Researchers are placing robotic dogs（机器狗）in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated ,”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says，“But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”
68．The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to .
A．understand human-animal relationship
B．make lonely old people’s life better
C．find the causes of old people’s loneliness
D．promote the animal-assisted research
69．In the research, the old people are asked to .
A．note the activities of AIBOs B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks
C．record their feelings and activity D．analyze the collected information
70．What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
A．It is easier to keep at home. B．It can help the disabled people.
C． It responds to all the human orders. D．It can watch TV with its owner.
71．The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may .
A．cure certain diseases B．keep old people active
C． change people’s beliefs D．look more like real dogs
I am a writer．I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke (唤起) an emotion，a visual image，a complex idea，or a simple truth．Language is the tool of my trade．And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with．
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California，I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks．Like others．I have described it to people as "broken" English．But feel embarrassed to say that．It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than "broken"，as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed，as if it lacked a certain wholeness．I've heard other terms used，"limited English，"for example．But they seem just as bad，as if everything is limited，including people's perceptions(认识)of the limited
English speaker．
I know this for a fact，because when l was growing up，my mother's "limited" English limited my perception of her．I was ashamed of her English．I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say．That is，because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect．And I had plenty of evidence to support her：the fact that people in department stores，at banks，and at restaurants did not take her seriously，did not give her good service，pretended not to understand her，or even acted as if they did not hear her．
I started writing fiction in l985．And for reasons l won't get into today，I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with：the English she used with me，which for lack of a better term might be described as "broken"．and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese，her internal(内在的)language and for that I sought to preserve the essence，but neither an English nor a Chinese structure：I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show；her intention，her feelings，the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts．
68. By saying "Language is the tool of my trade"，the author means that ________.
A．she uses English in foreign trade B．she is fascinated by languages
C．she works as a translator D．she is a writer by profession
69. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3 ?
A．Americans do not understand broken English．
B．The author's mother was not respected sometimes．
C．The author's mother had positive influence on her．
D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts．
70. The author gradually realizes her mother's English is________.
A．well structuredB．in the old style
C．easy to translate D．rich in meaning
71. What is the passage mainly about?
A．The changes of the author's attitude to her mother's English．
B．The limitation of the author's perception of her mother．
C．The author's misunderstanding of“limited”English．
D．The author's experiences of using broken English．
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
72. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because_______.
A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B. he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
C. he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
D. he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
73. David Smith wears casual clothes now, because________.
A. they make him feel at ease when working
B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C. he looks handsome in casual clothes
D. he no longer works for any company
74. According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code..
B. Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.
C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D. All the employers in the U.S are for casual office wear.
75. In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except ______.
A. saving employees’ money B. making employees more attractive
C. improving employees’ motivation D. making employees happier
Music has often been used in movies to create mood and add dimension to the images which the audience sees on the screen. One man who is famous for his ability to write powerful and highly effective music for movies is John Williams. Mr. Williams has been writing music for movies since 1960, but he is perhaps best known for his award-winning scores for movies such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Schindler's List. Before he began writing music for the movies, Mr. Williams dreamed of being a concert pianist. He studied at both the University of California, Los Angeles and Juilliard School. During the 1950s, Mr. Williams was into jazz and he worked in New York City with many jazz artists. Later, he moved back to Los Angeles where he continued to play the piano for jazz musicians. He also got a job writing music for television shows. It was this television job that led him into movies.
Throughout the 1960s, Mr. Williams wrote the music that can be heard in more than 20 movies. Most of these movies were light comedies. Then, in 1975, the director of the movie Jaws, Steven Spielberg, hired Mr. Williams. The director thought that Mr. William's music added so much to the scary （引起恐慌的）scenes of the movie that he insisted on working with Mr. Williams in all of his future movies. Other directors and Hollywood film studios also demanded to work with Mr. Williams, and his career as a composer of movie soundtracks took off. Many of these movies have soundtracks that are still available in music stores today. They include The Deer Hunter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, and Jurassic Park.
In 1980, Mr. Williams had another chance to expand his musical experience. He was chosen to be the new conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra when Arthur Fiedler retired. Mr. Williams gladly accepted the position because it only required that he conduct the orchestra during the summer. This left him free to continue writing music for the movies during the rest of the year. Mr. Williams conducted the Boston Pops for more than 12 years before he decided to retire and write music full-time. Along with the many movie music scores he has written, Mr. Williams has also written two symphonies, a flute concerto, and a violin concerto. Up to now, Mr. Williams has written music for more than 60 movies. It is no wonder that he is today's most famous Hollywood composer.
69. What is John Williams most famous for?
A. Conducting. B. Making movies.
C. Playing jazz. D. Writing music for movies.
70. What happened to Mr. Williams in 1975?
A. He began writing music for movies. B. He moved to Hollywood.
C. He worked with Steven Spielberg. D. He worked for the Boston Pops.
71. Which of the following things has Mr. Williams not done?
A. Conducted an orchestra. B. Directed a movie.
C. Played jazz piano. D. Writing classical music.
If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year，he'd better offer you more money to do so--or even double that depending on where you live now．That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base，Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing，transportation，food，clothing，household goods and entertainment(娱乐)．
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs$4,000 a month；a CD$24.83， and an international newspaper $6.30，according to Mercer．By comparison，a fast food meal with a hamburger (汉堡包)is a steal at$480．
London takes the No.2 place，up from No.5 a year ago，thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算)London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days．Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo，both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York，while No.5 Hong Kong is l9 percent more costly．
Among North American cities，New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities．But both have mien since last year's study--New York came in15th,down from 10th place，while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago．San Francisco came in a distant third at No.54，down 20 places from a year earlier．
Toronto, meanwhile，is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide．In Australia．Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No．21 worldwide．
65. What do the underlined words "a steal" in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. an act of stealingB. something delicious
C. something very cheap D. an act of buying
66. London has become the second most expensive city because of ______.
A. the high cost of clothing B. the stronger pound against the dollar
C. its expensive transportation D. the high prices of fast food meals
67. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
A. TokyoB. Hong Kong C. MoscowD. Los Angeles
68. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
A. New York． B. Los Angeles． C. San Francisco D. Tokyo
|
NANJING, June 13,2009 (Xinhua) – China will see the longest total solar eclipse (日食) in 500 years on July 22, a scientist said Saturday.
The most important time of the total eclipse was expected to