2008年12月英语四级快速阅读预测试卷_大学英语阅读

2008年12月英语四级快速阅读预测试卷

　　Large airports are often like small cities. Many have post offices, banks, hotels, restaurants, and many kinds of shops. Airports have their own fire and police departments, fuel storage tanks, and repair work shops. Some companies even have their shipping warehouses located at airports.

　　One of the largest airports in the world is in Grapevine, Texas, midway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. This airport covers 7 200 hectares .Its five terminals can handle the arrivals and departures of 90 jumbo jets at the same time. OHare International Airport, in Chicago, is the busiest airport in the world. It handles more than 37 million passengers a year.

　　Small airports that are used only by private airplanes usually cover 20 to 40 hectares .They do not need all the buildings and services of a large airport. The control tower may be just a small room in a building at ground level.

　　Runways

　　Early planes were light. Early runways were sometimes just level grass fields. Paved runways became necessary when airplanes became heavier and faster. Todays big jet planes weigh hundreds of tons. They move along runways at speeds of 160 kph .When they land, the runways take a lot of pounding and must be made of concrete or asphalt.They must have solid foundations and a surface that prevents skidding.

　　Airplanes take off into the wind in order to get better lift. They also land into the wind to have better control as they slow down. Most airports have runways pointing in different directions. This means that there are always runways on which airplanes can go into the wind as they take off and land.