Passage One

　　In the next few decades people are going to travel very differently from the way they do today. Everyone is going to drive electrically powered cars. So in a few years people won’t worry about running out of gas.
　　Some of the large automobile companies are really moving ahead with this new technology. F & C Motors, a major auto company, for example, is holding a press conference next week. At the press conference the company will present its new, electronically operated models.
　　Transportation in the future won’t be limited to the ground. Many people predict that traffic will quickly move to the sky. In the coming years, instead of radio reports about road conditions and highway traffic, news reports will talk about traffic jams in the sky.
　　But the sky isn’t the limit. In the future, you’ll probably even be able to take a trip to the moon, Instead of listening to regular airplane announcements, you’ll hear someone say, “The spacecraft to the moon leaves in ten minutes. Please check your equipment. And remember, no more than ten ounces of carry-on baggage are allowed.”

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　26. What will be used to power cars in the next few decades?
　　27. What will future news reports focus on when talking about transportation?
　　28. What is the special requirement for passengers traveling to the moon?

　　Passage Two

　　The period of engagement is the time between the marriage proposal and the wedding ceremony. Two people agree to marry when they decide to spend their lives together.
　　The man usually gives the woman a diamond engagement ring? That tradition is said to have started when an Austrian man gave a diamond ring to the woman he wanted to marry. The diamond represented beauty. He placed it on the third finger of her left hand. He chose that finger because it was thought that a blood vessel in that finger went directly to the heart. Today, we know that this is not true. Yet the tradition continues.
　　Americans generally are engaged for a period of about one year if they are planning a wedding ceremony and party. During the time, friends of the bride may hold a party at which women friends and family members give the bride gifts that she will need as a wife. These could include cooking equipment or new clothing.
　　Friends of the man who is getting married may have a bachelor party for him. This usually takes place the night before the wedding. Only men are invited to the bachelor party.
　　During the marriage ceremony, the bride and her would-be husband usually exchange gold rings that represent the idea that their union will continue forever. The wife often wears both the wedding ring and engagement ring on the same finger. The husband wears hi ring on the third finger of his left hand.