.
Larry Walters’boyhood dream was to fly. After finishing school, Larry joined the U.S. Air Force, but was refused from pilot-training school because of poor eyesight. However, his dream remained.
Larry, aged 33, was a truck driver in Los Angeles. One day, while sitting outside and watching jets fly overhead, an idea came to him to use weather balloons to fly.
A few weeks later, Larry bought 42 weather balloons. He tied them to a chair and filled them with helium(氦). Then he sat down in the chair with some beer, sandwiches and a BB gun. Larry’s plan was to float about 10 meters above his backyard, enjoy a few hours in the air, and then pop some balloons with his gun to get back down. But things did not go according to Larry’s plan.
When his friends cut the lines, Larry lifted by the 42 balloons and shot skyward at an astonishing speed. He finally settled at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Afraid to pop any of the balloons, in case he should break the balance of his “craft”, Larry sat, cold and frightened, in the sky for 14 hours.
Airline pilots heading toward Los Angeles’busy international airport radioed in reports of the strange sight. Larry’s presence in the sky caused numerous planes to change their routes. Eventually, Larry worked up the nerve to shoot a few balloons and landed in power lines. Uninjured, he climbed down to safety and was arrested by waiting police.
Larry set a record for a gas-filled balloon flight. But it cost him. He was later fined $1,500 for breaking air safety regulations.
68. What’s the BB gun used for in the passage?
A. To protect Larry from unexpected danger. B. To fill the balloons with gas.
C. To shoot the balloons to get him back. D. To fight with the waiting police.
69. It turned out that Larry________.
A. floated about 10 meters high B. remained in the sky for 14 hours
C. set a world record in making balloons D. became a truck driver after the flight
70. The underlined part in Paragraph 5 most probably means ____.
A. watched carefully B. gathered his courage
C. kept his balance D. climbed down
71. It can be learned from the passage that________.
A. Larry’s boyhood dream came true in the end
B. Larry’s disappearance in the sky caused much trouble
C. Larry won a prize of $1,500 for his bravery
D. Larry was not accepted as a pilot for his poor hearing
