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： an aircraft designan aircraft designan airtight vessel
an airplane design an aircraft design
an airline hostess a modern aircraft
an aircraft design an aircraft carrier
a spacecraft design an aircraft design
an aircraft design an airfield design
an airline designer an aircraft engine
an airfield design an aircraft design
an airtight attack an aerodrom design
an aircraft design an airborne troop
an aircraft division an aircraft design
an aircraft design a computer design
an aircraft spotter an aircraft design
an airmail letter an air engine design
Finishing time： Total Reading Time：
Check each line very carefully. Key phrase appears 10 times.
Flight Recorder - Airborne Record KeeperEarly on the morning of Thursday， Dec. 12，1985， a DC-8 jet aircraft lumbered down a runway at Gander， Newfoundland. The plane carried 248 members of the U.S. Armys 101st Airborne Division heading home for Christmas from duty in the Middle East. Freezing drizzle and light snow had been falling steadily for a while. Nevertheless， the plane swept ahead and rose from the runway. It stayed in the air for just about half a mile and then plunged into a forest killing all aboard.
What caused the fiery tragedy？ Investigators from the Canadian Aviation Safety Board， assisted by U.S. experts， rushed to the scene to find out. One thing they would look for was a "black box" - the planes flight recorder.
Crash RecordThe DC-8s flight recorder was designed to record thousands of bits of information about the performance of the plane and its pilots. Such information would have included a continuous record of the performance of the landing gear， the engines， and the moveable control surfaces on the wings and tail. Air speed， altitude， and direction of flight would also have been recorded.
Two dozen or so sensors would have picked up information from the engines alone and fed it to the flight recorder. Engine data would have included how fast fuel was being pumped to the engines， the temperature and pressure of air， gas， and oil， and whether each engine was in forward or reverse.
All voice communications to and from the pilots would also have been recorded. Perhaps something had been said at the last moment that would provide a clue to the planes crash.
CrashproofingBut how could such a seemingly delicate instrument withstand the impact and searing flames of the accident？ The "black box" is enclosed in heavy steel and is protected with a number of layers of heat-resisting insulators and shock absorbing materials. All of this creates a "wall" that can withstand an impact equal to 100gs - 100 times the normal force of gravity. The "wall" can also withstand temperatures of 1093℃ （2，000） for up to 30 minutes. Whats more， the flight recorder is waterproof. So a dip in the ocean - for up to two days - will not destroy its tapes.
Although flight recorders may provide valuable clues to an airplane accident， they have other standard uses. For example， data from the parts of new aircraft being tested can provide extremely valuable information about flight performance. This kind of information can be fed into a computer and， when analyzed， can help engineers modify aircraft design.
Flight recorders are also used to warn a pilot that a change is happening in an aircraft that could affect its safety. The pilot can then take action to avoid danger.
What mused the crash of the DC-8 last Dec. 12th？ As we went to press the answer had not yet been found. Is it hidden in the jets "black box"？ The device， the investigators reported， was old. Too old to stand up to the crash？ Or just young enough to solve this sad riddle？
——from Science World， Feb. 21， 1986
Time： 525 words = wpm
Minutes
EXERCISESⅠ。 READING COMPREHENSION
Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage.
