WASHINGTON—More than one in 10 of the nation’s airline pilots are cleared to carry a handgun while flying, and the number will continue to grow, according to a Transportation Security Administration projection.
The Federal Air Marshal Service, a TSA agency that runs the armed-pilots program, reports that 85,000 to 90,000 pilots and crewmembers flying domestic passengers and cargo planes are eligible(符合条件的) to carry a gun. That puts the number of armed pilots at about 9,500.
The TSA projects the program to grow to 16.5% of eligible pilots by the year 2011. Aviation experts were surprised and alarmed that so many pilots are toting guns in the sky.
“That’s a big number compared to what I thought it would be,” said aviation-security consultant Rich Roth, who said he had predicted there would be fewer than 1,000 armed pilots. The 5-year-old program trains pilots for one week and arms them with 40-caliber semiautomatic pistols.
“That’s a scary number,” said Joseph Gutheinz, a former Transportation Department special agent and aviation attorney in Houston. “By allowing so many pilots the opportunity to fly armed, we’re giving terrorists opportunity to identify somebody who has a gun and overpower him.”
Capt. Bob Hesselbein, head of security for the Air Line Pilots Association, said the number of armed pilots is “a tremendous deterrent(威慑)” to hijackings. “The challenge of an organized terrorist team is to take control of the cabin, then the flight deck.”
Armed pilots have come under scrutiny(审查) since March 22 when the gun of a US Airways pilot fired in the cockpit(驾驶座) of Flight 1536 as it approached Charlotte from Denver. No one was hurt, and the plane landed safely after the bullet pierced(穿透) the fuselage. The best title for this passage is “_____”.
| A．More than 10% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| B．Less than 10% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| C．More than 16.5% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| D．No chances for terrorists to hurt pilots |
From this passage we can infer that about 9,500 pilots in the USA are allowed to carry _____ while flying.
| A．shotguns | B．40-caliber automatic pistols |
| C．handguns | D．all the above |
Joseph Gutheinz’s attitude towards pilots’ carrying guns while flying is _____.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．angry | D．surprised |
Why did the US Airways pilot fire his gun in the cockpit of Flight 1536 as it approached Charlotte from Denver?
| A．To kill the terrorists who tried to hijack the plane. |
| B．To escape from the hijackings. |
| C．To tell the hijackers that he had a gun. |
| D．The passage doesn’t give the reason. |
Most people want to be successful, but never stop to think what it will really take to get there in their chosen field. If it means going back to college for 2 years of night school, could you do it ? If it means reading a book a week for about 6 months in order to really master a new skill ? If you aren’t prepared to do any of those things because they are outside of your comfort zone, then you can forget being succesful. I guarantee you will never reach your goals in life, unless your goals are to be ordinary.
The biggest killer by far is the dreaded “ comfort zone ” where most people live in their entire life. And the funny thing is that people just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that people who have reached some success get tons of time to just relax, but only because they’ve earned it ! If you haven’t built a successful business, or in some way built a career that allow you so much freee time, then you are stuck in the grinding world of nine-to-five jobs everyone else. So how comfortable is that ?
So what can you do about it ? Well, find a way to make something happen in your life--- build a business around your favourite hobby, write a book and publish it, or take a course in stock trading and become an expert at that, working on making enough money to retire. If you don’t take massive action that puts your way of your comfort zone, you will never be successful at much of anything. I promise--- and I don’t make many promises !
Finding real happiness in life can be a mystery for many. That’s why I wrote The Road to Happiness for those who want real success and happiness in life, including spirituality and all the gifts life has to offer.
