C.Where there is a will, there is a way. |
D.One trouble never comes alone. |
I was small for my age. I was shy and sometimes it was hard for me to make friends with the others. However, learning came fairly easy for me. I was the best in most of my classes, but PE class was my nightmare (恶梦) and made me feel that I was not as good as the others.
Miss Forsythe was our PE teacher. She was young and energetic. Everyone liked her. She said that we all had to come to her classes. No one could hide from Miss Forsythe!
One day she told me that she wanted me to play a game with another girl in a PE show. I was rather worried that I wouldn’t do a good job when she explained her idea, but she was excited. With her encouragement, I had no choice but to agree. It was a "boy meets girl" game. I played the boy and my classmate, Margaret Ann, played the girl. We were dressed in evening clothes and danced around the floor. According to Miss Forsythe, I had to pick up Margaret Ann when we finished the dance. Since I was not strong enough to pick the tallest girl up, it was she who picked me up. I suddenly felt ten feet tall!
It was a huge success and everybody applauded (鼓掌) for our excellent performance. What a wonderful ending! Afterwards, I smiled confidently (自信地).
Miss Forsythe’s understanding and willingness to create a place for me in her show (which certainly did not need me) gave me some much needed confidence. She was and always will be my favorite teacher.What do we know about Miss Forsythe?
A.She was good at dancing. |
B.She was a strict teacher. |
C.She liked to play games with the students after class. |
D.She taught students how to dance. |
How did the author feel about the game at first?
A.She was excited. | B.She thought it would be fun. |
C.She was disappointed. | D.She was nervous. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.Our PE Teacher—Miss Forsythe | B.My School Life |
C.A Forgettable Experience | D.A Game with My Classmate |