1. On a December morning in 1985， a jet aeroplane carried 248 U.S. soldiers who were to .
A. be on duty in the Middle East
B. leave their military base in Newfoundland for home
C. have routine parachuting exercises
D. enjoy their Christmas days with their families
2. The "black box" could not record such information as .
A. the performance of the landing gears and the engines
B. ground visibility and detailed weather conditions
C. air speed， altitude and the performance of the moveable control surfaces on the wings and tail
D. the performance of the plane and its pilots
3. Around 24 sensors will pick up information from .
A. both the engines and the landing gears and then transmit it to the flight recorder
B. the engines alone and send it to the flight recorder
C. the engines and feed it to the control tower at the airport
D. the oil tank alone and then feed it to the oil gauge
4. The "black box" can stand up to a temperature as high as .
A. 1093℃ for at most 30 minutes because it is well insulated against heat
B. 2，000 for at least 30 minutes because it is enclosed in heavy steel
C. 1093 for up to 30 minutes because it is protected with heat resisting insulators
D. 1093℃ for at most 30 minutes because it is well protected with shock absorbing materials
5. The flight recorder is waterproof， so it can .
A. float on the sea water for at least two days
B. be immersed in water for up to two days without having steel surface corroded
C. be dipped in water for at most two days without having its tapes destroyed
D. prove whether the liquid is water or not
6. According to the passage， the flight recorder is .
A. used for the sole purpose of giving significant clues in what causes a crash
B. a multipurpose device
C. used for providing valuable clues to a crash as well as recording the dialogues between the pilots and the passengers on board
D. used only to inform a pilot of the malfunction of a certain part of the plane
7. The direct cause of the DC-8 planes crash .
A. was kept secret by the U. S. Air Force B. lay in the defective engines
C. lay in the overload of the planeD. remains a mystery
8. Which of the following is true according to the information of the passage ？
A. If there had not been light snow， the plane would not have crashed.
B. If the sensors had not failed to detect the malfunction of the left engines， the tragedy would not have happened.
C. If the mechanic had checked the plane thoroughly， the accident would not have occurred.
D. The author was puzzled about the reason for the crash of the DC-8 on Dec. 12，1985.
Ⅱ。 CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE
Looking up unfamiliar words in a dictionary is timeconsuming and should only be done as a last resort. Try to guess the meaning of the words in italics in the following passage.
At 2 P.M. on Dec.5， 1945， five Navy bombers took off in perfect flying weather from the Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale， Fla. on a routine training mission over the Atlantic Ocean. Less than two hours later， the flight commander radioed that he was "completely lost." Then there was silence A rescue plane was sent to search for the missing aircraft and it， too， disappeared. In all， six planes and 28 men vanished that day without a trace. Despite one of historys most extensive search efforts， involving more than 300 planes and dozens of ships， the Navy was unable to discover even floating wreckage or a telltale oil slick.
This is just one of the many chilling stories told of "The Bermuda Triangle，" a mysterious area of the Atlantic Ocean roughly stretching south from Bermuda to the Florida coast and Puerto Rico. During the past 30 years， the triangle has claimed the lives of some 1，000 seamen and pilots. Among sailors， it is known variously as "The Triangle of Death，" "The Hoodoo Sea，" and "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the mysterious calms， waterspouts， and sudden storms that have bothered seafarers in its water.
Ⅲ。 CLOZE
Complete the following passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate words.
An Usolved Mystery
Did you know that the mystery of the sailing ship， the Mary Celeste， has never been solved？
The Del Gratia set 1 from York harbour 2 November 1872 3 a voyage to Gibraltar. The sea 4 calm， and for a whole month the 5 was completely uneventful. Then in midAtlantic the crew 6 a lonely ship. The skipper， captain Morehouse， at 7 recognized it 8 the Mary Celeste， 9 she had set sail only a couple of of days 10 the Del Gratia. He knew that her 11， Benjamin Briggs， had taken his wife 12 twoyearold daughter Sophia 13 him. He had a crew of seven and his 14 was oil and alcohol.
The Mary Celeste was 15 a very unsteady course. She seemed to 16 drifting， with the wind and 17. Cantain Morchouse looked 18 his telescope in surprise. Whatever 19 Captain Briggs doing？ Then he looked again and saw 20 the decks of the Mary Celeste were deserted. There was no one at the wheel and not a soul could be seen.
Captain Morehouse signaled to the Mary Celeste， but no signal came back. Then he sent three of his crew in a small boat to investigate. They went on board， but found no sign of life. They found no sign of Captain Briggs or his wife or his daughter. They found no sign of the crew. More surprising still， they found no sign of fire or violence or death. There was nothing wrong with the ship. Her cargo was intact（未觸動的；完整的）。 The captains cabin was undisturbed. No ones belongings had been touched. The only things missing were the ships papers and her only boat.
