Question

【题目】

One trip for their Jack Russell terrier in a plane’s cargo hold was enough to convince Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that owners needed a better option to get their pets from one city to another.

On Tuesday, the first flight for the husband-and-wife team’s Pet Airways, the first-ever all-pet airline, took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY.

All commercial airlines allow a limited number of small pets to fly in the cabin. Others must travel as checked bags or in the cargo hold — a dark and sometimes dangerous place where temperatures can vary wildly.

Binder and Wiesel used their consulting backgrounds and business savvy to start Pet Airways in 2005. The last four years have been spent designing their fleet of five planes according to new four-legged requirements, dealing with FAA regulations and setting up airport schedules.

The two say they’re overwhelmed with the response. Flights on Pet Airways are already booked up for the next two months.

Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities—New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. The $250 one-way fare is comparable to pet fees at the largest US airlines.

For owners the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are also given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a “Pet Lounge” for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.

A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, will take about 24 hours. On that route, pets will stop in Chicago, have a bathroom break, play time, dinner, and bunk for the night before finishing the trip the next day.

Amanda Hickey of Portland, Ore. is one of the new airline’s first customers. Her seven-year-old terrier-pinscher mix Mardi and two-year-old puggle Penny are taking their first flight soon.

Hickey said the service was a welcome alternative to flying her dogs in cargo when she transplants them from her soon-to-be Denver home to Chicago to stay while she and her fiance travel to Aruba to get married.

“For a little bit more money, I have peace of mind, ” she said.

【1】Jack Russell is probably ______.

A. a baby

B. a little boy

C. a pet

D. the couple’s child

【2】 Which would be the best title of the passage?

A. The first-ever all-pet airline hits skies

B. A better option to get their pets from one city to another

C. Flights on Pet Airways

D. Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel

【3】 What does the underlined word “savvy” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A. Fund.

B. Information.

C. Knowledge.

D. Mind.

Answer 1

【答案】【1】C

【2】A

【3】D

【解析】阿丽莎·宾德和她的丈夫丹·威斯尔曾经让他们的宠物杰克·拉塞尔在飞机的货舱里待过一次, 这次不愉快的经历让他们认为宠物需要更好的运送方式。于是他们推出了宠物航线，本周二，此次航线首次从纽约法明达的共和机场起飞。这一宠物航线一经推出，立刻受到了欢迎。宠物航线今后两个月的所有航班都已经被订满。

48. C。推理判断题。根据第一段后面提到的pets，以及本段提到Jack Russell在飞机的货舱里待过一次，我们可以得知Jack Russell应该是一个宠物。

49. A。主旨大意题。综观全文可知A选项“宠物航班首次升空”为最佳题目。B、C两项范围太大了，而D项根本不是本文要讲的主要内容，这不是一篇人物传记。

50. D。词义猜测题。根据句意“宾德和威斯尔在2005年利用他们从事咨询业的背景和他们的商业头脑开创了宠物航班”，以及全文内容，可知他们是有商业头脑的。