In the 1920s and 30s the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants to look after the passengers(乘客). Young men ,or “stewards” helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers’ luggage(行李)but they did not provide food or drinks. But then in 1930,a woman called Ellen Church invented the “stewardess”.

Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn’t want to work on a farm or marry a farmer —she wanted a more adventurous life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital but also took flying lessons and got her pilot’s license.

Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport. She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man’s world. Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot .But she had another idea. Most people were frightened of flying because. flying was still an unreliable(不可靠的) way to travel. There were often delays(延誤),many crashes and the bad weathers made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B.A.T. agreed.

The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses.

At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early “stewardesses” had to be under twenty-five-year-old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was a hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and earned ＄1 an hour.

In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, “stewardesses” have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past.

1.The underlined word “adventurous” means _____________.

A. 奇怪的?????? B. 平淡的????? C. 有趣的????? D. 冒險(xiǎn)的

2.The main reason for Boeing Air Transport offering Ellen the job was ________.

A. her flying experience????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. her university education

C. her nursing experience ????????????? ????????????? D. her life attitudes

3.According to the passage, in the 1940s a woman had to ________ if she wanted to be a stewardess.

A. be a nurse????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. be married????????????? ????????????? C. be a mother????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. be young

4.The passage mainly talks about _______.

A. the background of early flying pilots????????????? ?????????????

B. the experience of flying passengers

C. the history of early flight attendants????????????? ?????????????

D. the development of airplanes????????????? ?????????????

A passenger (乘客) told an air hostess (空姐) that he needed a cup of water to take medicine when the plane just took off. She told him that she would bring him the   16   soon.

Twenty minutes   17  , when the passenger’s ring for service sounded, the air hostess realized it at once. She was kept so busy that she   18   to bring him the water. Therefore, the passenger was held up (延遲) to take his medicine. She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he   19   it.

In the following hours on the flight,   20   time the air hostess passed the passenger, she would ask him with a smile   21   he needed help or not. But the passenger never   22   her words.

When he was going to get off the   23  , the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意見簿). She was very   24  . She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might make her   25   the job.   26   with a smile she handed it to him.

Off the plane, she   27   the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me if I needed help for twelve times   28  . How can I refuse   29   twelve sincere smiles?”

That’s right! It was the twelve smiles of the air hostess that touched (感動(dòng)) the passenger

  30   and of course she wouldn’t lose her job!

1. A. milk              B. juice            C. coffee               D. water

2.A. late           B. later            C. ago              D. after

3. A. remembered        B. forgot               C. wanted           D. learned

4.A. accepted           B. took             C. refused          D. received

5.A. some           B. either              C. another          D. each

6. A. why           B. when             C. whether              D. how

7. A. paid attention to     B. thought of           C. heard of             D. worried about

8.A. coach              B. bus             C. train                D. plane

9.A. happy          B. cheerful         C. sad              D. excited

10. A. lose         B. loses            C. losing               D. lost

11.A. And           B. So              C. Then             D. But

12. A. opened           B. closed               C. destroyed            D. hid

13. A. at all           B. in all               C. of all               D. all over

14.A. her              B. your             C. their                D. our

15. A. peacefully       B. comfortably      C. deeply               D. slowly                    

Here's an interview to a pilot about his life.

(R=Reporter; P= Pilot)

R: How much time do pilots actually spend flying a plane?

P: It varies (WES'J) from about 20 minutes on some domestic (區(qū)別) flights to as much as 18 hours on international flights. It all depends on if the flight is a short- or long-haul flight.

R: Do pilots take breaks during flights or do they fly the whole time?

P: Yes, we take breaks during long-haul flights. Airlines assign (指派) three or four pilots to long flights. We take turns flying the plane.

R: If pilots are traveling all the time, how do they deal with jet lag (時(shí)差)?

P: Jet lag is annoying for almost all pilots. I try to go to sleep as I would at home.

R: How important is it to know the weight and size of the plane you are flying?

P: It is very important. We weigh almost everything put into the airplane and make estimates (估計(jì)) according to the number of people on each flight.

R: Do pilots eat the airplane food?

P: Yes, we eat business class food! Airplane food changes every season and is very delicious if you don't hate eating lobster (龍蝦) every day! The pilots on the same plane are supposed to make different meal choices so that if one of the dishes causes food poisoning, only one of them will be sick. That way, at least one pilot will always be well enough to fly the plane!

1.The number of pilots depends on _.

A. how many hours a plane flies    B. what kind of planes they are

C. the airline companies assign     D. what the pilot likes

2.In order to know the weight of the airplane, the pilots must know_ __.

A. the weight of everything put into the plane

B. the number of people on the plane

C. the weight of the things and people on the plane

D. the importance of the weight

3.What's the Chinese meaning of the word "poisoning" in the passage?

   A. 中毒     B. 難吃      C. 缺少  D.浪費(fèi)

4. What does the pilot think of the airplane food?

A. Airplane food is more delicious than lobster.

B. The pilot suggests having airplane food instead of lobster.

C. The pilot doesn't like the airplane food at all.

D. Airplane food is as delicious as lobster.

5. What question doesn't the reporter ask in the interview?

A. How  to keep passengers safe?

B. How long do pilots actually spend flying a plane?

C. How to deal with jet lag?

D. How to take breaks during flying.

It's a Sunday morning. Jack and his father   36 on a big bus. There are   37 people on it. Some of   38  come from America and some    39   England and Canada. They are all friends. They are going to the Summer Palace（頤和園）. There are two   40   on the bus. One is a man. He is the driver. He   41   the bus.   42  is a young woman. She   43 good English. She is talking about the Summer Palace. All the passengers(乘客)are listening   44__Her. They like the Summer Palace. They want     45   it very much.

A passenger (乘客) told an air hostess (空姐) that he needed a cup of water to take medicine when the plane just took off. She told him that she would bring him the  46   soon.
Twenty minutes  47  , when the passenger’s ring for service sounded, the air hostess realized it at once. She was kept so busy that she  48   to bring him the water. Therefore, the passenger was held up (延遲) to take his medicine. She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he   49  it.
In the following hours on the flight,   50  time the air hostess passed the passenger, she would ask him with a smile   51   he needed help or not. But the passenger never   52   her words.
When he was going to get off the  53  , the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意見簿). She was very  54 . She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might make her  55   the job.  56  with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, she  57  the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me if I needed help for twelve times  58 . How can I refuse  59  twelve sincere smiles?”
That’s right! It was the twelve smiles of the air hostess that touched (感動(dòng)) the passenger
  60   and of course she wouldn’t lose her job!