2、It’s all hot air!

For hundreds of year, human beings have been deeply interested in the idea of flying, but it was only in the eighteenth century that a piece of practical equipment was designed to achieve this aim. The French brothers Montgolfier observed that paper bags filled with smoke tended to rise. From these small beginnings, they developed the first hot air balloon, and the first manned balloon flight took place at Versailles in 1783.

Almost at once, ballooning became very popular, but it was the gas balloon which became more widely used than the hot air balloon. The gas balloon in turn was replaced by the airship, which gave way to the more reliable aeroplane at the beginning of the twentieth century. But the hot air balloon never died out completely, and during the 1960’s, using new materials and a safer method of producing hot air, it actually took off again.

By the 1980’s, marketing managers had realized that balloons made wonderful advertising boards and soon the skies were full of brightly colored and excitingly shaped advertisements for everything from butter to shoes.

Ballooning is an uncertain activity. Take-off is entirely determined by the local weather conditions. “Safety first!” is the strict rule and pilots who ignore it have short flying careers. Preparing the balloon for flight needs teamwork. The same team will follow the balloon as it flies in order to get it back when it lands, and no one is sure where the balloon will land exactly. The pilot carries out a last-minute check before flying and briefs the passengers. Nothing should be forgotten, as important objects left on the ground are difficult to pick up from 300 meters.

The flight itself takes place silently, interrupted by the very loud noise from the gas burner as more hot air is put into the balloon envelope. Soon, even nervous passengers begin to enjoy the feeling of floating gently over the countryside, admiring the interesting patterns of roads and fields below. There is a feeling that problems have been left behind on the ground. There is a sense of freedom.

Landing can sometimes be uncomfortable, depending on wind speed and ground, but as long as the passengers hold on tight and stay in the basket, there is little danger of injury and every chance that they will want to repeat the experience.

1．Which of the following is correct according to the order of their appearance in history?

       A．hot air balloon, gas balloon, aircraft, airship

       B．hot air balloon, gas balloon, airship, aircraft

       C．gas balloon, hot air balloon, airship, aeroplane

       D．gas balloon, hot air balloon, aeroplane, airship

2．According to the article, balloons are used for ________.

       A．a(chǎn)dvertising and education                      B．competition and transporting goods

       C．entertainment and scientific research      D．entertainment and promoting products

3．What can we know from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

       A．People are not sure of where the balloon will land.

       B．It’s necessary to get well prepared before the flight.

       C．It’s important to take as few things as possible to fly.

       D．People should be informed how high the balloon will rise.

4．What does the author think of traveling in a hot air balloon?

       A．Dangerous.      B．Frightening.      C．Enjoyable. D．comfortable.