第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
What if you arrived home to find a delicious hot meal waiting for you，prepared by your very own kitchen robot? It might sound like science fiction，but professors at the university of Tokyo have taken the first steps toward making that scenario a reality．The team rece
ntly introduced a humanoid kitchen robot that can pour tea and other drinks into cups and serve them to guests．When teatime is over，the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away．
In California，another interesting kitchen robot has been developed．Called the Ready-bot，it can pick up objects and either store them in cabinets or put them in the trash．It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself．Unlike the Japanese robot，Readybot is not humanoid．Instead，it looks more like a large box with arms and wheels．
Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge．They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks．Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can tackle jobs not only in kitchens but in other rooms of homes and in offices as well．
Clearly there are technological hurdles to overcome before robots can cook a complete dinner，and there are also many safety concerns．Not everyone（especially parents）would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house，manipulating hot pans and sharp knives．The European Commission recently funded a project to study these concerns．
56．What does the writer imply about the Japanese robot?
A．It performs fewer functions than readybot can．
B．it looks more like a person than Readybot does．
C．It speaks more languages than Readybot does．
D．It costs 1ess to manufacture than Readybot does．
57．Where do the engineers and designers hope that Readybot will operate in the future?
A．On spacecraft B．In automobiles
C．On playgrounds D．At companies
58．What does the writer imply about parents?
A．They have shown tremendous interest in kitchen robots．
B．They don’t have strong opinions about kitchen robots．
C．They might think that kitchen robots could be dangerous．
D．They can’t wait to buy kitchen robots for their homes．
59．According to the writer，what has the European Commission done for the project?
A．It has built factories B．It has printed manuals
C．It has hired workers D．It has provided money
Americans All
Type: Musical Running Time: 50 Minutes
This is a musical play set in a high school classroom that will teach you the importance of staying in school. This fun and entertaining musical experience will appeal to anyone. It has a positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents. Almost all of the roles can be played either by males or females. The dialogue teaches values, ethics and how to be the best you can be. The lyrics (歌词) and music flow non-stop with piano accompaniment (伴奏).
A Mother in My Head
Type: Short Play Running Time: 45 Minutes
Where does motherly advice and direction begin and where does it end? Or does it ever end? This fast-paced play follows the lives of two young people as they begin their careers, meet, and fall in love, each coached in every step of the way by the "mothers in their heads". The on-stage presence of the mothers provides an interaction (相互交流) between characters that is thoroughly enjoyable.
One of Our Clowns Is Missing
Type: Short Play Running Time: 30 Minutes
Adapted from the full-length play One of Our Clowns Is Missing by Robert Frankel, this play will bring the audience to cheers, tears, and applause. Sandy lacks self-esteem (自尊), but after meeting a group of characters that turn her life around, she regains her confidence and makes a new start.
My Fed Ex Christmas Request
Type: Short Play Running Time: 10 Minutes
Nicky is naughty every year so instead of getting toys under his Christmas tree, Santa has been leaving him a lump (块) of coal in his stocking year after year. Well, Nicky has finally had it with being labeled as naughty by Santa and decides to pack himself in a FedEx box and ship it to the North Pole. He’s going to defend his case face to face with Santa. This comedy shows us what happens when Nicky decides he’s not going to take it anymore!To encourage their children to stay in school, parents should take their children to see __________.
| A．Americans All | B．A Mother in My Head |
| C．One of Our Clowns Is Missing | D．My Fed Ex Christmas Request |
A Mother in My Head___________________.
| A．teaches young women how to be good mothers |
| B．advises mothers to care more about their children |
| C．shows mothers’ influence on young people’s lives |
| D．encourages young people to live with their mothers |
Which of the following can inspire people to gain more self-confidence?
| A．A Mother in My Head. | B．Americans All. |
| C．My FedEx Christmas Request. | D．One of Our Clowns Is Missing. |
An inventor seeks to create a new product that serves a specific need and fulfills a role that other products do not. Sometimes an inventor comes up with a wholly new idea, but more often inventions are simply improvements on an older design. With a little imagination and creativity (创造力), an old idea can suddenly become something new.
However, creating a new invention means much more than having a brilliant idea. A good designer follows the design process: identifying the challenge, researching and brainstorming ideas(集思广益), designing a solution, testing and evaluating the ideas, and finally building the product. Designers also use science, math, technology, and engineering to design a tool that satisfies the need they identified.
