Have you pulled your car up to the gas pump lately and been shocked by the high price of gas? As the pump clicked past $50, $60,$70 or even $80, maybe you thought about trading in your car for something that gets better mileage. Or maybe you’re worried that your car is contributing to the greenhouse effect.

The car industry has the technology to address these concerns. It’s the hybrid car. There are a lot of hybrid models on the market these days, and most automobile manufacturers have announced plans to manufacture their own versions.

To be useful to you, a car must meet certain minimum requirements. The ear should be able to drive at least 300 miles(482 km) between refueling, be refueled quickly and easily, and keep up with the other traffic on the road.

A gasoline car meets these requirements, but produces a relatively large amount of pollution and generally gets poor gas mileage. An electric car, however, produces almost no pollution, but it can only go 50 to 100 miles (80 to 161 km) between charges, and the problem has been that the electric car is very slow and inconvenient to recharge.

The hybrid is a compromise. It significantly increases the mileage and reduces the emissions of a gas – powered car while overcoming the shortcomings of an electric car.

Most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids, although French car maker Citroen has two diesel-electric hybrid（柴油电动混合）cars in the works.

In fact, hybrid vehicles are all around us, For example, an electric bike is a type of by bird because it combines the power of electricity with the pedal power of its rider. Most of the locomotives we see pulling trains are diesel-electric hybrids, Cities like Seattle have diesel-electric buses-these can draw electric power from overhead wires or run on diesel when they are away from the wires. Submarines are also hybrid vehicles-some are nuclear-electric and some are diesel-electric. Any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power that can directly or indirectly provide propulsion power is a hybrid.

1．From the passage, we know the hybrid cars can do the following EXCEPT           .

       A．going 50 to 100 miles between charges

       B．recharging quickly and conveniently

       C．reducing environmental pollution

       D．driving farther between refueling

2．The writer didn’t directly tell us         in the passage.

       A．what the shortcomings of gasoline cars and electric ones are

       B．what solutions have been found to bring gas prices down

       C．what basic features people expect their cars to have

       D．what car drivers are concerned about today

3．What can be learned from the last paragraph?

       A．Developing hybrid vehicles is a new trend.

       B．Only modern cities can provide hybrid cars.

       C．A hybrid is more powerful and energy saying.

       D．What general characteristics a hybrid vehicle has.

4．What may be the best title for the passage?

       A．Hybrid Car – Best Seller in the Car Market

       B．Hybrid Car – Reputation in the Car Industry

       C．Hybrid Car – A Better Choice for the Future

       D．Hybrid Car – A New Technical Invention

WASHINGTON---At least four more U.S. air-traffic controllers are caught nodding off on the job at three separate airports across the nation, the government said Wednesday.
The controller working alone in the tower fell asleep and was out of communication for 16 minutes while a medical flight carrying a patient was trying to land at about 2 A.M. Wednesday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The FAA announced that it is also investigating a controller who fell asleep Monday at Boeing King County International Airport in Seattle and two controllers who were unresponsive at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee on Feb.19.
“I am sick of this,” Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. “We can’t have a system where some of the people responsible for safety are asleep at the switch.”
As the incidents pile up, sleep experts say it demonstrates that the agency faces a systemic issue with the thousands of people expected to work through the night in safety-critical jobs. Scientific research shows that workers on midnight shifts make more errors because it is so difficult for the body to adapt to sleeping during the day, they say.
The agency will add an extra controller at the 27 towers staffed with one worker on the midnight shift, the FAA statement said.
Representative John Mica, the Florida Republican who chairs the House transportation committee, criticized the decision to add controllers. “Only in the federal government would you double up on workers, averaging $161,000 per year in salary and benefits, that aren’t doing their job,” Mica said in a statement. Mica has pushed legislation that would allow as many as 90 smaller airports to switch from federal to private controllers.
“People have known these problems with fatigue（疲劳）have existed for years,” said John Goglia, a Boston-based aviation safety consultant. “They’re now showing up. The FAA is admitting they exist. Now the FAA needs to work on it.”
The four controllers in Nevada, Seattle and Texas have been suspended(暂时停职) during the investigations, the FAA said.
【小题1】The underlined part “double up on workers” means “______”.

WASHINGTON---At least four more U.S. air-traffic controllers are caught nodding off on the job at three separate airports across the nation, the government said Wednesday.

The controller working alone in the tower fell asleep and was out of communication for 16 minutes while a medical flight carrying a patient was trying to land at about 2 A.M. Wednesday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

The FAA announced that it is also investigating a controller who fell asleep Monday at Boeing King County International Airport in Seattle and two controllers who were unresponsive at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee on Feb.19.

“I am sick of this,” Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. “We can’t have a system where some of the people responsible for safety are asleep at the switch.”

As the incidents pile up, sleep experts say it demonstrates that the agency faces a systemic issue with the thousands of people expected to work through the night in safety-critical jobs. Scientific research shows that workers on midnight shifts make more errors because it is so difficult for the body to adapt to sleeping during the day, they say.

The agency will add an extra controller at the 27 towers staffed with one worker on the midnight shift, the FAA statement said.

Representative John Mica, the Florida Republican who chairs the House transportation committee, criticized the decision to add controllers. “Only in the federal government would you double up on workers, averaging $161,000 per year in salary and benefits, that aren’t doing their job,” Mica said in a statement. Mica has pushed legislation that would allow as many as 90 smaller airports to switch from federal to private controllers.

“People have known these problems with fatigue（疲劳）have existed for years,” said John Goglia, a Boston-based aviation safety consultant. “They’re now showing up. The FAA is admitting they exist. Now the FAA needs to work on it.”

The four controllers in Nevada, Seattle and Texas have been suspended(暂时停职) during the investigations, the FAA said.

1.The underlined part “double up on workers” means “______”.

2.According to John Goglia, fatigue problem ______.

3.Which statement is true?

4.We can infer from the passage that ______.

If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor．According to statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, a nine times more likely to die of AIDS．Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman．

There’re many reasons for this——typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke——but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor．

“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr．Gullotta．“This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike．

Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two．For those over 45, it should be at least once a year．

“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says, “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life．”

According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group．

“A lot of men think they’re invincible,” Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, “Geez, if it could happen to him…”

Then there’s the ostrich approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr．Ross Cartmill．

“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says．He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups．

Regular check-ups for men would inevitably place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says．“But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater, it’s called premature death．”

1.Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?

    A．They are more likely to survive serious diseases today．

    B．Their average life span has been considerably extended．

    C．They have lived long enough to read this article．

    D．They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life．

2.Which of the author’s statement is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage?

    A．Men drink and smoke much more than women．

    B．Men don’t seek medical care as often as women．

    C．Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger．

    D．Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases．

3.What does Dr．Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” ?

    A．A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions．

    B．A new therapy for certain psychological problems．

    C．Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved．

    D．Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear．

4.What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?

    A．They may increase public expenses．

    B．They will save money in the long run．

    C．They may cause psychological strains on men．

    D．They will enable men to live as long as women．