Increasing reading speed
Directions： Do the phrase recognition drill below. Quickly underline or mark the key phrase every time it appears in the columns. Try to finish in 10 seconds or less by reading down the column， not left to right.
Starting Time：
Key phrase： the ground stationthe ground stationthe ground constant
the ground antenna the grounded circuit
the power station the ground station
the ground troops the ground floor
the ground station the police station
the railway station the ground station
the battle ground the atomic station
the ground station the ground control
the television station the ground station
the pumping station the sentry station
the ground station the central station
the ground distance the ground station
the ground station the station location
the space station the ground station
Finishing Time： Total Reading Time：
Check each line very carefully. The key phrase appears 10 times.
Teacher in the SkyOn May 30，1974， the worlds first direct broadcast satellite was sent into orbit from Cape Kennedy in the state of Florida. Thus began a new era， one of direct communication by satellite with inexpensive home receivers. Named the ATS6， the direct broadcast satellite was the realization of a concept for a satellite communications network that was first proposed in 1945.
How is the ATS6 used？ A visit to a small classroom in Tuba City， Arizona， will give us an idea of the practical application of direct communication by satellite in an educational situation. A group of students wait for their lesson from space. Besides the group in Tuba City， approximately 5，000 students in eight states and 55 other isolated communities located in the southwestern area of the U.S. are also waiting for their lesson from space.
The teacher makes the necessary adjustments on the television receiver and the students turn their attention to the TV screen. The first lesson， "Planning a Career in 20th Century America，"is about to begin. As the image， beamed live from ATS6， forms on the screen， 56 widely separated classrooms become one - electronically.
On the roof of the Tuba City school and on other roofs throughout the southwestern United States a threemeter high fiberglass antenna is pointed toward the southern sky and the satellite， which is in stationary orbit 36，000 kilometers above the Galapagos Islands.
The ATS6 is the first spacecraft to be equipped with a ninemeter antenna. Oriented toward the Earth from an altitude of 36，000 kilometers， the antenna focuses the wide range of electromagnetic frequencies that ATS6 can transmit toward very small stations on the ground. The antenna can also collect relatively weak transmissions from the ground stations. Thus， the cost and complexity of ground equipment is lowered and its availability to average users is increased.
In order to take full advantage of the capabilities of ATS6， a number of U.S. government agencies worked together to conceive and implement cooperative projects for direct experimental broadcasts. In the main， the plans called for broadcasts of educational and health information to small communities spread across 1，485，000 square kilometers of the United States. Most of these communities had no television programs at all until the ATS6 supplied them.
Other experiments ranged from teacher training via direct schooltoschool satellite conferences to the exchange of health data between veterans hospitals via individual hospital antennas. ATS6 was being used essentially 24 hours a day in such exploration of the uses， techniques， and problems of this revolutionary tool.
Besides the satellite， the principal component of the new satellite education program is the small， specially designed， lowcost ground station. The ground stations are completely solidstate in construction， very simple to operate and maintain and modular in design. The interchange ability of pacts， plugin maintenance， and modular design were developed by four U.S. corporations and are the heart of lowcost access for all users to direct satellite transmissions.
——from Short Readings in Science
Time： 494 words= wpm
MinutesEXERCISESⅠ。 READING COMPREHENSION
Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage.
1. The idea of the practical application of direct communication by satellite was first introduced .
A. in 1974B. when ATS6 was launched from Cape Kennedy
C. in 1945 D. by a small class in Tuba City
2. In a small classroom in Tuba City， students are waiting for their lesson from space - a lesson taught by a teacher in .
