Another development has' been the accent of seating arrangements. Regular travelers have become well versed in the debate about seat pitch--the amount of room between each passenger. And first-class passengers are now offered sleeperette seats, which, for long journeys, make it possible to snatch a proper night's sleep. Sleeperettes have proved so popular that they will soon become universal in the front end of most aircraft.
The airlines are also trying to improve things on the ground. Executive lounges are commonplace and intended to make the inevitable waiting between flights a little more bearable. Luggage handling is being improved. Regrettably, there is little the airlines can do to speed up the boring immigration and Customs process, which manages to upset and frustrate passengers of all classes in every continent.
Although it is the airlines' intention to attract executive passengers from their rivals, the airlines themselves would nonetheless like to change one bad habit of this kind of traveler--the expensive habit of booking a flight and then failing to turn up. The practice is particularly widespread in Europe, where businessmen frequently book return journeys home one on several flights.
1. According to the passage, in operating airlines it is essential to A) keep in mind the need of the executives only.
B) satisfy the need of the low fare passengers at the expense of the executives. C) try to attract as many passengers as possible by reducing fares. D) cater to the need of passengers sitting at both ends of the jets.
2. The following are all mentioned as reasons why the airlines are having a hard time EXCEPT that
A) the tourist industry is experiencing an all-time low. B) there is no increase in the number of passengers. C) there are more seats on the planes than needed. D) the competition between airlines is strong.
3. The improvements the airlines attempt at include all the following EXCEPT A) making their seats more comfortable. B) providing better food during flights.
C) showing more movies during the long flights. D) offering sleeperettes to first-class passengers.
4. There is not much the airlines can do when it comes to A) making sure the departures are not delayed. B) the efficient handling of luggage.
C) speeding up customs procedure. 加快办理海关手续
D) the improvement of the condition of waiting lounges.
5. Which of the following is a bad habit of the executive passengers that frustrates the airlines?
A) They do not book their seats in advance.
B) They do not sit on the seats they are supposed to take. C) They do not travel on the flight they have booked. D) They do not pay in advance for the seats they book. 第42篇? Sauna
Ceremonial bathing has existed for thousands of years and has many forms, one of which is the sauna. The Finns have perfected the steam bath, or sauna, which may be taken, usually in an enclosed room, by pouring water over hot rocks or as dry heat bath. The Japanese, Greeks, Turks and Russians as well as Native Americans have forms of the sweat bath in their bathing rituals. Dry heat and steam baths had advocates in ancient Rome and pre-Columbian Americans used sweat lodges.
The earliest saunas were probably underground caves heated by a fire that naturally filled with smoke as chimney making was unknown at that time. a fire kept in a fire-pit would heat the rock walls of the cave. After reaching full heat, the smoke was let out of the cave and the stones would retain heat for several hours. A few people today say that the smoke sauna, ―svusauna‖, is the only true sauna experience and that all saunas should have at least a background odor or smoke. Today most saunas use electric stoves, although gas and wood-burning stoves are available.
Saunas are relaxing and stress relieving. Those with muscle aches or arthritis may find that the heat relaxes muscles and relieves pain and inflammation. Asthma patients find that the heat enlarges air passageways of the lung and facilitates breathing. Saunas do not cure the common cold but they may help to alleviate congestion and speed recovery time. The body‘s core temperature usually rises a 1-2 degrees while in the sauna, thus imitating a slight fever. The regular use of a sauna may decrease the likelihood of getting a cold in the first place.
Sauna is goof for your skin as the blood flow to the skin increases and sweating occurs. Adults sweat about 2 lbs of water per hour on average in a sauna. A good sweat removes dirt and grime from pores and gives the skin a healthy glow. The loss in water weight is temporary as the body‘s physiological mechanisms will quickly restore proper volumes. The cardiovascular system gets work out as the heart must pump harder and faster to move blood to the surface for heat exchange. Heart rate may increase from 72 beats per minute on average to 100-150 beats per minute.
A normal heart can handle these stresses but those with heart trouble
wishing to begin to use a sauna should seek a doctor‘s advice. The elderly and those with diabetes should check with their doctor prior to beginning to take saunas. Pregnant women should not take saunas, particularly in the first three months. Indeed, everyone just starting out should take short sessions at first to become accustomed to this type of bath.
1. Ceremonial bathing
A. is called the sauna by Finns. B. is equivalent to the steam bath. C. has various forms.
D. is held in an enclosed room.
2. What is understood by some people to be the true sauna experience? A. Saunas in underground caves. B. Saunas with smoke.
C. Saunas using wood burning stoves. D. Saunas using electric stoves.
3. According to the third paragraph, saunas can do all of the following EXCEPT A. reducing the chance of getting cold. B. speeding recovery. C. relieving stress. D. curing asthma.
