Question

Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle-named the Transition – has two seats， four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and bums 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.

Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost $279,000.And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.

Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The govemment has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.

Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation  Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those pilots of larger planes Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find redatively easy to meet.

1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A. The basic data of the Transition.    B. The advantages of flying cars.

C. The potential market for flying cars.  C. The designers of the Transition.

2.Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in too many driveways?

A. It causes traffic jams.    B. It is difficult to operate.

C. It is very expensive.    D. It bums too much fuel.

3.What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car?

A. Cautious    B. Favorable.

C. Ambiguous.    D. Disapproving.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. Flying Car at Auto Show    B. The Transition’s Fist Flight

C. Pilots’Dream Coming True    D. Flying Car Closer to Reality

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述Terrafugia公司，研制出了飞车，试飞成功，预计将于明年进行销售。本文主要对飞车的历史由来及其构架进行了介绍。

1.主旨大意题。根据“The wehicle-named the Transition – has two seats wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car.The Transition,which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and bums 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.”可知，本段主要是对Transition的构架进行了介绍。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据“But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost $279,000”可知，因为Transition 的价格较高，所以不太可能在太多的马路上出现。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据“he government has already permitted z&xxkthe company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly”以及“Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft”可知，政府对于飞车的研发是比较支持的。故选B。

4.主旨大意题。浏览全文，主要从飞车的试飞成功、飞车的构架以及多年以前人们对飞车的设想至今成为现实展开论述。根据“Terrafugia Inc .said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight”飞车试飞成功，“But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality”Mann认为Terrafugia研制出的飞车比任何人都更接近现实。故选D。