A. the ATS6B. a space station
C. the TV studio in Tuba City
D. a faroff place， the signals of which are transmitted by the ATS6
3. The word "teacher" in the first line of paragraph 3 most probably refers to the one who .
A. is only responsible for coaching the students of his class
B. is to give the lesson
C. is responsible for adjusting the TV receiver
D. is in a communications satellite
4. As the lesson is broadcast live， 56 separated classes become one in the sense that they all .
A. listen to the same teacher
B. live in the southwestern part of the U. S.
C. major in the same subject
D. learn their lessons at the same place
5. We can learn from the passage that the Galapagos Islands are to the of the Southwestern United States.
A. northB. southC. northeastD. northwest
6. It can be inferred that the ATS6 .
A. circles the earth at a speed faster than the earths rotation speed
B. orbits the earth at the same speed as the earths rotation speed
C. goes around the earth at a speed lower than the earths rotation speed
D. revolves around the earth at an irregular speed
7. The antenna on ATS6 can play either of the following two roles when needed： .
A. to send out electromagnetic waves toward ground stations， or receive signals from them
B. to reduce the cost and complexity of ground equipment， or increase the availability of satellite communications to average users
C. to collect relatively weak transmissions from the ground stations or convert the electromagnetic signals into pictures
D. to focus the wide range of electromagnetic frequencies transmitted toward ATS6 on the ground or send out relatively weak signals toward the ground stations
8. The ATS6 was working on a 24hour basis， broadcasting programs.
A. commercial B. experimental
C. educational and healthinformationD. recreational
9. This passage is mainly about .
A. the ATS6 and its ground stations B. experiments on the ATS6
C. multipurpose communication by the ATS6
D. the direct communication by satellite in educational departments
Ⅱ。 CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE
Read the following article and figure out the meaning of the words in italics using the context given and wordbuilding skills.
Artificial satellites can be used for various purposes. The following are some different types of satellites.
1. Weather Satellites： These satellites help in forecasting the weather. They contain special cameras which can photograph the formation of clouds all over the Earth from space. Scientists are able to forecast the weather by studying these photographs.
2. Communications Satellites： These satellites orbit at a much higher level than weather satellites. They contain special instruments which can pass on or relay radio and television programs or telephone messages from one station to another.
3. Scientific Satellites： These satellites carry scientific instruments which can gather various information about space. Such satellites have been able to send back information about radiation， meteors and magnetism in space.
4. Probes： These are unmanned spacecraft which scientists send to the moon and the planets. They send back information and closeup photographs of these places.
The information sent back by artificial satellites helped scientists to send manned spacecraft safely into space. This created a new group of explorers - spacemen.
——from Basic English Drills B. I. p. 155
Ⅲ。 CLOZE
Complete the following passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate words.
Most Powerful INTELSAT
A new communications satellite， with greater capacity than any previous civilian comsat （民用通訊衛(wèi)星 ）， has been launched into geosynchronous orbit （地球同步軌道）。 INTELSAT V is the first of 1 will be a network 2 nine such spacecraft. Boosted 3 orbit atop an AtlasCentaur 4 from Kennedy Space 5 in Florida，it will be locked in 6 22，300 miles 7 the Atlantic Ocean. The nine INTELSAT V satellites will eventually 8 three oceans： the Atlantic， 9 and Indian. Built by Ford Aerospace and Communications Corp.， the new satellite 10 twice the capacity of the INTELSAT IVA now in 11. It will provide 12，000 12 telephone voice channels and two colorTV channels.
INTELSAT stands 13 the International Telecommunications 14 Organization， a 105member 15 system that now 16 more than a billion people and 17 twothirds of all 18 ， transoceanic communications traffic - TV， 19， teletypewriter messages， and highspeed 20 transmissions.
One important change in INTELSAT V is that it is a nonspinning， threeaxisstabilized design. Spinstabilized satellites， because they are constantly rotating， present only about a third of the surface of their solar panels （太陽能電池板） to the sun at one time. But a nonspinning satellite can orient its solar panels to the sun all the time， thus easing the design of the power supply. The solar "wings" of INTELSAT V stretch 50 feet from tip to tip and carry 17， 576 cells.
