Major airplane manufacturers are now moving to develop the future of flight with electric planes and personal flying vehicles.

Boeing is one of those companies. It recently invested in Zunum Aero, a company working to build electric aircraft for commercial flights. Zunum is based in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. It says it is hoping to revolutionize air travel by cutting flight times and greatly reducing costs.

By the early 2020s, the company plans to operate electric aircraft to carry 10-15 passengers on trips up to 1,100 kilometers. It says the cost of such flights could be as low as $ 25 each way.

Zunum noted on its website that, while America has more than 13,500 airports, 97 percent of all air traffic goes through just 140 larger hubs. By traveling through smaller airports, passengers can greatly reduce door-to-door travel time and avoid long security lines.

JetBlue was another major company to invest in Zunum. The head of JetBlue’s investment group, Bonnie Simi, said Zunum fits the airline’s desire to “seek new technologies to change the game.” She praised the company for developing “quiet, environmentally-friendly aircraft” for sustainable travel.

Zunum’s planes will be powered by two large engines at the back. The aircraft will be “hybrid-electric,” meaning they rely mostly on battery power, but also bum fuel when needed.

The goal is to eventually fly fully electric planes, although most experts believe this could take many years. This is because battery technology still has a long way to go to provide long-lasting power, but not be too heavy for the aircraft.

Other companies have released plans to release flying cars a lot sooner than that. Slovakia-based engineering company AeroMobil is preparing to show the world its latest model this week.

AeroMobii is showing the car at the Top Marques auto show in Monaco. No launch date or prices have been announced, but the company says it will be taking pre-orders this year.

1.Electric aircraft may have the following advantages EXCEPT ______.

A lower costs

B shorter flight time

C fewer passengers

D shorter security lines

解析：选C。

2.What is Bonnie Simi’s attitude toward Zunum’s electric aircraft?

A Doubtful

B Positive

C Uncaring

D Disapproving

解析：选B。

3.Why will Zunum’s electric planes still need fuel?

A Because fuel is easier to get.

B Because battery may not be stable.

C Because planes won’t start without fuel.

D Because battery may not last long enough.

解析：选D。

4. From the last two paragraphs, we can infer that ______.

A flying cars must be ordered in advance

B flying cars will appear on the market this year

C the prices of flying cars are still unknown

D flying cars are more popular than electric planes

解析：选C。

5.Which is the same meaning with the underlined word “sustainable” in the fifth paragraph?

A forecast

B comfortable

C maintainable

D suggestion

解析：选C。