Heavily loaded passenger jets need long runways to gather enough speed to leave the ground. Runways at some large airports are longer than 3 000m(10 000 ft).
At night, bright lights line the runways so that pilots can find them without trouble. A system of flashing guide lights is set up beyond the runway to help pilots land safely.
Control Towers
People who work in control towers are called air traffic controllers. They direct the movements of all planes on the ground and in the air by keeping track of them on large radar screens. Air traffic controllers tell a pilot, by radio, when and where to taxi or pilot the plane down the runway.
Electronic equipment is used to guide airplanes. Long range radar is used to keep track of planes far away from the airport. This radar is called Ground Control Approach (GCA).When the airplane gets within a few miles of the runway, the air traffic controller begins to use Precision Approach Radar (PAR).This allows the controller to guide the airplane to within 0.4km(0.25mi)of the runway. At that point, the pilot completes the landing. Another electronic aid used in bad weather is the Instrument Landing System (ILS).In this system, radio transmitters located near the runway send guidance signals to the airplane. These signals tell the pilot how to steer the plane for the final approach to the runways. Today, there are also electronic "microwave" landing systems (MLS) that can land the plane fully automatically.
Terminal Buildings
Terminal buildings vary in size and shape. Most of them are quite large. More than 228 million people fly on the airlines in America every year. Every passenger must pass through terminals. Long, covered walkways lead from the center of some terminals to the gates where airplanes are boarded. At some airports, buses are used to transport passengers to their airplanes. Passengers arriving from another country must pass through customs and passport control. Customs officials check the incoming baggage for taxable items. They also check passengers to be sure no forbidden items are brought into the country. Passport officials check the passports of passengers for personal identification.
Passengers are not allowed to bring guns, knives, or other weapons onto a passenger airplane. Before boarding, they must walk through a detector which triggers a special signal if they are carrying anything made of metal. Luggage is also examined for weapons. This is done to ensure the safety of the passengers.
1. The main purpose of this passage is to introduce the history of airplanes.
2. The device of an automatic pilot can usually fly a plane more smoothly than a human pilot.
3. With the help of the radio equipment, pilots are able to communicate with ground controllers.
4. We can tell from the passage that early airplanes are not as solid as modern ones.
5. According to the passage, the busiest airport in the world is in Grapevine, Texas, midway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth.
6. The runways should be long and solid enough for the heavily loaded jets.
7. Precision Approach Radar (PAR) is used by air traffic controllers to keep track of airplanes far away from the airport.
8. The planes can be landed fully automatically if the control towers are equipped with .
9. After getting off the plane, every passenger arriving from another country must pass through .
10. When passengers go through a detector before they board, and anything made of metal is detected, the detector triggers .
Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
本文主要介绍了飞机的相关知识，包括飞机内部的一些重要仪器及它们的功能，飞机的制造和发展，指出了现代飞机与早期飞机的不同之处及相关问题;介绍了飞机场的规模和功用，飞机跑道、机场控制塔、机场大楼等的工作原理及作用等。
1. N)[精析]本文介绍了飞机、飞机场等有关设施的特点，并没有介绍飞机的发展史。
2. NG)[定位]由题干关键词an automatic pilot定位到第1个标题下的第二段第一句话。
[精析]原文指出自动驾驶仪无需驾驶员按任何按钮便可驾驶飞机，甚至可以自动起飞和降落。但并未提及它驾驶飞机比驾驶员强。
3. Y)[定位]由题干关键词the radio equipment定位到第1个小标题下第二段末句，"The radio equipment allows...to receive navigation signals."
[精析]该句意为"无线设备使驾驶员能够与地面控制人员谈话，接收导航信号"，是题干的同义转述。
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