3．In the 1920s，the airlines were just beginning．It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous．In those days，there were no flight attendants（服务） to look after the passengers．Young men，or"stewards"helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers'luggage（行李）but they did not provide food and drinks．But then in 1930，a woman called Ellen Church invented the"stewardess"．
Ellen Church was born in 1904on a farm in Iowa．She was a different child．She didn't want to work on a farm or marry a farmer-she wanted a more adventurous（冒险的）life．Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital．For the next few years she stayed at the hospital and at the same time took flying lessons and got her pilot's license．
Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport．She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man's world．Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous，she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot．But she had another idea．Most people were frightened of flying because flying was still an unreliable（不可靠的） way to travel．There were often delays（延误），many crashes and the bad weather made many passengers sick．Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B．A．T．agreed．
The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses．
At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes，but passengers loved the stewardesses．In 1940there were around 1000of them working for different airlines．The early"stewardesses"had to be under twenty-five-year-old，single and slim．When a woman joined an airline，she had to promise not to get married or have children．It was hard job and not well paid．They worked long hours and earned＄1an hour．
In the 1970s，stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes．Since the 1970s，"stewardesses"have been called flight attendants．They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past．
38．From the first paragraph，we know thatA．
A．the word"stewardess"was made up by Ellen Church
B．Ellen Church was the first woman who flew a plane
C．Food and drinks were offered on the plane then．
D．Travelling by air was very popular because of the flight attendants．
39．From the second paragraph，we learn thatA．
A．Ellen did not behave（行为） in the same way as most as other girls
B．Ellen's family was not rich enough to support her education
C．Ellen was fond of working as a nurse in the hospital
D．Ellen has an unhappy childhood that changed her completely
40．Boeing Air Transport （BAT） offered Ellen the job because ofC．
A．her flying experience
B．her university education
C．her nursing experience
D．her life attitudes（态度）
41．According to the passage，in the 1940s a woman had toD if she wanted to be a stewardess．
A．be a nurse
B．be married
C．be a mother
D．be young
42．The passage mainly talks aboutC．
A．the background of early flying pilots
B．the experience of flying passengers
C．the history of early flight attendants
D．the development of airplanes．
分析 本文是一篇说明文．文章通过介绍艾伦如何成长为空姐，从而介绍了早期空姐的发展史，最开始飞机上没有空姐，艾伦是一名护士，后来考得了飞行执照，但是那时候女人是不能开飞机的，因此她提出可以照顾因各种原因生病的乘客，后来飞机上就有了空姐．现在空姐的工作时间比过去少，而报酬却很多．
解答 38．答案：A．细节理解题．根据第一段最后一句a woman called Ellen Church invented the"stewardess"一个叫艾伦丘奇的女人发明了"空姐"．选A．
39．答案：A．细节理解题．根据第二段第二句She was a different child．She didn't want to work on a farm or marry a farmer-she wanted a more adventurous（冒险的）life．她是一个不同的孩子．她不想在农场工作，也不想嫁给一个农民--她想要一个更有冒险精神的生活．可知，她的想法与别人不同，故选A．
40．答案：C．推理判断题．根据第二段最后两句Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital．For the next few years she stayed at the hospital but also took flying lessons and got her pilot's license．可知Ellen曾经做过多年的护士；根据第三段最后一句B．A．T．agreed航空公司采纳了Ellen承担照顾乘客的想法，可推知之所以她的想法被采纳是因为她有做护士的经历．故选C．
41．答案：D．细节理解题．根据第五段中的 第一行最后一句The early"stewardesses"had to be under twenty-five-year-old，single and slim．可知早期的空姐要在25岁以下，单身，而且苗条．所以可推知20世纪40年代的时候想当空姐必须要年轻．故选D．
42．答案：C．主旨大意题．根据第一段最后一句But then in 1930，a woman called Ellen Church invented the"stewardess"．一个叫艾伦丘奇的女人发明了"空姐"．及最后一段Since the 1970s，"stewardesses"have been called flight attendants．自上世纪70年代以来，"（飞机上的）女服务员"被称为空姐．可知，本文主要介绍空姐的发展史，因此选C．
点评 做题时我们应先阅读所给的任务，明确任务是什么，再带着任务去阅读材料，这样就能做到心中有数，有针对性的去读，并能提高阅读效率．
