In the 1920s and 30s the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants to look after the passengers. Young men ,or “stewards” helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers’ luggage(行李)but they did not provide food and drinks. But then in 1930,a woman called Ellen Church invented the “stewardess”.

Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn’t want to work on a farm or marry a farmer —she wanted a more adventurous(冒险的)life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital but also took flying lessons and got her pilot’s license.

Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport. She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man’s world. Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot .But she had another idea. Most people were frightened of flying because. flying was still an unreliable(不可靠的) way to travel. There were often delays(延误),many crashes and the bad weathers made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B.A.T. agreed.

The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses.

At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early “stewardesses” had to be under twenty-five-year-old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and earned ＄1 an hour.

In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, “stewardesses” have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past.

1.The last sentence of the first paragraph suggests that _________.

A．the word “stewardess” was made up by Ellen Church

B．Ellen Church was the first woman who flew a plane

C．Ellen Church was the first woman who worked on a plane

D．Ellen Church was the first woman passenger on a plane

2.From the second paragraph, we learn that ________.

A．Ellen did not behave in the same way as most as other girls

B．Ellen’s family was not rich enough to support her education

C．Ellen was fond of working as a nurse in the hospital

D．Ellen has an unhappy childhood that changed her completely

3.The main reason for Boeing Air Transport offering Ellen the job was ________.

A．her flying experience                    B．her university education

C．her nursing experience                   D．her life attitudes

4.According to the passage, in the 1940s a woman had to ________ if she wanted to be a stewardess.

A．be a nurse         B．be married        C．be a mother       D．be young

5.The passage mainly talks about _______.

A．the background of early flying pilots         B．the experience of flying passengers

C．the history of early flight attendants         D．the development of airplanes

In the 1920s and 30s the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants to look after the passengers. Young men, or "stewards" helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers' luggage (行李) but they did not provide food and drinks. But then in 1930, a woman called Ellen Church invented the "stewardess".
Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn't want to work on a farm or marry a farmer—she wanted a more adventurous (冒险的) life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital but also took flying lessons and got her pilot's license.
Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport. She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man's world. Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot. But she had another idea. Most people were frightened of flying because flying was still an unreliable (不可靠的) way to travel. There were often delays (延误), many crashes and the bad weathers made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B.A.T. Agreed.
The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses.
At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early "stewardesses" had to be under twenty-five-year old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and earned $1 an hour.
In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, "stewardesses" have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past.
【小题1】The last sentence of the first paragraph suggests that _________.

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. "I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school."

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6.a.m. five nights a week for just￡90, before tax and insurance. "It's better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work 'unsocial hours' should get a bit extra."

The hours she's chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn't think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn't physically very hard, but it's not exactly pleasant, either. "I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they'd be a bit more careful."

The fact that she's working all night doesn't worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. "Since I've got to be here, I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags."

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other. people when she tells them what she does for a living. "They think you're a cleaner because you don't know how to read and write," said Margaret. "I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I'd been doing, but I don't think that way any more. I don't dislike the work though I can't say I'm mad about it."

54. Margaret left her job as a nurse because_______.

　　 A. she needed the right time to look after her children

　　 B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

　　 C. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

　　 D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

55. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because_______.

　　 A. they never clean their offices　　　 　　　 B. they look down upon cleaners

　　 C. they never do their work carefully 　 D. they always make a mess in their offices

56. When at work, Margaret feels_______.

A. tired because of the heavy workload　 　　

B. happy because the building is fully lit

　　 C. light-hearted because of her fellow workers　　

D. bored because time passed slowly

57. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret's parents would_______.

　　 A. help care for her children　　　　 B. feel disappointed in her

C. show sympathy (同情) for her D. regret what they had said

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. "I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school."

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6.a.m. five nights a week for just￡90, before tax and insurance. "It's better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work 'unsocial hours' should get a bit extra."

The hours she's chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn't think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn't physically very hard, but it's not exactly pleasant, either. "I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they'd be a bit more careful."

The fact that she's working all night doesn't worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. "Since I've got to be here, I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags."

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other. people when she tells them what she does for a living. "They think you're a cleaner because you don't know how to read and write," said Margaret. "I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I'd been doing, but I don't think that way any more. I don't dislike the work though I can't say I'm mad about it."

54. Margaret left her job as a nurse because_______.

　　 A. she needed the right time to look after her children

　　 B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

　　 C. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

　　 D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

55. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because_______.

　　 A. they never clean their offices　　　 　　　 B. they look down upon cleaners

　　 C. they never do their work carefully 　 D. they always make a mess in their offices

56. When at work, Margaret feels_______.

A. tired because of the heavy workload　 　　

B. happy because the building is fully lit

　　 C. light-hearted because of her fellow workers　　

D. bored because time passed slowly

57. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret's parents would_______.

　　 A. help care for her children　　　　 B. feel disappointed in her

C. show sympathy (同情) for her D. regret what they had said