本篇来自于Time Magazine(时代周刊)2009年7月2日题为A Brief History of Black Boxes(黑匣子的历史)文章，原文略有删减。原文参见：http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908245,00.html

　　文章首段阐述了飞机上的黑匣子的功能，即记录飞机的飞行状况。第二段是对首段的实例说明。第三段按时间顺序描述了黑匣子的发展历程，请关注三个时间：1958， 1960和1965。 最后一段说明改进后的现代黑匣子既有语音记录的功能，又能记录飞行数据。

　　原题：57.What does the author say about the black box?

　　A) It ensures the normal functioning of an airplane。

　　B)The idea for its design comes from a comic book。

　　C) Its ability to ward off disasters is incredible。

　　D) It is an indispensable device on an airplane。

　　答案：57 D It is an indispensable device on an airplane

　　原文中的Their ability to withstand almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book。可能是误导学生选择C的原因。withstand意为“经受，承受”，而C中的ward off 则为“避开，挡住”之意。本句句意为：飞机失事后，黑箱子往往能完好无损，躲过灾难，这简直令人难以置信(就像漫画书中的东西一样)

　　原题：58.What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?

　　A) Data for analyzing the cause of the crash。

　　B) The total number of passengers on board。

　　C) The scene of the crash and extent of the damage。

　　D) Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash。

　　答案：58 A Data for analyzing the cause of the crash

　　原文定位为第二段最后一句：“the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed。”  cause of a tragedy与选项中的cause of the crash一致。

　　原题：59. Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?

　　A) New materials become available by that time。

　　B) Too much space was needed for its installation。

　　C) The early models didn’t provide the needed data。

　　D) The early models often got damaged in the crash

　　答案：59 D The early models often got damaged in the crash

　　原文定位于第三段“Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned..。.” failed to withstand crashes与选项中的got damaged in the crash同义。

　　原题：60. Why did the Federal Aviation Authority require the black boxes be painted orange or yellow?

　　A) To distinguish them from the color of the plane。

　　B) To caution people to handle them with care。

　　C) To make them easily identifiable。

　　D)To conform to international standards。

　　答案：　60 C To make them easily identifiable

　　原文定位于第三段最后一句…be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility. to aid visibility意为“有助于提高能见度”，与easily identifiable同义。

　　原题：61.What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?

　　A)There is still a good chance of their being recovered。

　　B)There is an urgent need for them to be restructured。

　　C)They have stopped sending homing signals。

　　D)They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil。

　　答案：　61 A There is still a good chance of their being recovered

　　原文定位于最后一段…but statistics say they’re still likely to turn up. Turn up 与recovered 同义，“被找到”。be restructured 意为“被重建”。

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