Have you ever wondered?
1.      Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon (大气现象) known as the jet stream (气流). The jet stream is a very high altitude (=" above" sea level) wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. So the planes moving at a constant air speed go faster from the west to the east when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite.
2.      What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures（建筑物）float away? What happened would depend on (依靠) how strongly the things were attached (吸附) to the earth. The earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Turning off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling (=" top" surface of a room). Most things outside would fly off into space.
【小题1】What information can we get from the first passage?

Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet (喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string (细绳), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space.
【小题1】What information can we get from the first passage?

You have heard of Webster Toys. Webster has made good, safe, interesting toys for more than 100 years. Now we sell them, and children play with them, in countries from New Zealand to Norway, and from Japan to Brazil. We are looking for someone to sell our toys in the Far East. He will be between thirty and forty. He will already have some years of selling in world markets behind him. He will speak good English, and at least one other language of the Far East.
The person we are looking for will live in Singapore, and work in our office there,  but he will travel for up to six months in any one year. He will know the Far East quite well already. He will know how to sell in old markets and where to find new ones. He will understand money and make more than ever before, for himself, and for Webster Toys.
Webster wants someone who can stand on his own feet. If you think you are the person we are looking for, write to Mr J. Sloman at our head office in London.
【小题1】The head office of the Webster company is in________.

You have heard of Webster Toys. Webster has made good, safe, interesting toys for more than 100 years. Now we sell them, and children play with them, in countries from New Zealand to Norway, and from Japan to Brazil. We are looking for someone to sell our toys in the Far East. He will be between thirty and forty. He will already have some years of selling in world markets behind him. He will speak good English, and at least one other language of the Far East.

The person we are looking for will live in Singapore, and work in our office there,  but he will travel for up to six months in any one year. He will know the Far East quite well already. He will know how to sell in old markets and where to find new ones. He will understand money and make more than ever before, for himself, and for Webster Toys.

Webster wants someone who can stand on his own feet. If you think you are the person we are looking for, write to Mr J. Sloman at our head office in London.

1.The head office of the Webster company is in________.

A．Australia          B．New Zealand       C．Germany          D．England

2.Children play with Webster toys_______.

A．in many countries of the world

B．in 8 counties around the world.

C．mostly in 4 countries of the world

D．only in some eastern countries

3.“He will already have some years of selling in world markets behind him” means he has_______.

A．sold things for the Webster for some years

B．already sold toys to some markets in the world

C．already sold things in different parts of the world

D．sold a large number of Webster toys to the world

4.Which person could be the right one for the Webster?

A．He is 35,speaks good English and a Far Eastern language, can travel for up to six months in a year and knows how to make more money.

B．He is 28,speaks good English and some other foreign languages, enjoys traveling and making more money for the Webster Toys.

C．He is 40, speaks good English and any other Far Eastern languages, knows Far East well and how to make more money for himself.

D．He has lived in Singapore for years, speaks Chinese well and a little English, knows how to open new markets.

Have you ever wondered?

1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet (喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.

2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string (细绳), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space.

1.What information can we get from the first passage?

A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.

B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.

C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.

D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.

2.The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means “__________”.

A．send for                              B．move quickly

C．come out                             D．grow quickly

3.It can be inferred that without gravity __________.

A．buildings and other structures would float away

B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off

C．something around your head would not float away

D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4.Which of the following statements is not mentioned in the passage?

A．It takes seven hours to travel from London to New York.

B．The earth is moving at a high speed

C．Everything on the earth will float away if there’s no gravity.

D．Everything not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line.

5.Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In a research paper.

B．In a short story.

C．In a travel magazine.

D．In a student’s book.