1．In the 1920s and 30s 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 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 but also 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 weathers 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．
56．The last sentence of the first paragraph suggests thatC．
A．the word"stewardess"was made up by Ellen Church
B．Ellen Church was the first woman who flew a plane
C．Ellen Church was the first woman who worked on a plane
D．Ellen Church was the first woman passenger on a plane
57．From the second paragraph，we learn thatA．
A．Ellen did not behave 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
58．The main reason for Boeing Air Transport offering Ellen the job wasC．
A．her flying experience
B．her university education
C．her nursing experience
D．her life attitudes
59．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
60．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 文章大意：在二三十年代的时候人们乘坐飞机是不寻常的，因为价格高又危险，那时候没有乘务员去给乘客服务，提供食物和饮料．但是1930年，一个叫Ellen Church的女人发明了"空姐"．
Ellen Church想要一个更冒险的生活，她学习做护士在医院上班．第二年她待在医院同时学习飞行，获得了飞行员执照．她喜欢飞行但是知道那是男人的世界．女人成为飞行员是不可能的．但是她有另一个想法．大部分人害怕飞机，认为是不可靠的，有可能会延误，许多事故，糟糕的天气会让乘客生病．Ellen认为护士能够在飞机上照顾乘客，获得允许后，Ellen Church和其他七位护士成为第一批空姐．1940年有一千多个空姐在不同的航班上班．最初，空姐必须在25岁以下，单身，苗条．承诺不结婚或者生孩子，工作很辛苦，报酬不高，工作时间长，一个小时只赚一美元．在上世纪70年代，空姐对她们的工作不满，航空公司不得不作出一些改变．自上世纪70年代以来，"空姐"被称为乘务员．他们有很好的报酬，工作时间比过去少．
解答 56．答案：C．推理判断题．根据第一段最后一句a woman called Ellen Church invented the"stewardess"．可知空姐是Ellen 发明的，由第二段中的最后一句话pilot's license可知Ellen拿到了飞行员执照，故可猜测Ellen可以在飞机上工作．故选C．
57．答案：A．细节理解题．由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．可知，她的想法与别人不同，答案A正合此意，故选A项．
58．答案：C．细节理解题．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 可知Ellen曾经做过多年的护士；根据第三段最后一句Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and 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．
59．答案：D．细节理解题．根据第五段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．可知空姐必须在25岁以下，单身，苗条．承诺不结婚或者生孩子，故必须是年轻的，故选D．
60．答案：C．主旨大意题．结合第一段a woman called Ellen Church invented the"stewardess"．整篇短文是在介绍空姐是如何生成的，介绍了早期空姐的发展史，故选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．
