【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 CA few years ago, a pilot had to have perfect eyesight and a college degree if he or she wanted to land a job with an American airline. But today, airlines have waived（宣布放棄） those requirements because they can’t find enough qualified pilots. Airlines must hire up to 6200 new pilots in the next decade. But qualified pilots are few and far between in the United States. Every year there are more planes being flown. At the same time, 12 to 15 foreign countries are recruiting （招聘）American pilots. As a result, pilots are earning spectacular salaries. The going rate for skilled pilots is well over $ 90,000 a year. Some pilots can earn about $ 160,000 plus free housing working for foreign airlines. Because of the shortage, some people say unqualified pilots are being allowed to fly planes. They fear the number of crashed will skyrocket. Each year, more and more pilots with less than 2,000 hours of experience are being hired. Airlines are also bringing on board many more pilots who are older than 50, although law requires pilots to retire at age 60. Being an airline pilot is a difficult job that requires people to make life and death decisions under pressure. Some pilots crack under the pressure. The military is also having a hard time keeping pilots. Air Force pilots must mit to spending at least six years in the Air Force. The Air force invests millions of dollars to train each pilot, so it doesn’t want to lose them. Experts say this problem is going to get a lot worse. Congress may establish a mission to study the country’s pilot needs. In the meantime, salaries of pilots will continue to rise and the number of crashes may keep pace.49. The main idea of the article is ____________A. a shortage of pilots is caused by airlines and the military.B. there have been more crashes because pilots have worse eyesight and higher salariesC. a shortage of pilots may lead to more crashesD. airlines should hire more pilots even if they’re unqualified.50. Today a pilot no longer needs __________A. perfect eyesightB. military trainingC. two college degreesD. to be recruited51. Most pilots earn ___________A. less than $ 90,000B. more than $ 90,000C. about $ 160,000 or free housingD. about $ 160,000 and free housing52. Air Force pilots should stay in the Air Force because ___________A. the Air Force is a good place to workB. the Air Force pays more than airlinesC. the military should have a hard time keeping pilotsD. the Air Force spends a lot of money training themDImagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．Sounds unusual，doesn39。t it? But it39。s not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system．And that’s not all．China has an even greater high—speed railway plan to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．China is negotiating to extend its own highspeed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming withSingapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．w_w w. k o*mIf China’s plan for the highspeed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes． China’s bullet train(高速客車)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．Of course，there are some technical challenges to overe．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(軌距)，maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan ondomestic railway expansion．China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capitalinvestment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．It’ll be a winwin project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better munication among those countries．For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some muchneeded resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the ing decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With highspeed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all．And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．53．China’s new highspeed railway plan will be a winwin project because ． A．China will get muchneeded resources and develop its western regions B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways C．China will develop its railway system and munication with other countries D． the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism54．According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new highspeed railway plan is ． A．technical issues B．safety of the system C．financial problems D．maintenance of railway tracks55．Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s highspeed railway plan? A．Critical． B．Reserved． C．Doubtful D. Positive．56．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage? A．New Railway Standar