If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011.
“It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle，”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh .“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits.“We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
【小题1】
We can learn from the first paragraph that     .

Sometimes a part of us must die before another part can come to life. Even though this is a       and necessary stage of our growth, it is often painful or       if we don’t realize what’s happening. In fact, confusion is often the       that tells us a change is taking place within us. These changes happen throughout the lives of all humans, as we move from babyhood to       to teenage years and beyond. With each change from one       to another, we find ourselves       goodbye to an old friend, the identity (个性，身份) that we       in order to move through that particular time.

Sometimes we shape these identities in relationships or jobs, and when we change, those areas of our life become      . Usually, if we take the time to look into the changing surface of things, we will find that a change is taking place       us. For example, we may go through one whole part of our lives creating a protective shell around ourselves       we need it in defense of ourselves. One day,      , we may find ourselves feeling limited and bored, wanting to move outside the       we used to need; the new part of ourselves cannot be born within the       of the shell our old self needed.

We may feel a strange       of excitement and sadness as we say goodbye to a part of ourselves that is       and make way for a whole new identity to       in its place. We may find inspiration in working and studying when we think of the image of an animal who sheds (蜕毛；蜕皮) in order to       way for new skin, fur, or feathers to      . For example, keeping a piece of snake skin, or some other symbols of change, can       us that death and rebirth are simply nature’s way of growing. We can give in to this process, letting go of our past self with great love and gratitude, and       the new with an open mind and heart, ready for our next stage of life.

1.A. natural       B. dusty     C. humorous     D. rare

2.A. moving       B. confusing      C. tiring     D. scared

3.A. report        B. notice   C. sign       D. idea

4.A. brotherhood      B. neighborhood       C. adulthood     D. childhood

5.A. animal        B. people  C. school   D. stage

6.A. saying         B. speaking        C. telling   D. reading

7.A. showed      B. left        C. shaped D. realized

8.A. influenced B. remained     C. defended      D. directed

9.A. of       B. within   C. for         D. between

10.A. although  B. while     C. until      D. because

11.A. moreover         B. therefore      C. however        D. so

12.A. area          B. shelter  C. room     D. space

13.A. limits        B. contents        C. connection   D. requirement

14.A. influence B. mixture          C. appearance  D. relation

15.A. dying        B. coming C. escaping       D. running

16.A. come back        B. come down   C. come out       D. come across

17.A. become   B. reach    C. name    D. make

18.A. appear     B. disappear      C. go D. exist

19.A. convince B. remind C. warn    D. tell

20.A. hoping     B. imaging C. welcoming    D. supplying

You may never connect the words “good” and “eco-friendly”with plastic.It’s time to do a rethink on that as we say hello to hemp(大麻)plastic.Traditionally,plastics have been made from petrochemicals,which are mainly poisonous.Plants,on the other hand,are also a source of cellulose(纤维素),which can be used to make biodegradable (生物所能分解的)plastic.As hemp happens to be one of the richest sources of cellulose,it is only natural that scientists will support its use,considering its ecological benefits.
Hemp plastic is biodegradable and recyclable.If you thought being eco-friendly reduced its solidity,you couldn’t be more wrong.The hard level of hemp plastic can match that of regular plastic.Hemp plastic is resistant to heat;however,the most outstanding feature of a few varieties of hemp plastic is that they are flame resistant too.Finally,if Henry Ford could imagine creating a car with this material,we can perhaps believe that it indeed is“ten times stronger than steel”.
It is a pity that with so many useful qualities,we don’t see hemp plastic being used in our everyday life,the way it ought to be.Hemp plastic can easily take the place of the exiting plastic in products like cell phone chargers(充电器),laptop covers,etc.Currently,hemp plastic is being used to produce audio(音响设备),video,toys,automobile parts and packaging materials.
Hemp fiber is one of the strongest natural fibers known to us.As scientists keep looking for ways to solve the ecological damage that traditional plastics have caused,here is a material that can be produced to be 100% biodegradable.Hemp plastic is known to be several times durable as compared to polypropylene(聚丙烯)plastic,and it comes without all the health and safety threats,It really has long useful life.
Plastics keep reminding us of the damage that we have done to our planet,all under the excuse of convenience.As hemp products have become a new choice into our daily life,Please take a green plan now and make your effort to protect the environment.
【小题1】Plastics produced in the traditional way are______.

短文改错(共10小题; 每小题1分, 满分10分)

以下标有题号的每一行均有一个错误，请找出，并按下列情况改正：

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此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该右边横线上写出改正后的词。

注意：请在答题卡上作答。

We live on the earth, but we are not alone in the world.

Everyone know we should keep the balance of nature,             1.____________

or we don’t always do as we say .                          2.____________

A species can become endangered with different reasons.        3.. ____________

But the very important one is their living places are ruined. We       4. ____________

cut down trees without plant new ones, and we pollute the place     5. ____________

where animal live. Because of this, they have no home and       6. ____________

they are going to be die out.                                   7.____________

Other reason is money. Many tigers are killed by those         8. ____________

who want to sell our fur and use their bones for medicine.       9. ____________

We should do everything which can be done to change the         10. ____________

situation, or wild animals can only exist in our memories.