C
Terrafugia Inc.said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight,bringingthe company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the nextyear.The wehicle-named the Transition – has two seats wheels and wings thatfold up so it can be driven like a car.The Transition,which flew at 1,400 feetfor eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the roadand 115 in the flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and bums 5 gallons per hourin the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.
Around 100 people havealready put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale,and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transitionto the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways.It’s expected to cost $279,000.And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.
Inventors have been trying to make flying carssince the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mannthinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car areality. The govemment has already permitted z&xxkthe company to usespecial materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sureit meets federal safety siandards.
Mann said Terrafugia was
helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to
create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower
than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to
pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition,a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.
28. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The basic data of theTransition. B. The advantages offlying cars.
C. The potential market forflying cars. C. The designers of theTransition.
29. Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in toomany driveways?
A. It causers trafficjams. B. It is difficult to operate.
C. It is veryexpensive. D. It bums toomuch fuel.
30. What is the govemment’s attitude to thedevelopment of the flying car?
A. Cautious B. Favorable.
C. Ambiguous. D. Disapproving.
31. What is the best title for the text?
A. Flying Car at AutoShow B. The Transition’s FistFlight
C.Pilots’Dream ComingTrue D. Flying Car Closer toReality