Anyone can be an inventor —even kids! For example, Chester Greenwood was just fifteen years old when he invented a product that changed his life. In fact, his idea was so good that his invention supported him for the rest of his life. You may not know his name, but you probably know his invention —earmuffs (保暖耳罩)!
The inspiration for his earmuff design came to Chester when he was ice-skating. His ears were cold, and he decided to find a way to keep them warm. With the help of his grandmother, he made a new product to protect his ears and at the age of eighteen, Chester patented his earmuff design.
Many other famous inventors started young as well. Margaret Knight —the inventor of the flat-bottomed brown paper bag —is said to have created a safety device for textile looms(织布机) when she was just twelve years old. Another example is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, who applied for his first patent when he was just twenty-one years old. Over the course of his life, Thomas Edison patented a total of 1,093 inventions! In most cases, an invention ________ according to the first paragraph.
| A．comes from a complete new idea |
| B．is usually based on an old product or idea |
| C．will change its creator’s life completely |
| D．is created by scientists in different fields |
The second paragraph mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．the difficulty in making a new invention |
| B．the common steps of creating new things |
| C．having a good idea is the key to creation |
| D．designing a tool is the first step in inventing |
The example of Chester Greenwood is used to show that ________.
| A．children can also invent something |
| B．it is easy even for children to make inventions |
| C．kids have more advantages in inventing things |
| D．to be an inventor is the best way to change one’s life |
At first Chester designed his earmuffs in order to ________.
| A．protect his ears while ice-skating |
| B．earn money to support his poor family |
| C．realize his dream of becoming an inventor |
| D．make himself look fashionable while ice-skating |
Students must apply for a place before attending any class. Applications(申请) whether by post or in person, are dealt with strictly in the order they are received at the AdultEducation Office. You can apply:
By post----use the card supplied with the exact fee. You will be accepted on thecourse unless it is full, in which case we will inform you. An acknowledgement (承认) will not be made nor a receipt (收条) sent unless you supply a stamped addressed envelope. Receipts will normally be given out at the first class.
In person----call at the Adult Education Office (ground floor, C block) between approximately 9:00a.m.and 3:30p.m. (2:30p.m. on Fridays) , or at the College Reception Desk(at the main entrance) at the other time (in the evenings until about 7:30p.m.----notFridays)
Students should note that popular classes may be full well before the course is to start,so that early application is strongly advised to avoid disappointment.
For the Autumn Tem, applications will be accepted by post (better) or in person from August 1.
For the Spring Term, applications will be accepted from December 1.
For the Summer Term, applications will be accepted from April 1. Students who apply to the college by post will______.
| A．avoid disappointment |
| B．be sent a bill |
| C．have an advantage over people applying in person |
| D．be informed if they have not got a place |
Which of the following words has the closest meaning with the underlined word “approximately”in this notice.
| A．closely. | B．about. | C．mostly | D．probably. |
When and where can students apply in person?
| A．At the College Reception Desk after-about 3:30p.m. |
| B．At the Adult Education Office after about 3:30p.m. |
| C．At the Adult Education Office at 9:30p.m. |
| D．At the College Reception Desk at 2:00p.m. on Fridays. |
If the students want to apply for the Autumn Term, ______
| A．they should check whether the course is full |
| B．the college would rather they appliedby post |
| C．applications must be received by August 1 |
| D．they must apply in person |
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（脸红）.
Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy Vanmarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, Vanmarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” Vanmarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
“This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies know nothing of the world,” Vanmarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” Vanmarle said.
In the future, Vanmarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study. The quantifying ability refers to the ability to .
| A．choose between different substances | B．describe the quantity of something |
| C．get much knowledge of the world | D．obtain math-related skills |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?
| A．The process of doing research. | B．The final choice of infants. |
| C．The scientific findings. | D．The observation of infants’ behavior. |
Babies choose the larger amount of food .
| A．through their natural abilities | B．with the help of parents |
| C．on personal preference | D．by saying numbers |
We can learn from the text that .
| A．some parents don’t care about their kids |
| B．scholars disagree on baby-training programs |
| C．little research has been done on infants |
| D．people used to think the world is known to babies |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Unique Quantifying Methods | B．Amazing Baby-training Ideas |
| C．Early Human Abilities | D．Breakthrough in Baby Studies |