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： an aircraft designan aircraft designan airtight vessel
an airplane design an aircraft design
an airline hostess a modern aircraft
an aircraft design an aircraft carrier
a spacecraft design an aircraft design
an aircraft design an airfield design
an airline designer an aircraft engine
an airfield design an aircraft design
an airtight attack an aerodrom design
an aircraft design an airborne troop
an aircraft division an aircraft design
an aircraft design a computer design
an aircraft spotter an aircraft design
an airmail letter an air engine design
Finishing time： Total Reading Time：
Check each line very carefully. Key phrase appears 10 times.
Flight Recorder - Airborne Record KeeperEarly on the morning of Thursday， Dec. 12，1985， a DC-8 jet aircraft lumbered down a runway at Gander， Newfoundland. The plane carried 248 members of the U.S. Armys 101st Airborne Division heading home for Christmas from duty in the Middle East. Freezing drizzle and light snow had been falling steadily for a while. Nevertheless， the plane swept ahead and rose from the runway. It stayed in the air for just about half a mile and then plunged into a forest killing all aboard.
What caused the fiery tragedy？ Investigators from the Canadian Aviation Safety Board， assisted by U.S. experts， rushed to the scene to find out. One thing they would look for was a "black box" - the planes flight recorder.
Crash RecordThe DC-8s flight recorder was designed to record thousands of bits of information about the performance of the plane and its pilots. Such information would have included a continuous record of the performance of the landing gear， the engines， and the moveable control surfaces on the wings and tail. Air speed， altitude， and direction of flight would also have been recorded.
Two dozen or so sensors would have picked up information from the engines alone and fed it to the flight recorder. Engine data would have included how fast fuel was being pumped to the engines， the temperature and pressure of air， gas， and oil， and whether each engine was in forward or reverse.
All voice communications to and from the pilots would also have been recorded. Perhaps something had been said at the last moment that would provide a clue to the planes crash.
CrashproofingBut how could such a seemingly delicate instrument withstand the impact and searing flames of the accident？ The "black box" is enclosed in heavy steel and is protected with a number of layers of heat-resisting insulators and shock absorbing materials. All of this creates a "wall" that can withstand an impact equal to 100gs - 100 times the normal force of gravity. The "wall" can also withstand temperatures of 1093℃ （2，000） for up to 30 minutes. Whats more， the flight recorder is waterproof. So a dip in the ocean - for up to two days - will not destroy its tapes.
Although flight recorders may provide valuable clues to an airplane accident， they have other standard uses. For example， data from the parts of new aircraft being tested can provide extremely valuable information about flight performance. This kind of information can be fed into a computer and， when analyzed， can help engineers modify aircraft design.
Flight recorders are also used to warn a pilot that a change is happening in an aircraft that could affect its safety. The pilot can then take action to avoid danger.
What mused the crash of the DC-8 last Dec. 12th？ As we went to press the answer had not yet been found. Is it hidden in the jets "black box"？ The device， the investigators reported， was old. Too old to stand up to the crash？ Or just young enough to solve this sad riddle？
——from Science World， Feb. 21， 1986
Time： 525 words = wpm
Minutes
EXERCISESⅠ。 READING COMPREHENSION
Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage.