——from Popular Science， March 1981
Directions： Do the phrase recognition drill below. Quickly underline or mark the key phrase every time it appears in the columns. Try to finish in 10 seconds or less by reading down the column， not left to right.
Starting Time：
Key phrase： the ground stationthe ground stationthe ground constant
the ground antenna the grounded circuit
the power station the ground station
the ground troops the ground floor
the ground station the police station
the railway station the ground station
the battle ground the atomic station
the ground station the ground control
the television station the ground station
the pumping station the sentry station
the ground station the central station
the ground distance the ground station
the ground station the station location
the space station the ground station
Finishing Time： Total Reading Time：
Check each line very carefully. The key phrase appears 10 times.
Teacher in the SkyOn May 30，1974， the worlds first direct broadcast satellite was sent into orbit from Cape Kennedy in the state of Florida. Thus began a new era， one of direct communication by satellite with inexpensive home receivers. Named the ATS6， the direct broadcast satellite was the realization of a concept for a satellite communications network that was first proposed in 1945.
How is the ATS6 used？ A visit to a small classroom in Tuba City， Arizona， will give us an idea of the practical application of direct communication by satellite in an educational situation. A group of students wait for their lesson from space. Besides the group in Tuba City， approximately 5，000 students in eight states and 55 other isolated communities located in the southwestern area of the U.S. are also waiting for their lesson from space.
The teacher makes the necessary adjustments on the television receiver and the students turn their attention to the TV screen. The first lesson， "Planning a Career in 20th Century America，"is about to begin. As the image， beamed live from ATS6， forms on the screen， 56 widely separated classrooms become one - electronically.
On the roof of the Tuba City school and on other roofs throughout the southwestern United States a threemeter high fiberglass antenna is pointed toward the southern sky and the satellite， which is in stationary orbit 36，000 kilometers above the Galapagos Islands.
The ATS6 is the first spacecraft to be equipped with a ninemeter antenna. Oriented toward the Earth from an altitude of 36，000 kilometers， the antenna focuses the wide range of electromagnetic frequencies that ATS6 can transmit toward very small stations on the ground. The antenna can also collect relatively weak transmissions from the ground stations. Thus， the cost and complexity of ground equipment is lowered and its availability to average users is increased.
In order to take full advantage of the capabilities of ATS6， a number of U.S. government agencies worked together to conceive and implement cooperative projects for direct experimental broadcasts. In the main， the plans called for broadcasts of educational and health information to small communities spread across 1，485，000 square kilometers of the United States. Most of these communities had no television programs at all until the ATS6 supplied them.
Other experiments ranged from teacher training via direct schooltoschool satellite conferences to the exchange of health data between veterans hospitals via individual hospital antennas. ATS6 was being used essentially 24 hours a day in such exploration of the uses， techniques， and problems of this revolutionary tool.
Besides the satellite， the principal component of the new satellite education program is the small， specially designed， lowcost ground station. The ground stations are completely solidstate in construction， very simple to operate and maintain and modular in design. The interchange ability of pacts， plugin maintenance， and modular design were developed by four U.S. corporations and are the heart of lowcost access for all users to direct satellite transmissions.
——from Short Readings in Science
Time： 494 words= wpm
MinutesEXERCISESⅠ。 READING COMPREHENSION
Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage.
1. The idea of the practical application of direct communication by satellite was first introduced .
A. in 1974B. when ATS6 was launched from Cape Kennedy
C. in 1945 D. by a small class in Tuba City
2. In a small classroom in Tuba City， students are waiting for their lesson from space - a lesson taught by a teacher in .
