Question

    Many people travel to different places in the world by air. Usually it takes a long time, perhaps half a day, for passengers to stay in the plane. So airlines offer passengers food. But it is common that they feel bad about food taste. Do you agree?

To solve this problem, airlines try hard to improve their food. They would like to do so because they don't want to lose customers.

However, according to scientific research, part of the reason why plane food tastes bad is that at high altitude (海拔)we can't taste things as well as we do on the ground. Also scientists have found that our noses become very dry even before a plane takes off. As the plane moves up, the change in air pressure reduces one third of the sensibility (感觉)of our taste buds (味蕾). So our taste buds become senseless. The sad fact, however, is that our noses don't know it.

All of these helps explain why food on the plane tastes so bad. They also help explain why airlines choose to offer passengers salty and spicy food. Without doing so, the food would be tasteless.

Now there are many researches on this. According to one of them, some volunteers are asked to lie with their feet higher than their heads for weeks. And scientists write down their feelings about food taste.

Though scientists try their best, it is not as easy as they thought. Because they can't deal with the special environment successfully, such as the change in air pressure, making food taste good is still hard for them.

1.In Paragraph 2, "this problem" refers to "________".

A.passengers stay long in the plane B.food on the plane tastes bad

C.passengers have no food to eat D.food on the plane is expensive

2.As the plane moves up, how much of the sensibility of our taste buds does the change in air pressure reduce?

A.One fifth. B.One fourth. C.One third. D.Half.

3.Why do scientists feel it hard to make food on the plane taste good?

A.Because they can't find enough volunteers.

B.Because the volunteers don't understand them.

C.Because the volunteers don't know about food taste.

D.Because they can't deal with the special environment successfully.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Airplane Travel. B.The Change in Air Pressure.

C.Taste of Airplane Food. D.Scientific Research on Noses.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文讲述了飞机上的食物很难吃。是因为当飞机上升时，气压的变化会降低我们三分之一的味蕾敏感度。科学家们觉得很难让飞机上的食物尝起来美味，因为他们不能成功地处理像气压变化这种特殊的环境。

1.

词句猜测题。passengers stay long in the plane乘客在飞机上待很长时间；food on the plane tastes bad飞机上的食物很难吃；passengers have no food to eat乘客没有食物吃；food on the plane is expensive飞机上的食物非常贵。根据“ But it is common that they feel bad about food taste. Do you agree?”和“airlines try hard to improve their food. ”可知，此处指的是飞机上的食物很难吃，故选B。

2.

细节理解题。根据“As the plane moves up, the change in air pressure reduces one third of the sensibility (感觉)of our taste buds (味蕾). ”可知，当飞机上升时，气压的变化会降低我们三分之一的味蕾敏感度。故选C。

3.

细节理解题。根据“Though scientists try their best, it is not as easy as they thought. Because they can't deal with the special environment successfully, such as the change in air pressure, making food taste good is still hard for them.”可知，科学家们觉得很难让飞机上的食物尝起来美味，因为他们不能成功地处理特殊的环境。故选D。

4.

标题归纳题。根据“ But it is common that they feel bad about food taste. ”可知，本文主要介绍了飞机上的食物很难吃。故选C。