III.   READING

  a. Fill in each blank with one appropriate word from the box.

        material     operate        airlines        buildings         advantage    

               designs          existing          capable

What will the aeroplane of the future look like? An increasing number of journey are being made by air, and the (36) _______ are therefore demanding a new kind of plane to help them cope with increasing passenger numbers. One of the revolutionary new (37) ___________ being developed is a “flying wing, which is short but very wide, in contrast to most planes, which are long and narrow. It will be (38) _________ of carrying 600-8000 passengers. It will be built of an extremely light (39) ______, and together with the unusual design, this will improve performance. The new aeroplane will be quieter and more comfortable than (40) __________ planes. It will also cost less to (41) ________, and will therefore help to keep fares at affordable levels. An additional (42) _______ of this plane is that no new runways or terminal (43) ______ will have to be built for it, because it is being designed in such a way that it can use existing ones.

An increasing number of journey are being made by air, and the (36) _______ are therefore demanding a new kind of plane to help them cope with increasing passenger numbers.