On November 18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Auguste Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon, and they were ready for a long way.
　　Soon they heard the sea below them. They were carrying the usual rope , and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water. Or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. They were also carrying some bags of sand.
　　After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 meters, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men’s basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. There was also some snow on the balloon, and that made it very heavy. It began to go down towards the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling; so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake below and made a black hole in the ice.
　　At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 meters! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had traveled 1,797 kilometers from London!

　　1.Three men flew in a balloon _________.
　　A. more than a century ago B. to visit Poland　C. for nearly 1,800 kilometers D. to another city

　　2.The metal box was used for _______.
　　A. changing weight B. carrying ropes of the basket
　　C. keeping drinking water D. carrying the bags of sand

　　3.When the balloon went up higher, ________.
　　A.they saw the sun go down B. the temperature of the balloon began to fall
　　C. they could see a black hole on the ground D. they made a hole in the basket with their knives

　　4.The balloon landed __________.
　　A. in a foreign country B. on a lake C. in London D. on the sea

　　5.The three men had to land because _______.
　　A.they were very hungry B. they had not enough sand
　　C. they pulled the box into the basket D. they felt too cold

　　【答案与解析】

这是发生在历史上的一则历险小故事。1908年12月，三个人乘坐气球从伦敦出发，进行了一次长途旅行。为了能有效地控制气球的重量，他们在气球下方挂了一个能盛水的金属盒子，还事先携带了沙子。随着气球的升高，气球上面结满了冰，于是引起了一系列的麻烦。历尽千难万险，总算化险为夷。可当气球升至五千多米的高空时，他们实在无法忍受严寒，结果在波兰安全降落。
　　1.C 由首句的1908年可知A项有误。另外，这三个人打算从伦敦出发乘气球作长距离旅行，由于天气状况不好，只好在波兰(Poland)着陆。行程达1,797公里，将近1,800公里。
　　2.A 根据"This could hold water. Or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight."可知，金属盒里盛的水是并非是饮用水，而是用来改变气球重量的。文中还说他们同时也带了几袋沙子来调节气球的重量。　liuxuepaper.com