11．On Monday，the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 42% of Americans could be overweight by 2030．Our expanding waistlines lead to not only a medical problem，but according to a recent article in The New York Times，it could also endanger personal safety in some situations-in an airplane crash，for example．
The New York Times'Christine Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are adequately constructed to protect overweight travelers．Government standards for airplane seat strength（強(qiáng)度）-first set more than 60 years ago---require that the seats be made for a passenger weighing 170 pounds（77kg）．Today，the average American man weighs nearly 194 pounds（88kg） and the average woman 165 pounds（75kg）．Negroni reports：
"If a heavier person completely fills a seat，the seat is not likely to behave as intended during a crash，"Robert Salzar，the leading scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia．"The energy absorption（專注，合并） that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overpowered and the passengers will not be protected properly"．
"Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only，"Dr．Salzar said．"If a seat or a seat belt fails，"he said，"those people who are seated nearby could be endangered from the uncontrolled movements of the passenger．"
Most complaints about airplane seats focus on their lack of comfort and high ticket price，and whether overweight passengers should be made to buy two seats．But The New York Times'article bring up another reason to feel anxious about flying．Investigators of the issue got in touch with the airplane seat and seat belt makers，but they refused to comment on the problem．Experts agreed that crash testing should be done with overweight dummies（人體模型）．Both airplane seats and seat belts should be tested，theysaid．
Fortunately，however，according to Nora Marshall，a senior adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board，the board's investigators have never seen an accident involving a commercial plane in which the weight of a passenger was a problem．
51．What is the article in The New York Times mainly conceerned with？B
A．The size of airplane seats and seat belts
B．Safety of overweight airplane passengers
C．Airplane crashes involving commercial planes
D．A medical problem caused by being overweight
52．Robert Salzar would probably agree thatC．
A．overweight passengers should buy two seats
B．the government should help produce safer planes
C．standards for airplane seat strength should be raised
D．passengers should know how to protect themselves
53．What does the underlined word"they"in Paragraph 5 refer to？A
A．Experts B．Passengers C．Investigators of the issue D．The airplane seat makers
54．We can learn from the text thatC
A．a(chǎn)irplane seat makers have taken action now
B．there are few complaints about airplane seats
C．those seated near the overweight may suffer too
D．only a small number of airplane accidents involve the overweight
55．what is the best best title for the text？D
A．Why do passengers Feel Anxious about Flying？
B．Will 42% of Americans Be Overweight by 2030？
C．When Will the Overweight Enjoy Their Flight？
D．Are Airplane Seats Safe Enough for the Overweight？
分析 本文主要討論了人們質(zhì)疑按照60年前標(biāo)準(zhǔn)生產(chǎn)的飛機(jī)座椅對(duì)于肥胖者是否安全．
解答 51．B細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第一段最后一句可知，紐約時(shí)報(bào)的這篇文章是關(guān)于肥胖乘客坐飛機(jī)的安全問題．故選B．
52．C細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第二、三、四段中Robert Salzar的分析可知，他認(rèn)為60年前設(shè)定的飛機(jī)座椅標(biāo)準(zhǔn)已不適合現(xiàn)在的情況，原來的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)應(yīng)該改進(jìn)．故選C．
53．A細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第五段中"Experts agreed that crash testing should be done．"可知，"they"指代前一句中的專家．故選A．
54．C推理判斷題．根據(jù)第四段中"Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only，"和"those people who are seated nearby could not be safe from the uncontrolled movements of the passenger．"可知，坐在肥胖乘客旁邊的乘客也不安全．故選C．
55．D主旨大意題．根據(jù)第二段中"The New York Times'Christine Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are designed to protect overweight travelers．"可知，本文主要討論了人們質(zhì)疑按照60年前標(biāo)準(zhǔn)生產(chǎn)的飛機(jī)座椅對(duì)于肥胖者是否安全．故選D．
點(diǎn)評(píng) 本文是新聞報(bào)道類閱讀理解．做這類題材閱讀理解時(shí)要求考生對(duì)文章通讀一遍，做題時(shí)結(jié)合原文和題目有針對(duì)性的找出相關(guān)語句進(jìn)行仔細(xì)分析，結(jié)合選項(xiàng)選出正確答案．推理判斷題也是要在抓住關(guān)鍵句子的基礎(chǔ)上合理的分析才能得出正確答案，切忌胡亂猜測，一定要做到有理有據(jù)．