A. the ATS6B. a space station
C. the TV studio in Tuba City
D. a faroff place， the signals of which are transmitted by the ATS6
3. The word "teacher" in the first line of paragraph 3 most probably refers to the one who .
A. is only responsible for coaching the students of his class
B. is to give the lesson
C. is responsible for adjusting the TV receiver
D. is in a communications satellite
4. As the lesson is broadcast live， 56 separated classes become one in the sense that they all .
A. listen to the same teacher
B. live in the southwestern part of the U. S.
C. major in the same subject
D. learn their lessons at the same place
5. We can learn from the passage that the Galapagos Islands are to the of the Southwestern United States.
A. northB. southC. northeastD. northwest
6. It can be inferred that the ATS6 .
A. circles the earth at a speed faster than the earths rotation speed
B. orbits the earth at the same speed as the earths rotation speed
C. goes around the earth at a speed lower than the earths rotation speed
D. revolves around the earth at an irregular speed
7. The antenna on ATS6 can play either of the following two roles when needed： .
A. to send out electromagnetic waves toward ground stations， or receive signals from them
B. to reduce the cost and complexity of ground equipment， or increase the availability of satellite communications to average users
C. to collect relatively weak transmissions from the ground stations or convert the electromagnetic signals into pictures
D. to focus the wide range of electromagnetic frequencies transmitted toward ATS6 on the ground or send out relatively weak signals toward the ground stations
8. The ATS6 was working on a 24hour basis， broadcasting programs.
A. commercial B. experimental
C. educational and healthinformationD. recreational
9. This passage is mainly about .
A. the ATS6 and its ground stations B. experiments on the ATS6
C. multipurpose communication by the ATS6
D. the direct communication by satellite in educational departments
Ⅱ。 CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE
Read the following article and figure out the meaning of the words in italics using the context given and wordbuilding skills.
Artificial satellites can be used for various purposes. The following are some different types of satellites.
1. Weather Satellites： These satellites help in forecasting the weather. They contain special cameras which can photograph the formation of clouds all over the Earth from space. Scientists are able to forecast the weather by studying these photographs.
2. Communications Satellites： These satellites orbit at a much higher level than weather satellites. They contain special instruments which can pass on or relay radio and television programs or telephone messages from one station to another.
3. Scientific Satellites： These satellites carry scientific instruments which can gather various information about space. Such satellites have been able to send back information about radiation， meteors and magnetism in space.
4. Probes： These are unmanned spacecraft which scientists send to the moon and the planets. They send back information and closeup photographs of these places.
The information sent back by artificial satellites helped scientists to send manned spacecraft safely into space. This created a new group of explorers - spacemen.
——from Basic English Drills B. I. p. 155
Ⅲ。 CLOZE
Complete the following passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate words.
Most Powerful INTELSAT
A new communications satellite， with greater capacity than any previous civilian comsat （民用通訊衛(wèi)星 ）， has been launched into geosynchronous orbit （地球同步軌道）。 INTELSAT V is the first of 1 will be a network 2 nine such spacecraft. Boosted 3 orbit atop an AtlasCentaur 4 from Kennedy Space 5 in Florida，it will be locked in 6 22，300 miles 7 the Atlantic Ocean. The nine INTELSAT V satellites will eventually 8 three oceans： the Atlantic， 9 and Indian. Built by Ford Aerospace and Communications Corp.， the new satellite 10 twice the capacity of the INTELSAT IVA now in 11. It will provide 12，000 12 telephone voice channels and two colorTV channels.
INTELSAT stands 13 the International Telecommunications 14 Organization， a 105member 15 system that now 16 more than a billion people and 17 twothirds of all 18 ， transoceanic communications traffic - TV， 19， teletypewriter messages， and highspeed 20 transmissions.
One important change in INTELSAT V is that it is a nonspinning， threeaxisstabilized design. Spinstabilized satellites， because they are constantly rotating， present only about a third of the surface of their solar panels （太陽能電池板） to the sun at one time. But a nonspinning satellite can orient its solar panels to the sun all the time， thus easing the design of the power supply. The solar "wings" of INTELSAT V stretch 50 feet from tip to tip and carry 17， 576 cells.
——from Popular Science， March 1981