Don’t wander aimlessly through life. Get focused on your goals, start helping others in need, and live life to the fullest ! Life is too short to be anything but happy. Visit my website and find what you’ve been missing. Sign up for my newsletter and get seven free ebooks, too ! Read hundreds of articles while you’re there in the article section, which is updated daily.This text must be taken from __________.
| A．a radio program | B．a website |
| C．a newspaper | D．a TV program |
If you want to be successful in life, what should you do first ?
| A．We should think what it really takes to be successful in our chosen field. |
| B．We should focus our full attention on the work in our chosen field. |
| C．We should live out of the “ comfort zone ” all through our life. |
| D．We should work together with other people to reach our goals in time. |
According to this text, why do some people have so much free time to relax ?
| A．Because they have enough money to do so. |
| B．Because they don’t want to be successful. |
| C．Because they have already earned it through hard work. |
| D．Because they only work nine to five every day. |
The writer thinks it necessary for you to __________ if you want to be successful.
| A．do a lot of actual wotk | B．write a book and publish it |
| C．take a course in stock trading | D．make enough money to retire |
As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.
Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.
Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.
The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted. Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________
| A．the first profession open to them was writing. |
| B．most schools and colleges were open only to men. |
| C．they wanted to be nurses instead. |
| D．they had to work in the business world. |
The article is mainly about __________.
| A．women are in the business world |
| B．the famous Bronte sisters |
| C．schools and colleges in America |
| D．rights for American women |
Which fact does the article lead you to believe?
| A．The Bronte sisters thought that they were men. |
| B．England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio. |
| C．There are more men than women in professional jobs. |
| D．Women find it necessary to work harder than before. |
Hundreds of people lined up at Grand Central Terminal yesterday, but they weren’t there to catch a train. They came to New York City’s famous railroad station to trade in old dollar bills for the new George Washington Presidential $ 1 coin.
The gold-colored coin is the first in a new series by the U.S. Mint（造币厂）that honors former U.S. Presidents. The Mint will issue four Presidential $ 1 coins a year through 2016. Like the popular 50 State Quarters(纪念币) program, which issues coins in the order in which each state joined the Union, Presidential $ 1 coins will come out in the order in which each President served. The George Washington coin is the first to be released. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison coins will come out later this year.
The Presidential $ 1 coins will be the same size and color as the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. However, there is an important difference. For the first time since the 1930s, there is an inscription（题字）on the edge of each coin. Each coin will show a different President on its face, or head side. It will also show the President’s name, the order in which he served and his years in office. The other side of the coin will show the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions “United States of America” and “$ 1”.
There will be one Presidential $ 1 coin for each President, except Grover Cleveland. He will have two! Cleveland is the only U.S. President to have served two nonconsecutive（不连续的）terms.
The last President scheduled to get a coin is Gerald Ford because a President must have been dead for two years before he can be on a coin. Hundreds of people lined up at the railway station in order to ____________.
| A．exchange money | B．visit a coin show |
| C．book train tickets | D．do some shopping |
What may you find on the head side of the new US $ 1 coin?
| A．The Statue of Liberty | B．The name of a U.S. president |
| C．The year when the coin was made | D．The inscriptions “ United States of America” |
Why will Grover Cleveland have two coins ?
A. He is the only one who has served two terms
B. He is the most famous President in the U.S.
C. He served longer than any other President.From the passage we can infer that_________.
| A．the new presidential coin can buy more than the old coin. |
| B．the U.S. Mint has issued all the presidential coins by now. |
| C．no presidential coin has been released for president Obama |
| D．the coins are issued to honor the greatest presidents in America |
Herta Müller, the Romanian-born German writer, has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature. Ms. Müller, 56, immigrated to Germany from Romania in 1987. She is the first German writer to win the Nobel in literature since Günter Grass in 1999 and the 13th winner writing in German since the prize was first given in 1901. She is the 12th woman to gain the literature prize. But unlike previous winners like Doris Lessing and V. S. Naipaul, Ms. Müller is unknown inside of literary circles in Germany.
“I am very surprised and still cannot believe it,” Ms. Muller said in a statement released by her publisher in Germany. “I can’t say anything more at the moment.”
