Boeing said Wednesday that it was entering the space tourism business, an announcement that could bolster（增強(qiáng)）the Obama administration’s efforts to transform the National Aeronautics and Space Administration into an agency that focuses less on building rockets and more on nurturing a commercial space industry.
The flights, which could begin as early as 2015, would most likely launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the International Space Station. The Obama administration has proposed turning over to private companies the business of taking NASA astronauts to orbit, and Boeing and Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas won an $18 million contract this year for preliminary (初步的)development and testing of a capsule that could carry seven passengers.
Current NASA plans call for four space station crew members to go up at a time, which would leave up to three seats available for space tourists. The flights would be the first to give nonprofessional astronauts the chance to go into orbit aboard a spacecraft launched from the United States. Seven earlier space tourists have made visits to the space station, riding in Russian Soyuz capsules.
“We’re ready now to start talking to possible customers,” said Eric C. Anderson, co-founder and chairman of Space Adventures, the space tourism company based in Virginia that would market the seats for Boeing.
Boeing and Space Adventures have not set a price, although Mr. Anderson said it would be competitive with the Soyuz flights, which Space Adventures arranged with the Russian Space Agency. Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, paid about $40 million for a Soyuz ride and an eight-day stay at the space station last year. But the possibilities that anyone buying a ticket will get to space on an American vehicle depend on discussions in Congress about the future of NASA.
【小題1】 Which of the following is most probably a private travel company?
A. Boeing.                     B. Space Adventure.
C. NASA.                       D. Russian Space Agency.
【小題2】 How many people can be carried along on a capsule to the space station?

A．3. B．4. C．7. D．11.
【小題3】 What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The American space tourism company is located in Virginia.
B．Russia has already taken lead in working on the space tourism business.
C．NASA has decided to focus less on building rockets because of the financial crisis.
D．In 2015, America would be the first country in the world to run the space tourism business.
【小題4】What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Taking NASA Astronauts to Orbit.B．Living in the Space Station Space.
C．Ticket Price under Discussion.D．Boeing Could Fly You to Orbit by 2015.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

American pilot Frank Webb first flew a glider at the age of 14, made his first flight alone on his 16th birthday and got his commercial pilot’s license(執(zhí)照)on his 18th birthday.

After serving in the US Navy for 20 years, being a Boeing flight instructor, and working with Alaska Airlines for more than three years, Webb signed a contract with Shenzhen Airlines last May to captain domestic routes in China. As an experienced pilot, he still feels the same nervousness as he felt on his first fight.

Captain Webb said that the “Sept. 11” incident did not have a direct influence on his decision to move to China to work. “Safety is in fact tighter in the United States and I am not worried about a terrorist attack,” he said. “The main reason I came to China was that my children will have a chance to see the world and experience international living.”

　　Webb has not experienced any in-flight emergencies(緊急情況) during his term in China although he said the weather here was generally more changeable than in the United States. “The weather changes tend to be great from north to south. We may be flying in a snow storm in Harbin, and then later that same day we may be flying through a tropical rain shower approaching Shenzhen,” Webb said.

While Webb had more flexibility(靈活性) to deal with the weather in the United States, he said air traffic control in China was more strict and allowed fewer deviations(偏離).

Speaking of planes often being late in China, Webb said that in America, being late was one of the few things that would get him in trouble. “In China, on the other hand, it seems there are many things that can get you in trouble with the boss, but being late is not one of them.” Webb does everything in his power to keep his flights on schedule.

“They provide really excellent service during flights. Western flight attendants just serve passengers. But the Chinese attendants will also check on the crew（機(jī)組人員）to see if we need anything,” Webb said.

Webb signed a contract with Shenzhen Airlines because _____.

A．he was afraid of the influence of  “Sept. 11”

B．he got a better pay there than in the US

C．he thought more for his children

D．he hoped to see the beautiful sights in China

The underlined word “glider” (in Paragraph 1) refers to “___    __”.

A．a(chǎn) type of plane      B．a(chǎn) type of car

C．a(chǎn) type of bike         D．a(chǎn) type of motor

The changeable weather in the flight Webb met in China _____.

A．made him excited   B．caused him frightened

C．a(chǎn)ffected his health   D．increased his difficulty

Webb is a pilot who _____.

A．has been tired of planes’ being late

B．has never had the experience of planes’ being late

C．is trying his best to keep his flights on time

D．finds it hard to understand China’s air traffic control

Webb’s words in the last paragraph show that he _____.

A．is not satisfied with Western flight attendants

B．thinks highly of the flight attendants in China

C．encourages Chinese flight attendants to improve services

D．a(chǎn)dmires the services of Western flight attendants

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆山東省高三第一學(xué)段檢測(cè)英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Japan’s All Nippon Airways, which has asked passengers to visit the toilet before boarding to help the environment, said Tuesday it will fit its jets with a women-only lavatory（廁所）.

