Things Your Pilot Won't Tell You
You may not be getting the airline you paid for．
You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional （地方的） airline．The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that．
—Captain at a major airline
If you're a nervous flier, book a morning flight．
The heating of the ground later causes bumpier （颠簸的） air, and it's much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon．
—Jerry Johnson , pilot, Los Angeles
The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing．
The bumpiest place to sit is in the back．If you're in the middle, you don't move as much．
—Patrick Smith, pilot, and author of Cockpit Confidential
Sit in the front if you want fresher air．
The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back．So if you're really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can．Planes are generally warmest in the back．
—Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas
You never know where the safest seat is．
There is no safest place to sit．In one accident, the people in the back are dead; in the next, it's the people up front．
—John Nance, aviation safety analyst and retired airline captain, Seattle
I've been struck by lightning twice．
Most pilots have．Airplanes are built to take it．You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that's it．You're not going to fall out of the sky．
—Charlotte, pilot for a regional earner,．North Carolina
People don't understand why they can't use their cell phones．
Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we ideally are．
—Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, Phoenix
【小题1】Jerry Johnson advises nervous fliers to ______．

A．sit in the back

B．fly in the morning

C．fly with major airlines

D．avoid flying in bad weather

【小题2】The best seats for those who need fresh air are ______．

A．in the front	B．in the middle
C．in the back	D．near the wing

【小题3】Passengers' use of cellphones before landing is likely to ______．

A．increase the risk of being struck by lightning

B．make it difficult for pilots to control the plane

C．cause the instruments of the plane to break down

D．affect pilots' judgment about the height of the plane

   A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another，like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Heart Study，which began in 1948. The Framingham Heart Study gathers information about physical and mental health，personal behavior and diet. At first，the study involved（使参加）about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now more than 12,000 individuals（个人）are taking part.

Information from the Framingham Heart Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behavior like littering and the ability to stop smoking.

Psychologist John Cacioppo，at the University of Chicago，led the recent study. He and other researchers tried to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.

Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact，a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25%more likely. The researchers said this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.

The effect was the strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives，and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.

The New York Times newspaper reported that，on average，people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional（额外的）friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent，or two and a half fewer lonely days.

Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression（抑郁症）and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help reduce it.

The study suggested that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.

【小题1】As for the Framingham Heart Study we can learn that __________.

A．it was only conducted in 1948	B．it involves more than 12, 000 people
C．it was founded by John Cacioppo	D．it showed that any behavior could spread

【小题2】From the passage, we can learn that __________.

A．the behavior of littering doesn’t spread

B．a lonely person won’t have friends

C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness

D．lonely people don’t know the causes of their loneliness

【小题3】Which statement about the spread of loneliness is TRUE?

A．The spreading effect is the second strongest among friends.

B．No spreading effect is found on husbands and wives.

C．Women are more likely to be affected than men.

D．Brothers are more easily to be affected than neighbors.

【小题4】What is the main idea of the passage？

A．Action should be taken to help lonely people.	B．People feel lonely for many reasons.
C．Ways to fight against loneliness.	D．Lonely people can affect others.

短文改错

Our clothes are things that can affect our moods. Wear colorful clothes shows and affects our feelings. When we're sadly, we will wear dark clothes. So when happy, we often choose wear brightly-colored clothes. Orange makes us happier. Beside, white makes us helpful. Their choice of color shows what we are feeling. So remember, if you are not feeling about your best, you can try out some clothes of different color. If one color had no effect on your feelings, maybe another will.

   Darek Fidyka, a 38-year-old Bulgarian, had been paralysed（瘫痪的）from the chest down for four years after a knife attack. Scientists from Britain and Poland took cells from his nose, transplanted them into his back and regrew his spinal cord （脊髓）. Now he can walk and even drive a car. The doctors were delighted but said it was the first step in a long journey.

