For years and years people have been saying that railways are dead. “We can do without railways,” people say—as if cars and planes have made railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, lose money and are dying. But this is far from the truth. In these days of expensive oil, railways have become highly competitive with cars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they’re cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, a railway takes you from the heart of a city center. It doesn’t stop you as a car does on crowded roads. And no plane or car can ever carry as many goods as one train does.
Far from being dead, railways are much alive. Modern railway lines give you a comfortable journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep comfortably, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at the same time? And we are only the beginning, for we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, which are traveling 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on highways and planes we can’t fly in because we don’t have enough money to buy the oil.
【小题1】Some people think railways are dying because______.

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 make such a car-plane called “Transition”, to customers(顾客) by the end of 2012. “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 needed 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 an easier 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 leave it in the car park at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum take-off weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be something else you need to pay, like a radio, transponder or GPS and so on.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders. “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 _________.

--- What a day! It’s raining again, I’m afraid we can’t fly a kite.

   ---- Don’t worry, it won’t _____long.

A. live     B. last     C. wait     D. go

The world we live is full of amazing things. Do you know the following things?
Chocolate tastes nice but it may make the little dog die.
We may sleep for eight hours at a time but a snail (蜗牛) may sleep for three years.
Our ears and nose become bigger when we grow up but eyes keep the same after a person is born.
Food usually goes bad easily in summer but you don’t need to worry about how to keep honey (蜂蜜) because honey doesn’t go bad.
Most animals will die soon without the head. But a cockroach (蟑螂) can live for nine or ten days without the head.
Not all birds can fly. About forty kinds of birds can’t fly, like the penguin (企鹅) and the ostrich (鸵鸟).

A leading biologist has found the angels and fairies that sit at top of Christmas trees did not get there under their own power.

Prof Roger Wotton, from University College London, found that flight would be impossible for angels with arms and bird-like feathered wings.  

"Angels cannot take off and cannot use powered flight,” said Prof Wotton. “They would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off - such high winds that they would be blown away."

Some the world’s most famous religious paintings and architecture make most Americans believe in angels.

The study found that 68 per cent of the 36,000 adults thought that angels and demons (魔鬼) were at work in the world.

According to the latest study, angels lack the powerful muscles which allow birds to beat their wings.

 Prof Wotton’s paper explores why there are so many stories about angels. “Angels are very powerful religious icons for people with faith. Their similarity to humans adds to their power. At the same time, they have wings on them because they are more than human. They take messages to heaven and therefore have to fly.” said the academic.

1.What did the leading biologist find?

A.The angels and fairies are very powerful.

B.It’s impossible for angels and fairies to fly.

C.The flight would be possible for angels with arms and bird-like feathered wings.

D.The angels and fairies can sit on the tree under their own power.

2.What’s the Chinese meaning of the word “architecture” ?

A.油画      B. 建筑   C.鸟巢   D. 天堂

3.According to the article, how many adults thought that there were real angels and demons?

       A. 68.     B. 36,000   C. 24,480   D. 3,600

4. Which of the following is True?

A. Angels can’t fly because they lack the powerful muscles which allow birds to beat their wings.

B. Most Americans don’t believe in angels.

C .Angels can take off and can use powered flight.

D. Angels are not the same to the humans.

5.Why do many people believe angels can fly？

A.Angels are real human beings.

B.Angels with wings can take messages to heaven and therefore have to fly.

C.Angels are very similar to the humans.

D.Angels are powerful.