Just put your special clothes on in the morning and you could jump 3 meters into the air and even carry more than 60 kilograms without getting tired. The walk to school would be very , very easy. Such supercharged clothing is one of the products that could be created using “wearable robotics” technology.
Designed to improve a person’s senses and skills, the device could be as simple as a hearing aid. Or it could be a full-body suit that senses what you’re going to do, then helps you do it better.
“A superman suit would be the final result in wearable robotics,” said Francois Pin, head of robotics and energy systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory（橡树林国家实验室）, US. While these suits are at least ten years away, in some areas the technology is already in use.
Researchers are developing artificial arms and legs that allow old, disabled or injured people to move freely. Thus US Army is interested in using wearable robot legs to help soldiers run faster, carry more equipment and be stronger in battle. Jobs that involve lifting heavy loads or saving lives from the rubble of an earthquake could also become much easier.
A robot is a device that responds to a command. You’re probably with simple robots, such as toy cars or airplanes that respond to buttons you push on a remote control.
Wearable robotics goes further. Instead of just receiving information through a wire or remote control, the robotic device can send information back to its controller.
Suppose you wore a sleeve that has sensors where your joints are. Every time you move your arm, the sleeve senses your movements and sends the information to a robot, which then moves its arm just as you did. When the robot hits or touches something, it sends a signal back to the sleeve and you sense the action.
In this way, scientists are working to wrap the robot around the person. Their goal is to make the sleeve, shoe or suit help you do what you want to do.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “ supercharged” in Paragraph one?
| A．expensive | B．overcharged | C．advanced | D．full of electricity |
Products resulting from this wearable robotics technology do not include ___________.
| A．remote controls | B．hearing aids |
| C．wearable robot legs | D．superman suits |
From the passage, we can infer that_______________.
| A．it will be ten years before robotic devices are in use |
| B．the wearable robotics technology has been employed in some areas |
| C．the robots in the robotic devices will do whatever you want to do |
| D．people must become lazier and less healthier in the future |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he 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(士气). 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.” 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 |
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 |
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 US are for casual office wear. |
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 |
You wake up in the morning，the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time．Then the telephone rings，you say hello, and the drama starts．The person on the other end has a depressing(令人沮丧的) tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to．Yon are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness．It may not change what you think，but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time．
Life brings ups and downs，but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer．They only feel glad when they make others feel bad．No wonder they can hardly win others’pity or respect．
When you communicate with positive people，your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted．When the dagger(匕首)of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that all in all，brings you down．
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people．This could be a co-worker，or relative．In this case，say what needs to be said as little as possible． Sometimes it feels good to let out-your anger back to a negative person，but all this does is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that．
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized．The negative words of another at the start of the day can cling to(附着)you throughout the rest of your day，which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness．Life is too short to feel negative．Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible．The purpose of the first paragraph is to ．
| A．make a comparison | B．offer an evidence |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a daily scene |
How can negative people have effect on us?
| A．By influencing our emotion． | B．By telling US the nature of life． |
| C．By changing our way of thinking． | D．By comparing their attitude to life with ours． |
Some negative people base their happiness on ．
| A．other people’s pity for them |
| B．making other people unhappy |
| C．building up a positive attitude |
| D．other people’s respect for t hem |
According to the passage， to reduce negative people’s influence on us，we are advised ．
| A．to change negative people’s attitude to life |
| B．to show our dissatisfaction to negative people |
| C．to make negative people feel ashamed of themselves |
| D．to communicate with negative people as little as possible |
What can we learn about negativity?
| A．Its effect can last． |
| B．Its effect can be completely avoided． |
| C．It hardly happens among family members． |
| D．Its effect is smaller than the effect created by a positive person． |
Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.
On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.
Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes （简历）. It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.
So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?
Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.
For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.
“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?
| A．It is always difficult to find a job. |
| B．Everyone can find a job in good times. |
| C．Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times. |
| D．It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now. |
What is it that leads to their winning the prize?
| A．They have found the reason for unemployment. |
| B．They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment. |
| C．They have found out why people don’t want to be employed. |
| D．They have long studied the problem of unemployment. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Pissarides thinks his work surprising. |
| B．The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists. |
| C．Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice. |
| D．It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work. |
According to Pissarides, _________ is effective in dealing with unemployment.
| A．spending large sums of money on training |
| B．teaching some knowledge of economics |
| C．providing work experience |
| D．keeping people unemployed for some time |
Sydney Airport International Terminal—Arrival Area
SPECIALTY RETAIL
Newslink: Two separate Newslink stores cater to all your reading needs including newspapers, magazines and the latest bestsellers.
Downtown Duty Free: Make sure you shop at Downtown Duty Free for great savings on a range of items including perfume, alcohol, skincare and cigarettes. It’s your last chance before customs.
Beach Culture: A must for those into the latest in beach clothing. Top surfer street and fashion labels including Mambo, Stussy and Quicksilver, including children’s sizes.
DINING
Blue Sky Cafe: Speedy service leaves you time to keep an eye on the arrivals gate. Fresh milk, coffee, lemon juice, beer, whisky, ice-cream, soda water, cakes and dumplings are on sale.
Macdonald’s: hamburgers, fries, pancakes, toasted potatoes, muffins, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and chocolates—all your family favorites. Breakfast served until 10:30.
SERVICES
ATM: ATMs are conveniently located throughout Arrival and Departures. Dollars, pounds and francs and RMB are all available.
Vodafone Rentals: This communications center offers the very latest technology for mobile phone rentals, sales and serving.Where is the passage likely to appear?
| A．A morning newspaper. | B．A monthly magazine. |
| C．A geography book. | D．An official guide. |
The underlined phrase “cater to” probably means ________.
| A．satisfy | B．afford | C．support | D．help |
You may have better choices to deal with _________.
| A．your hunger problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your thirsty problem in Macdonald’s |
| B．your thirsty problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your hunger problem in Macdonald’s |
| C．your hunger and thirsty problems in the Blue Sky Cafe |
| D．your hunger and thirsty problems in the Macdonald’s |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some degree our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random(随机地) from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical (完全相同的) twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Para. 1?
| A．To some degree, intelligence is given at birth. |
| B．Intelligence is developed by the environment. |
| C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid. |
| D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment. |
It is suggested in this passage that_______.
| A．unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence |
| B．close relations usually have similar intelligence |
| C．the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence |
| D．people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees |
of intelligenceIn Para. 1, the word "surroundings" means_______.
| A．intelligence | B．life | C．environments | D．housing |
The best title for this article would be_______.
| A．On Intelligence | B．What Intelligence Means |
| C．We are Born with Intelligence | D．Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence |