Last week, two companies, Kitty Hawk and Uber, announced their plans to bring flying cars to reality very soon.
Imagine never having to worry about traffic, stop lights, or road construction. A flying car would get to a place much faster than one travelling by road. On the other hand, imagine having to avoid drones (无人驾驶飞机) and other flying cars. Also, what if your battery dies when you are in the air? And, how will you know where to land?
Kitty Hawk is a start-up tech company supported by Google co-founder, Larry Page. According to the Kitty Hawk website, its car will be able to travel at speeds up to 40 kilometers an hour in the air. It says under US aviation law such a machine “does not require registration or a pilot’s license and may be flown in uncongested (不拥挤的) areas for recreational purposes.” As of now, the car can only be flown over fresh water.
Kitty Hawk is making a list of people interested in buying the flying car. They must pay a deposit of US$100. Those who get their names on the list early will receive US$2, 000 off the final cost of the car. However, Kitty Hawk has not yet announced the price. Kitty Hawk expects its first flying cars will go on sale by the end of this year.
At a conference last week, Uber announced plans for flying taxis to begin carrying passengers. Unlike the Kitty Hawk company, Uber does not plan to build its flying cars. Instead, it will use the resources of partner companies.
Like the Kitty Hawk car, Uber flying taxis will use electric power. Uber says its flying taxis could travel up to 241 kilometers an hour. The company said that could reduce the travel time between San Francisco and San Jose, California from two hours on the road to 15 minutes in the air.
Riders could use the Uber app to book a flying taxi to take them to their destinations. The company has not yet said how costly air taxi travel would be compared to road taxi travel.
1.What could the main problems for flying cars be?
A. There is not enough space for them to land.
B. Sky transportation would cause more traffic jams.
C. They may hit other flying cars or have a dead battery in the sky.
D. They travel much more slowly than travelling by road.
2.According to the passage, the pilots of flying cars ____________.
A. must be professional pilots B. are not required to have a pilot’s license
C. are required to fly in crowded space D. are not only allowed to fly in urgent situations
3.What is Kitty Hawk doing to attract customers?
A. Reducing the price for all customers.
B. Giving rewards to those visiting its website.
C. Advertising its first flying cars on public media.
D. Offering a discount to those paying a deposit early.
4.What is the difference between Uber and Kitty Hawk in the flying car market?
A. Uber’s flying taxis will use electric power.
B. Uber intends to build its flying cars to fly very fast.
C. Uber prefers to use the resources of partners rather than build its flying cars.
D. The trips made by Uber’s flying taxis are much cheaper than road taxis.
There is no denying that some people live to be older than others. Followed are the standard explanations: keeping a moderate diet, engaging in regular exercise, etc. But what effect does your personality have on your longevity (长寿）？ Are there any kinds of personalities contributing to longer lives? A new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at these questions by examining the personality characteristics of 246 children of people who had lived to be at least 100.
According to the study, those who live the longest are more outgoing, more active and less neurotic(神经质的）than other people. Long-living women are also more likely to be sympathetic and cooperative than women with a normal life span. These findings are in agreement with what you would expect from the evolutionary theory: those who like to make friends and help others can gather enough resources to make it through tough times.
Interestingly, however, other characteristics that you might consider advantageous had no impact on whether study participants were likely to live longer. Those who were more self-disciplined, for instance, were no more likely to live to be very old. Also, being open to new ideas had no relationship to long life, which might explain all those bad-tempered old people who are fixed in their ways.
Whether you can successfully change your personality as an adult is the subject of a longstanding psychological debate. But the new paper suggests that if you want long life, you should strive to be as outgoing as possible.
Unfortunately, another recent study shows that your mother's personality may also help determine your longevity. That study looked at nearly 28, 000 Norwegian mothers and found that those moms who were more anxious, depressed and angry were more likely to feed their kids unhealthy diets. Patterns of childhood eating can be hard to break when we're adults, which may mean that kids of depressed moms end up dying younger.
Personality isn't destiny, and everyone knows that individuals can learn to change. But both studies show that long life isn't just a matter of your physical health but of your mental health.
1.The purpose of the study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is .
A. to see whether people’s personality affects their life span
B. to find out if one’s lifestyle has any effect on their health
C. to investigate the role of exercise in living a long life
D. to examine all the factors contributing to longevity
2.What does the author imply about outgoing and sympathetic people?
A. They have a good understanding of evolution. B. They are better at negotiating an agreement.
C. They are more likely to get over hardship. D. They generally appear more resourceful.
3.What finding of the study might prove somewhat out of our expectation?
A. Easy-going people can also live a relatively long life.
B. Such characteristics as self-discipline have no effect on longevity.
C. Advantageous personality characteristics actually vary with times.
D. Readiness to accept new ideas helps one enjoy longevity.
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Anger and depression cut one’s life span short. B. Health is in large part related to one’s lifestyle.
C. Personality plays a decisive role in longevity. D. Longevity results from mental and physical health
They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend, and they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy games, CDs and clothing are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to use a parent’s card. They want a service that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate (刺激)online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school 88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cyber cash is through prepaid cards such as Internet Cash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed (隐藏的) 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.
1.What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Sellers. B. Teenagers C. Buyers. D. Parents.
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.
B. Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.
C. More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.
D. Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.
3.A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use _________.
A. prepaid cards B. special coins and notes
C. a new machine D. pay-as-you-go mobile phones
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The arrival of cyber pocket money. B. Internet users in the US and the UK.
C. New credit cards for parents. D. Online shopping traps.
Are you looking for a reading lamp/ If you are, here are some for you to choose from.
Home Design Lamp With Side Reading Light Listed Price: $50 This lamp by Home Design Lighting is suitable to small or medium – side rooms. You can place it in the corner for a living room for mood light. You can also place it next to a tall bookshelf to help show a collection: Standing just over 71 inches tall, the lamp has a black – painted finish and a beautiful plastic shade(灯罩). | Import Wp 48’ Gry Goose Floor Lamp Listed Price: $60 Buy now and get up to 25% off the price! If you are looking for a lamp whose light looks like sunlight, then this is a great one that you should take a close look at. The lamp is best for reading and studying. Of course, it is also useful when you do any office work at night. |
KVART Floor Reading Lamp Listed Price: $ 45 It is certainly not the kind of lamp you want to provide enough light in your rooms. However, it is perfect if you need a floor reading lamp. A long flexible(易弯曲的) neck makes this lamp easy to change directions and direct the light wherever you might need it to be. The lamp is available in various colors as well. | Bell and Howell Brass Tone Sunlight Lamp Listed Price: $70 Buy now and get a 50% discount. This is a great sunlight lamp. It provides visibility to help you see more clearly and comfortably and also helps reduce eyestrain, An energy – efficient 27 watt bulb provides as much light as a l50 watt bulb. The lamp will add a beautiful look to any room. |
1.What do we learn about the first lamp?
A. It has a red appearance. B. It isn’t very bright.
C. It is really worth collecting. D. It shouldn’t be in the sitting room.
2.Which of the following comes in different colors?
A. The KVART Floor Reading Lamp B. The Bell and Howell Brass Tone Sunlight Lamp
C. The Import Wp 48’ Gry Goose Floor Lamp D. The Home Design Lamp With Side Reading Light
3.If you buy an Import Wp 48’ Gry Goose Floor Lamp now, how much do you need to pay?
A. $35 B. $40 C. $50 D. $45
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When is the talk given ?
A. During the exams week. B. At the beginning of a term C. Before the start of a vacation.
2.What is the main purpose of lectures ?
A. To introduce new topics. B. To explore topics in depth
C. To provide information on the textbooks.
3.What advice does the speaker give about taking notes ?
A. Write the exact words. B. Remember the examples. C. Focus on the main points.
4.What does the speaker remind the listeners to do in the end ?
A. Take notes on the lecture’s advice. B. Borrow recorders from other students.
C. Get the lecture’s permission before recording.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers ?
A. In Britain. B. In Germany. C. In France.
2.What does the woman do most of her working hours ?
A. She makes coffee. B. She deals with e-mails. C. She handles telephones.
3.At what time does the woman usually get off work?
A. 4:30pm B. 4:35pm C. 5:15pm
4.What is the woman ?
A. A secretary. B. A director. C. An engineer.
