NASA might be famous for sending rockets up to space quickly. But it will be more famous for making your next holiday come more quickly.
The space agency is working on a new plane, which could solve the problems of supersonic(超音速的) flight and vastly increase the speed of journeys abroad. If successful, the plane would be able to fly between New York and London in just three hours. And it would reduce the time spent flying other journeys by a half, since it could be used more broadly. Until now, the problem with such planes has been the sonic boom(声爆), made famous by the original Concorde. That happens when a plane reaches supersonic speeds.
It is a thunderous noise that upsets people on the ground— disturbing animals and even causing physical problems to materials and houses underneath. It was that effect that led Congress to ban such planes from being used over the US land, a decision that in turn was responsible for Concorde’s failing to be commercially used.
In view of the problem, the space agency has developed a new technology and tried it out in wind tunnels, and now believes that it could be put to commercial use. That plane will fly as high as 55,000 feet—far higher than normal planes—and make a sound of only 60 decibels. That’s far less than 90 decibels thrown out by normal planes, and is roughly in line with a car on the motorway or a busy restaurant.
“As long as we can get endorsement from the general public, the plane will probably be something that’s acceptable,” said Peter Coen, project manager for NASA’s commercial supersonic research team, in a new Bloomberg report. “If we get approved, we will have the full-sized version of the plane tried out and the plane will be put into use.”
1.Why does the author mention Concorde?
A. To suggest the rapid development of planes.
B. To stress the negative effect of sonic booms.
C. To introduce how a commercial plane is designed.
D. To show Congress’ impor
tant role in making planes.
2.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A. The basic data of the new plane.
B. The working principle of the new plane.
C. The problems of the new plane.
D. The potential market of the new plane.
3.What does the underlined word “endorsement” in paragraph 5 mean?
A. Response
B. Commitment
C. Investment
D. Agreement
4.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To inform people of NASA’s new plane.
B. To prove the disadvantages of supersonic flight.
C. To explain why speed matters in supersonic flight.
D. To clarify some misunderstandings about commercial planes.
People are seeking for opportunities that will assist them in reaching their goals. Marketing yourself can be a good choice, which can help you achieve your goals. Though when people talk about marketing, they usually think that this is about producing a sale, it does not necessarily have to be.
If you are an employee then you want your boss to take your ideas, and if you are on a job hunting then you want to find a good position.
So in reality, marketing really leads to sale. So marketing yourself means you are simply “selling” yourself!
The common problem in marketing yourself is that most people think that it is unpleasant to market themselves. They think that marketing concerns only to a business. Of course, this is absolutely not true. People who want to attain the success they desire must promote themselves.
Marketing yourself is a useful tool. The better you market yourself, the more opportunities you will have. Marketing yourself does not really mean telling every person how beautiful and wonderful you are. It means letting your prospective employer know that you exist or you can do something better.
There are actually several different ways of marketing yourself. But there are only two primary ways that you carry out. The first is to find ways to reach out to others and the second is to construct ways in order for the people to find you and make connection with you.
To reach out and touch the lives of others, you have to be a good person and a good employee. In that way your good reputation will follow naturally. Have a brief and concise message that you can share with others. When you market yourself, you tell people who you are and what you can do for others. Plan well and practice your message.
In constructing ways for the people to notice and make connection with you, you must be open to them. Communication is a great opportunity to make an impact especially when you market yourself. You also communicate by what you are wearing. Know the appropriate dress code and have plenty of time to decide what you will wear. Just remember to make a great first impression!
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Marketing yourself is a business.
B. The subject of marketing yourself.
C. The ways of marketing yourself.
D. The problems of marketing yourself.
2.According to the passage, as to marketing themselves, most people tend to feel ______.
A. confident B. cheerful
C. terrible D. appropriate
3.In order to market yourself well, you can do these things EXCEPT ______.
A. be open to others B. praise yourself
C. wear appropriately D. have a brief and clear message
4.From the passage, we can infer that people good at marketing themselves must be______.
A. communicative B. humorous
C. hardworking D. beautiful
The story of Sir Nicholas Winton is the one that you would imagine could only happen on the silver screen. Sir Nicholas Winton was a British man who went to heroic efforts, potentially putting himself at risk, during World War II. Sir Winton was responsible for ensuring the safety of 669 Jewish children by aiding their escape from countries occupied by Nazis. Finally, the Jewish children were brought to England where he worked to make sure families in his native country would help the kids by taking them into their homes.
Recently, this unbelievable story has again been making the rounds on the Internet, particularly after a rerun of the BBC show called "That's Life", which featured Sir Winton. People around the world were moved at the details of the story, with saying it to be the best story they've ever seen.