1. On a December morning in 1985， a jet aeroplane carried 248 U.S. soldiers who were to .
A. be on duty in the Middle East
B. leave their military base in Newfoundland for home
C. have routine parachuting exercises
D. enjoy their Christmas days with their families
2. The "black box" could not record such information as .
A. the performance of the landing gears and the engines
B. ground visibility and detailed weather conditions
C. air speed， altitude and the performance of the moveable control surfaces on the wings and tail
D. the performance of the plane and its pilots
3. Around 24 sensors will pick up information from .
A. both the engines and the landing gears and then transmit it to the flight recorder
B. the engines alone and send it to the flight recorder
C. the engines and feed it to the control tower at the airport
D. the oil tank alone and then feed it to the oil gauge
4. The "black box" can stand up to a temperature as high as .
A. 1093℃ for at most 30 minutes because it is well insulated against heat
B. 2，000 for at least 30 minutes because it is enclosed in heavy steel
C. 1093 for up to 30 minutes because it is protected with heat resisting insulators
D. 1093℃ for at most 30 minutes because it is well protected with shock absorbing materials
5. The flight recorder is waterproof， so it can .
A. float on the sea water for at least two days
B. be immersed in water for up to two days without having steel surface corroded
C. be dipped in water for at most two days without having its tapes destroyed
D. prove whether the liquid is water or not
6. According to the passage， the flight recorder is .
A. used for the sole purpose of giving significant clues in what causes a crash
B. a multipurpose device
C. used for providing valuable clues to a crash as well as recording the dialogues between the pilots and the passengers on board
D. used only to inform a pilot of the malfunction of a certain part of the plane
7. The direct cause of the DC-8 planes crash .
A. was kept secret by the U. S. Air Force B. lay in the defective engines
C. lay in the overload of the planeD. remains a mystery
8. Which of the following is true according to the information of the passage ？
A. If there had not been light snow， the plane would not have crashed.
B. If the sensors had not failed to detect the malfunction of the left engines， the tragedy would not have happened.
C. If the mechanic had checked the plane thoroughly， the accident would not have occurred.
D. The author was puzzled about the reason for the crash of the DC-8 on Dec. 12，1985.
Ⅱ。 CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE
Looking up unfamiliar words in a dictionary is timeconsuming and should only be done as a last resort. Try to guess the meaning of the words in italics in the following passage.
At 2 P.M. on Dec.5， 1945， five Navy bombers took off in perfect flying weather from the Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale， Fla. on a routine training mission over the Atlantic Ocean. Less than two hours later， the flight commander radioed that he was "completely lost." Then there was silence A rescue plane was sent to search for the missing aircraft and it， too， disappeared. In all， six planes and 28 men vanished that day without a trace. Despite one of historys most extensive search efforts， involving more than 300 planes and dozens of ships， the Navy was unable to discover even floating wreckage or a telltale oil slick.
This is just one of the many chilling stories told of "The Bermuda Triangle，" a mysterious area of the Atlantic Ocean roughly stretching south from Bermuda to the Florida coast and Puerto Rico. During the past 30 years， the triangle has claimed the lives of some 1，000 seamen and pilots. Among sailors， it is known variously as "The Triangle of Death，" "The Hoodoo Sea，" and "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the mysterious calms， waterspouts， and sudden storms that have bothered seafarers in its water.
Ⅲ。 CLOZE
Complete the following passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate words.
An Usolved Mystery
Did you know that the mystery of the sailing ship， the Mary Celeste， has never been solved？
The Del Gratia set 1 from York harbour 2 November 1872 3 a voyage to Gibraltar. The sea 4 calm， and for a whole month the 5 was completely uneventful. Then in midAtlantic the crew 6 a lonely ship. The skipper， captain Morehouse， at 7 recognized it 8 the Mary Celeste， 9 she had set sail only a couple of of days 10 the Del Gratia. He knew that her 11， Benjamin Briggs， had taken his wife 12 twoyearold daughter Sophia 13 him. He had a crew of seven and his 14 was oil and alcohol.
The Mary Celeste was 15 a very unsteady course. She seemed to 16 drifting， with the wind and 17. Cantain Morchouse looked 18 his telescope in surprise. Whatever 19 Captain Briggs doing？ Then he looked again and saw 20 the decks of the Mary Celeste were deserted. There was no one at the wheel and not a soul could be seen.
Captain Morehouse signaled to the Mary Celeste， but no signal came back. Then he sent three of his crew in a small boat to investigate. They went on board， but found no sign of life. They found no sign of Captain Briggs or his wife or his daughter. They found no sign of the crew. More surprising still， they found no sign of fire or violence or death. There was nothing wrong with the ship. Her cargo was intact（未觸動的；完整的）。 The captains cabin was undisturbed. No ones belongings had been touched. The only things missing were the ships papers and her only boat.