The breakthrough came after 40 years of research by Professor Geoff Raisman, who found that cells had the possibility to repair damage to nasal （鼻子的） nerves, the only part of the nervous system that constantly regrows. “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself, and put it into an area that doesn't repair itself,” Professor Raisman said.

Polish doctors injected the nasal cells into Mr Fidyka's spinal cord above and below the injury and used some nerves from his ankle to form a bridge across the damaged tissue. The nasal cells appear to have caused the spinal nerves to repair themselves.

Professor Raisman achieved this with rats in the late 1990s, but this is his greatest success. “I think the moment of discovery for me was Christmas in 1997 when I first saw a rat that couldn't control its hand put its hand out to me. That was an exciting moment, because I realized then that my belief that the nervous system could be repaired was true. ”

Doctors chose the easiest case for their first attempt — it might not work for others. But there is a real sense of hope that an idea once thought impossible has been realized.

David Nicholls, who helped provide money for the breakthrough, said information about the breakthrough would be made available to researchers across the globe.

“What you’ve got to understand is that for three million paralysed people in the world today, the world looks like a totally brighter place than it did yesterday,” he said.

【小题1】Why did Professor Geoff Raisman choose cells from the nose?

A．The nervous system in the nose can repair itself.

B．Cells in the nose can be easily transplanted.

C．Cells in the nose reproduce rapidly.

D．He just wanted to give it a try.

【小题2】Why did the operation work for Darek Fidyka?

A．The nasal cells reproduced and spread quickly.

B．The nerves from his ankle cured the injury.

C．The nervous system in the spinal cord can repair itself.

D．The nasal cells helped the spinal nerves to repair themselves.

【小题3】What made Professor Geoff Raisman believe the nervous system can be repaired?

A．His study on animals.

B．His operation on a paralysed patient.

C．His sudden thoughts about Christmas.

D．His unusual experience with a sick rat.

【小题4】David Nicholls' words suggest that ________.

A．the world is becoming better and brighter

B．paralysed people have the hope of recovery

C．the report of the breakthrough will be published soon

D．researchers across the globe will carry out the operation immediately

Dyslexia is a problem that restricts the ability to recognize words and connect sounds with letters when people read. People with this learning disorder may also have problems when they write. Dyslexia is not related to eyesight or intelligence. The problem involves areas of the brain that process language. Brain scientists are studying whether they can predict which young children may struggle with reading to provide them with early help. John Gabrieli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is leading the study of five-year-olds in about twenty schools in the Boston area.
They studied in the schools with kindergartens. And for all the children joining in the study, they give them a brief set of paper-and-pencil tests to look at which children appear to be at some risk for struggling to read. So far, fifty of them have been examined in a scanner, a special machine, to show brain activity. Written tests are not always able to identify dyslexia or other problems, while brain scans may offer a more scientific way to identify problems. And with reading problems, early identification is important. When it comes to helping children overcome reading difficulties, the younger the child, the more effective they are.
Reading problems are not usually identified until a child is in the third or fourth grade. The later children are recognized as poor readers, the less treatment can help. And, as Professor Gabrieli points out, poor reading can make education a struggle. Reading is everything. Even math and science have textbooks.
While the children are given tasks related to reading, the brain scans measure the extent to which certain parts of the brain become active while the children do the work. The scientists say they are pleased with early results from the study, but have a long way to go.
【小题1】Dyslexia affects the part of brain concerning ________.

A．eyesight

B．intelligence

C．language

D．emotion

【小题2】Dyslexia problems are more likely to be identified through ________.

A．speech contests	B．reading efficiency
C．listening comprehension	D．brain scans

【小题3】According to the passage, which of the followings has the best time to overcome reading difficulties?

A．Tom, a boy in the kindergarten.

B．Kate, a high school leaver.

C．Jane, a primary school student.

D．Steve, a man in his thirties.

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．An effective way to identity Dyslexia at an early stage.

B．A learning disorder involving one’s intelligence.

C．Dyslexia — a problem affecting one’s reading and writing.

D．A possible solution to the problems related to Dyslexia.