ANA will introduce one female-only toilet per aircraft on international flights next month after a survey of women fliers identified(確認(rèn)) it was the second most attractive service they wished for after being offered desserts. The rest of the toilets onboard will be for men and women as usual.

“We received many comments that having a women-only lavatory would be a factor in differentiating our airline from others,” said an NAN spokesman.

“Many women said that they feel uncomfortable taking their time in the lavatory knowing that a male is waiting just behind them in line,” he said. The spokesman denied that the new service was introduced following complaints about men soiling(弄臟) the bathrooms, telling reporters: “Those opinions may exist, but we do not have that data on hand”.

Since 2006 ANA has pursued (開展) a one – month awareness campaign each year in which it asks fliers on 38 domestic flights and four international flights to visit the bathroom before boarding to reduce their body weight and therefore cut he plane’s carbon-dioxide emissions.

The airline is also planning to install “washlets” in it’s aircraft-electric toilet seats with water sprays for washing-a common sight in Japan and generally a source of amusement for first-time visitors and users.

The “washlets” will be installed in the Boeing777-300ER,due to begin operating in April, and the Boeing 787 fleet set to start flying this year.

1.          What is the most attractive service to women passengers according to a survey?

A．women passengers can visit the toilet before boarding.

B．women passengers can get some desserts onboard.

C．women passengers can visit the toilet on boards free of charge.

D．women passengers can use women- only lavatory onboard.

2.          ANA will fit its jets with a women-only bathroom in order to      .

A．cut the plan’s carbon-dioxide emissions and protect our environment

B．show equality between men and women

C．save much time for women passengers

D．make their airline better than other airlines

3.          We can infer the underlined word “domestic” in the fifth paragraph means    .

A．commercial

B．military

C．internal

D．economical

4.          According to the passage, which of the following statement is not true?

A．Female- only toilet can only be found on international flights.

B．Women will feel uncomfortable when they know a male is waiting at the toilet door.

C．The rest of the toilets on international flights will be for men only.

D．You will be curious about “washlets” when you first see it.

5.          What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Women and men are equal on ANA’s flights.

B．Women- only lavatories will be installed on ANA’s flights.

C．Visiting the bathroom before boarding to protect environment.

D．ANA has pursued a one- month awareness campaign.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年浙江省寧波市高三上學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

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（疲勞）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(暫時(shí)停職) during the investigations, the FAA said.

1.The underlined part “double up on workers” means “______”.

A．a(chǎn)dd two more workers

B．staff two workers at a post

C．settle two workers in a double room

D．give the workers double pay

2.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

3.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.

4.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

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011學(xué)年江蘇省高三三模前英語熱身題 題型：閱讀理解

Boeing said Wednesday that it was entering the space tourism business, an announcement that could bolster（增強(qiáng)）the Obama administration’s efforts to transform the National Aeronautics and Space Administration into an agency that focuses less on building rockets and more on nurturing a commercial space industry.

The flights, which could begin as early as 2015, would most likely launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the International Space Station. The Obama administration has proposed turning over to private companies the business of taking NASA astronauts to orbit, and Boeing and Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas won an $18 million contract this year for preliminary (初步的)development and testing of a capsule that could carry seven passengers.

Current NASA plans call for four space station crew members to go up at a time, which would leave up to three seats available for space tourists. The flights would be the first to give nonprofessional astronauts the chance to go into orbit aboard a spacecraft launched from the United States. Seven earlier space tourists have made visits to the space station, riding in Russian Soyuz capsules.

“We’re ready now to start talking to possible customers,” said Eric C. Anderson, co-founder and chairman of Space Adventures, the space tourism company based in Virginia that would market the seats for Boeing.

Boeing and Space Adventures have not set a price, although Mr. Anderson said it would be competitive with the Soyuz flights, which Space Adventures arranged with the Russian Space Agency. Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, paid about $40 million for a Soyuz ride and an eight-day stay at the space station last year. But the possibilities that anyone buying a ticket will get to space on an American vehicle depend on discussions in Congress about the future of NASA.

1. Which of the following is most probably a private travel company?

A. Boeing.                      B. Space Adventure.

C. NASA.                        D. Russian Space Agency.

2. How many people can be carried along on a capsule to the space station?

A. 3.           B. 4.           C. 7.           D. 11.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The American space tourism company is located in Virginia.

   B. Russia has already taken lead in working on the space tourism business.

   C. NASA has decided to focus less on building rockets because of the financial crisis.

D. In 2015, America would be the first country in the world to run the space tourism                   business.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Taking NASA Astronauts to Orbit. B. Living in the Space Station Space.

C. Ticket Price under Discussion.       D. Boeing Could Fly You to Orbit by 2015.

 

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