4. According to the fourth paragraph, sauna gives the skin a healthy glow because
A. pores are cleaned by sweat. B. water is lost by sweating.
C. blood moves to the surface for heat exchange. D. the heart pumps harder and faster. 5. Who are advised not to take a sauna? A. Elderly people. B. Pregnant women. C. People with heart trouble. D. All of the above.
+第四十三篇Can Buildings Be Designed to Resist Terrorist Attack
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, structural engineers are trying hard to solve a question that a month ago would have been completely unthinkable:Can buildings be designed to withstand经受，承受，禁得起catastrophic灾难的惨重的blasts爆炸inflicted使承受 遭受 by terrorists?
Ten days after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, structural engineers from
the University at Buffalo布法罗and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) headquartered将…的总部设在 at UB traveled to ground zero (世贸中心被毁现场)as part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation. Visiting the site as part of an MCEER reconnaissance侦察或观测visit, they spent two days beginning the task of formulating构想出( formulate的现在分词 )； 规划ideas about how to design such structures and to search for clues线索； 提示 on how to do so in buildings that were damaged, but still are standing.
\objective in visiting ground zero was to go and look at the buildings surrounding the World Trade Center, those buildings that are still standing, but that sustained damage,\said M. Bruneau, Ph.D．\immediate hope is that we can develop a better understanding as to why those buildings remain standing, while our longterm goal is to see whether earthquake engineering technologies can be married to existing technologies to achieve enhanced提高，增加； 加强performance of buildings in the event of terrorist attacks,\
Photographs taken by the investigators demonstrate证明，证实in startling使震惊，使大吃一惊 detail the monumental damage inflicted on the World Trade Center towers and buildings in the vicinity (附近). One building a block away from the towers remains standing, but was badly damaged. \the World Trade Center and yet we see a column there that used to be a part of that building,\．Whittaker, Ph.D．\across the road, through the window and through the floor. \
The visit to the area also revealed显露； 揭露 some surprises, according to the engineers. For example, the floor framing systems in one of the adjacent邻近的，毗邻的buildings was quite rugged结实的, allowing floors that were pierced刺穿，戳穿by tons of failing debris碎片，残骸to remain intact完整无缺的. \易变形的)framing systems may provide a simple, but robust坚定的strategy策略，战略 for blast resistance,\策略 may include providing alternate轮流的交替的间隔的paths for gravity重力loads负荷 in the event that a load-bearing column fails. \机制，机能of collapse倒塌,\． Whittaker. \how you can predict it.\
A. Reinhorn, Ph.D．noted that \shaking has led to the collapse of many buildings in the past. It induces引诱； 引起 dynamic动力的，动力学的response and extremely极端地； 非常high stresses压力； 重力 and deformations变形 in structural components组成. Solutions developed for earthquake-resistant design may be directly applicable to blast engineering and terrorist-resistant design. Part of our mission任务
now at UB is to transfer转让these solutions and to develop new ones where none exist at present.
+第四十四篇Americans Get Touchy1
The New York Times recently reported that American teens are hugging practically everyone they see. Say goodbye to the greetings招呼, 问候 of the past, from the hands-off %up!\to the handshake or high-five2. For young people across the country, hugging is the new \
Girls are hugging girls. Boys are hugging boys. Girls and boys are hugging each other. And, like every major trend, there are lots of variations on the form. There's the classic, full-body, arms-around-the-person bear hug拥抱, the casual one-armed side hug, the group hug and the hug from behind. There's the handshake that turns into a hug and the hug that turns into a pat on the back.
As trends go, this one seems pretty innocent天真的, 单纯的. But some parents, teachers and school administrators are worried nonetheless仍然,但是. Will young people who aren't as comfortable with physical contact feel peer pressured into hugging? Will kids who don't receive hugs feel left Out3? Could an extra-long hug slide into the more ominous territory of sexual harassment?
In response to some of these concerns, some schools have set up new rules to limit or eliminate消除hugging. One school head has created a three-second limitation4 for hugs at her school. A few schools have taken even more drastic measures, placing a ban禁止;禁令on all forms of touching between students.
A few important points are being left out of the discussion. While the US has traditionally been reserved about touching - saving hugs and kisses for relatives, romantic partners and very close friends - people in many other parts of the world have been greeting each other this way for ages.
In Latin America or Western Europe, in countries like Spain, France, and Italy, a kiss on the cheek is common among women, as well as among women and men who are not romantically involved. The cheek-kiss varies by region区域. Sometimes it is just an air kiss blown past the face. In other places, the proper way of greeting is to deliver传送a kiss upon both cheeks, or sometimes even a triplet三个一组of kisses performed by kissing one cheek, then the other, then back to the first.
Latin American men are more likely to shake hands when greeting other men, but in some countries like Turkey土耳其, it's not unusual并未出现异常 for men who know each other well to exchange kisses on the cheek. Meanwhile与此同时, for the Maori people of New Zealand, a traditional greeting called the \鼻触礼\involves pressing noses together.