Sir Winton kept his entire plan completely secret, even his wife had no idea about his planning until fifty years later. After the war, years passed and many people remained in the dark about Sir Winton's extraordinary achievement. Some fifty years later, his wife Greta was searching in their house and discovered a Winton's notebook which documented the names of all the children. She worked with BBC and they produced a TV episode(插曲) of their program "That's Life" that served as an honor for Sir Winton's work.
In 2003, Sir Winton was knighted by the Queen of England for his work. He also was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He also had a small planet named after him by Czech astronomers. Sir Winton died peacefully in his sleep at the old age of 106, in 2015. Leaders around the world paid tribute(悼念). Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Daniel Taub, said, "He was a hero of our time, having saved 669 Jewish children from Nazis. His story, as a point of light in a period of darkness, will forever be remembered."
1.What happened to the 669 Jewish children?
A. They were killed by Nazis.
B. They returned to their own homes.
C. They fled to their native countries.
D. They were raised by English families.
2.What made Winton's story spread widely?
A. People's chatting online.
B. The program "That's Life".
C. His wife's promotion.
D. Praises from some leaders.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined expression "remained in the dark" in Paragraph 3?
A. felt doubtful
B. remained moved
C. knew nothing
D. criticized something
4.What do we know about Winton?
A. He was born in 1909.
B. Nazis 
tried to arrest him.
C. He named a small planet.
D. Many children paid tribute to him.
Here are Important Travel Notices from United Airlines, March 20, 2016 7:12 AM. Information is updated as it is received.
1. Travel and the Zika virus
If you have a ticket for travel to a country affected by the Zika virus(as listed on the CDC website) and have concerns, please contact the United Customer Contact Center with any questions or changes to your reservation. Customers advised to avoid the affected regions based on CDC guidance may change their destination or travel date without a fee or may choose to receive a refund(退款) if their tickets were booked before February 29,2016. The new travel date must be within the validity of the ticket. Additional charges may apply if there is a difference in fare for the new travel route.
2. Longer lines at security checkpoints
Procedural changes at TSA checkpoints throughout the United States may result in longer lines at security checkpoints. Please plan accordingly and allow for extra time at the airport. The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for US travel and three hours before for international travel. To save time at security, we encourage you to visit www.tsa.gov.com and apply for TSA pre-check.
3. Notice for flight departing the European Union, Norway and Switzerland
EU Regulation 261/2004 requires airlines to provide the following notice: If you are not allowed to board or if your flight is canceled or delayed for at least two hours, ask at the check-in counter or boarding gate for the form, stating your rights, particularly about compensation assistance.
1.Travelers have to pay additional fees when they want to _____.
A. change their reservation
B. change travel date
C. receive their refund
D. change to a dearer route
2.What do we know from Notice 2?
A. Security check possibly takes time in the USA.
B. Security checkpoints are not available.
C. Security check wastes a long time.
D. Pre-check can easily be done online.
3.Compensation can be asked for when _____.
A. passengers refuse to board the plane
B. passengers trips canceled in advance
C. passengers' flight is delayed at least two hours
D. passengers miss their flight due to traffic jam
1.Carbon dioxide, water vapour and other gases make the earth’s a _______（大气层）.
2.Dinosaurs laid eggs and e_______(存在) on the earth for more than 140 million years.
3.The s______（长处）of the diet in Wang Peng’s restaurant was that it provided energy.
4.Write a short report about the two or three most I_______（印象深刻的）things during the trip across Canada.
5.Some scientists believe a comet c_______（坠落）into the earth long ago and caused the disappearance.
6.Don’t s_______________（凝视）at her like that, which may make her feel unhappy.
7.We should to apply t_______（）理论to practice.
8.The patient is s_______（稍微）better today.
9.A b_______（平衡的）diet can provide enough nutrition for your body.
10.These two countries had three r_____（宗教上的）wars in 20 years.
Li Daiyu and Liu Qian were on a trip to Canada. At 8 o’clock, their friend, Danny Lin, 1. (Wait) there when they appeared. On the way 2. the station, they chatted about the trip. “3.(go) eastward, you’ll pass mountains and millions of lakes and forests. Remember the fact 4. Canada is 5,500 kilometers from coast to coast. Vancouver, in Canada’s warmest part, is Canada’s most beautiful city, 5. (surround) by mountains.
Skiing in the Rocky Mountains and sailing in the harbour make it one of Canada’s most popular cities 6.(live) in. Its population is increasing 7. (rapid). Another city, Toronto, is the biggest and most 8. (wealth) city in Canada. They could see the misty cloud that rose from the great Niagara Falls in 9. distance. Montreal is a city with wonderful restaurants and clubs. Most of people speak both English and French. In a word,
Canada is a 10. (mix) of many cultures and races. Have a good time.”