She has written some 20 books, but just 5 have been translated into English, including the novels “The Land of Green Plums” and “The Appointment.”
At a news conference on Thursday at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association in Berlin, where she lives, Ms. Müller, wearing all black, appeared overwhelmed(不知所措) by all the cameras in her face.
When asked what it meant that her name would now be mentioned in the same breath as German greats like Thomas Mann and Heinrich Böll, Ms. Müller remained philosophical(达观的). “I am now nothing better and I’m nothing worse,” she said, adding: “My inner thing is writing. That’s what I can hold on to.”
Earlier in the day, at a news conference in Stockholm, Peter Englund, secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Ms. Müller was honored for her “very, very distinct special language” and because “she has really a story to tell about…and growing up as a stranger in your own family.
.we can learn from the passage that Ms. Muller is_______.
| A．the 1st writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature since 1999 |
| B．the 12th winner for the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1901 |
| C．the 13th woman writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature |
| D．a German citizen since she moved to German in 1987 |
Ms. Müller was surprised at the news about her winning the award because ____.
| A．she was born a Romanian person |
| B．she had failed many times in winning it |
| C．she had never wanted to win the prize |
| D．she was only an unknown writer |
The underlined expression “in the same breath” is the nearest in meaning to ____.
| A．instead of | B．at the same moment |
| C．in a breath | D．under the same roof |
We can infer according to the passage that ____.
| A．her honored works are based on her own experience |
| B．most of Ms. Müller’s novels are unsuccessful works |
| C．Ms. Müller is feeling much better after she becomes the award winner |
| D．Ms. Müller was honored because she’s described the Germans’ life vividly |
I first visited hutong as part of a tourist group several years ago. We rode on a trishaw（脚踏三轮车） with a guide explaining the history, architecture and lifestyle of the local inhabitants.
Having visited the "must-sees" of Beijing, like the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Drum Tower and the Summer Palace, going into the hutong home of some famous ancient families gave the “Beijing experience” a human element.
My curiosity has sharpened over the years from reading about them at every opportunity. During the preparation for the Olympics I was eager to learn that some siheyuan courtyards in hutong were turned into accommodations（食宿） for visitors. I wished to stay in one someday.
Preparing for a recent trip to the capital, I eagerly sought one out. On my limited teacher’s salary, I settled on an affordable option, though I looked longingly at the more upscale courtyard accommodations.
As usual, I ended up having something closer to a true experience. A real family still lives in the courtyard, which is closer to the original. The rooms all opened into the central courtyard. Flowers were blooming, beans and peas were climbing up the bamboo fence, and the cat was napping in the sun. Every day after exploring the city, I'd hurry back to the hutong, take a quick shower and join the cat – snoozing（小睡） in a bamboo-made chair with a book ready nearby.
As the other guests came back we’d greet one another. There was a mother and young daughter from France, a guy from Canada, a mother and teenage daughter from the Netherlands, a teacher from England and several guests from various parts of China.
Coming and going through the narrow alleys（小巷） of the hutong, the residents would smile and give cheery “ni hao” （hello）. Laughing children were playing under the watchful eyes of the neighbors. I felt right at home in this friendly neighborhood. The main idea of the passage is about ______________.
| A．hutong days realize my desires to live local life |
| B．Trishaw is the only way to visit the hutong |
| C．living in the hutong with other visitors |
| D．exploring the deeper of Beijing |
When did the author have the idea to visit Beijing hutong?
| A．As early as he was a little child |
| B．when he was reading the text books at school |
| C．during the preparation for the Olympics |
| D．the author doesn’t mention it specifically |
The underlined word “upscale” in the fourth paragraph means _________.
| A．inexpensive | B．high-class | C．appropriate | D．secondary |
What is the impression of the author about the people in hutong?
| A．They came from all over the world. |
| B．They all wanted to enjoy the old life of Beijing. |
| C．They are living together in harmony. |
| D．They are living in a heavenly peace life. |
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