Unit 3 Inventors and inventions reading课时作业

Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　Many people have long dreamed of being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle.Yet the safety and strength of a flying bike was always a big problem.Over the past 10 years，development in technology has moved the dream of personal flying vehicles closer to reality.Now，two groups of inventors say such vehicles may be available soon.

　　The British company Malloy Aeronautics has developed a prototype(原型) of its flying bicycle.Grant Stapleton，marketing sales director of Malloy Aeronautics，says the Hoverbike is able to get in and out of small spaces very quickly."It can be moved across continents very quickly because it can be folded and packed，" he adds.

　　Mr Stapleton says safety was the company's main concern.He says the designers solved the safety issue by using overlapping rotors(交叠式旋翼) to power the vehicle.

　　The company is testing a full-size prototype of the Hoverbike，which will most likely be used first by the police and emergency rescue teams.

　　In New Zealand，the Martin Aircraft Company is also testing a full-size prototype of its personal flying device，called Jetpack(喷气背包).It can fly for more than 30 minutes，up to 1,000 meters high and reach a speed of 74 kilometers per hour.

　　Peter Coker is the CEO of Martin Aircraft Company.He said Jetpack "is built around safety from the start".In his words，"reliability is the most important element of it.We have safety built into the actual structure itself，very similar to a Formula One racing car."

　　Jetpack uses a gasoline-powered engine that produces two powerful jet streams.Mr Coker says it also has a parachute(降落伞) that can be used should there be an emergency."It starts to work at very low altitude and actually saves both the aircraft and the pilot，" he adds.Mr Coker says Jetpack will be ready for sale soon.

语篇解读　本文为一篇说明文。飞行器能够像骑自行车一样飞来飞去一直是许多发明家长期以来的梦想，文中介绍了两家研发飞行器的公司的最新产品，他们有可能促使这个梦想成为现实。